Ethel Pedley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ethel Pedley
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Ethel Pedley's photograph from the author page of Dot and the Kangaroo.
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Ethel Charlotte Pedley
19 June 1859 Acton, London, England
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| Died | 6 August 1898 (aged 39) Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
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| Resting place | Waverley Cemetery, Bronte, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Music (1882) |
| Occupation | Author, musician |
| Years active | 1882–1898 |
Ethel Charlotte Pedley (born June 19, 1859 – died August 6, 1898) was an amazing English-Australian writer and musician. She is best known for her classic children's book, Dot and the Kangaroo. This story teaches us about the importance of protecting Australia's unique animals.
Contents
Ethel Pedley's Early Life
Ethel Pedley was born in Acton, near London, England, on June 19, 1859. She started playing the piano when she was just five years old. Her family moved to Australia in the 1870s.
Ethel later returned to London to study music. She attended the famous Royal Academy of Music. There, she learned from her uncle, Prosper Sainton, who taught violin. She even won a special medal for her musical talents! Her aunt, Charlotte Sainton-Dolby, a well-known singer, also taught her.
Ethel Pedley's Career
As a Musician and Teacher
In 1882, Ethel came back to Sydney, Australia. She began teaching singing and the violin. She helped bring important music exams to Australia.
In 1896, Ethel and her friend Emmeline Woolley visited London. They convinced the Royal Academy of Music to offer their exams in Australia. Ethel became the main representative for the Royal Academy of Music in New South Wales. The first examiner came to Australia in 1897.
As an Author
Ethel Pedley wrote only one book, but it became very famous! It is called Dot and the Kangaroo. The story is about a little girl named Dot. She gets lost in the huge Australian outback. A kind kangaroo helps her find her way back home.
The pictures in the book were drawn by Frank P. Mahony. Ethel believed strongly in protecting Australia's plants and animals. She wrote her book to show how important this was. She felt that humans sometimes forgot their connection to nature. Her ideas for the book likely came from visiting her brother's farm near Walgett.
Ethel wrote a special message at the beginning of Dot and the Kangaroo. It shows how much she cared about animals:
To the children of Australia
in the hope of enlisting their sympathies
for the many beautiful, amiable, and frolicsome creatures
of their fair land,
whose extinction, through ruthless destruction,
is being surely accomplished
Later Life and Legacy
Ethel Pedley became very ill and passed away on August 6, 1898. She was 39 years old. She died at the home of her friend, Emmeline Woolley, in Darlinghurst.
Her wonderful book, Dot and the Kangaroo, was published the year after she died. Ethel was buried in the Waverley Cemetery. After her death, her brother created a special scholarship. It helps music students travel and study, keeping Ethel's love for music alive.
See also
In Spanish: Ethel Pedley para niños
