David Henry Wilson facts for kids

David Henry Wilson (born in London in 1937) is an English writer. He is most famous for his fun children's books, especially the Jeremy James series. David Henry Wilson has also written many plays for both kids and adults. These plays have been performed in the United Kingdom. He also wrote The Coachman Rat (1989), which is a clever story based on the classic tale of Cinderella.

About David Henry Wilson

David Henry Wilson went to school at Dulwich College and later studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He has lived in several countries, including France, Ghana, Germany, and Switzerland. For many years, he taught at the University of Bristol and the University of Konstanz. At the University of Konstanz, he even started and ran the university's theatre group.

Many of Wilson's books have been published in the United Kingdom. Some of his works have also been translated into other languages. He also translates many books from French and German into English. These translations include children's books by Kirsten Boie and travel guides by Peter Sager. He also translates art history books by Werner Hofmann and literary theory by Wolfgang Iser. Besides books, he writes many plays, both short and long. A common idea in his plays is to create sequels to famous works by Shakespeare.

David Wilson's Family Life

David Henry Wilson's wife passed away, and he has three grown-up children. He now lives in Taunton, Somerset, England. He really enjoys cricket and classical music. He is also a fan of rugby. His youngest child, J.J. Amaworo Wilson, is an author who lives in America. J.J. Amaworo Wilson's novel Damnificados has won awards.

Fun Books for Young Readers

David Henry Wilson has written many exciting books for children. Here are some of his most popular ones:

• The Jeremy James series:
  • Elephants Don’t Sit on Cars (1978)
  • Never Say Moo to a Bull (1979) – This book was first called Getting Rich With Jeremy James.
  • How the Lion Lost his Lunch (1980) – This was first known as Beside the Sea with Jeremy James.
  • Can a Spider Learn to Fly? (1983) – Its first title was How to Stop a Train with One Finger.
  • Do Goldfish Play the Violin? (1985)
  • Please Keep Off the Dinosaur (1993)
  • Do Gerbils Go to Heaven? (1996)
  • Never Steal Wheels from a Dog (2001)
• Macmillan Children's Books later combined these stories into three bigger books:
  • Triple Trouble with Jeremy James
  • Causing Chaos with Jeremy James
  • Making Mischief with Jeremy James
• The Fastest Gun Alive
• The Superdog series: Superdog, Superdog the Hero, and Superdog in Trouble
• Gander of the Yard, also known as Gideon Gander Solves the World's Greatest Mysteries
• The Coachman Rat (1989) – This is a novel that retells the Cinderella story in a new way.
• The Castle of Inside Out (1997)

Plays for the Stage

David Henry Wilson has written many plays that have been performed. Here are some of them:

• We’re Looking for Mary Pickford: This play is about two very old children who rebel against their mother.
• Jones v Jones: This play shows how a marriage falls apart.
• Who Cares?: A funny but sad play where two older people get ready to give their small savings to charity.
• People in Cages
• Are You Normal, Mr Norman? & other short plays: This collection includes the title play, where Mr Norman visits a scary dentist.
• The Death Artist
• Gas and Candles
• The Make-Up Artist (1973): This is a one-act play that uses many quotes from Shakespeare.

Plays Inspired by Shakespeare

David Henry Wilson has written several plays that are connected to the works of William Shakespeare:

• Shylock's Revenge: This is a full-length sequel to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. It has a large cast, like Shakespeare's original plays, and was first performed at the University of Hamburg.
• Iago, The Villain of Venice: This is another full-length sequel, this time to Shakespeare's Othello. It also requires a large cast of actors.
• Excellent Beauty & other short plays: This collection includes How To Avoid A Tragedy. This is a 30-minute, fun play that takes you through Shakespeare's four great tragedies but gives them a happy ending. It won the Hydrae Prize in 2003. The Royal Shakespeare Company called it "Very witty, light and entertaining."
• Lear's Fool / The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth: These are two one-hour plays. They explore two of Shakespeare's most mysterious characters: King Lear's Fool and Lady Macbeth. These plays were first performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London. A reviewer from West End Extra said that "Rewriting Shakespeare requires a fair amount of courage, not to mention talent – both of which David Henry Wilson appears to possess in considerable amounts."