Joan Phipson facts for kids

Joan Margaret Phipson AM (1912–2003) was a famous Australian writer who wrote many exciting books for children. She lived on a farm in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Many of her stories show what it was like to live in the Australian countryside. She wrote about the challenges and joys of farm life, including floods, bushfires, and droughts.

Two of her novels, Good Luck to the Rider and The Family Conspiracy, won the top prize for children's books in Australia. This award is called the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award.

About Joan Phipson

Joan Phipson was born in Warrawee, New South Wales, on 16 November 1912. Her parents were from England. She spent a lot of her childhood traveling between Australia, England, and India.

Early Life and Work

Joan went to the Frensham School. Later, she worked there as a librarian and helped set up the school's printing press. She also studied journalism and worked for Reuters in London before World War II.

During the war, from 1941 to 1944, she served in the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force. She worked as a telegraphist, sending and receiving messages.

Family Life and Writing Career

In 1944, Joan married Colin Fitzhardinge. They decided to live in the countryside of New South Wales.

Her first children's book came out in 1953. It was about a girl on an Australian ranch who adopted a baby horse that had lost its mother. Joan continued to write new books all the way into the 1990s.

She passed away on 2 April 2003, when she was 90 years old. Her two children, Guy and Anna, survived her.

Awards and Recognition

Joan Phipson's books won many important awards.

• Her book Good Luck to the Rider was named the Australian Children's Book of the Year in 1953.
• The Family Conspiracy won the same award in 1963. It also won the New York Herald Tribune Children's Spring Book Festival Award in 1964.
• The Watcher in the Garden received an Honour Diploma from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). This is a special award for books that promote international understanding through children's literature.
• Hit and Run was chosen for the White Ravens Selection by the International Youth Library in Munich. It was also picked for the American Library Association Notable Books list for children and their Best Books list for young adults.
• In 1987, Joan Phipson received the Dromkeen Medal. This award is given to people who have done a lot to help children's literature in Australia.
• In 1994, she became a member of the Order of Australia. This is a high honor given to Australian citizens for their achievements.

Why Her Books Are Important

When Joan Phipson started writing, most children's books in Australia were from England or America. Joan Phipson's books were special because they had a true Australian voice. They showed what life was like in Australia.

Themes in Her Books

Her early books were often about family life in the country, animals, horse riding, and sailing. Later, in the 1970s and 80s, she started writing about more difficult topics. For example, she wrote about:

• The illegal trade of rare birds in Fly into Danger.
• Problems in cities in Keep Calm.
• The dangers of nuclear war in Dinko.
• Teenagers feeling lost or alone in The Watcher in the Garden.

Maurice Saxby, an expert in children's literature, said that Joan Phipson helped shape Australian children's literature. He noted that her novels showed how Australian society was changing and becoming more complex.

Most of Joan Phipson's books were published in the UK and the US, as well as Australia. Her work was also translated into several languages, including French, German, Swedish, and Hungarian.

List of Books

• Good Luck to the Rider (1953)
• Six and Silver (1954)
• It Happened One Summer (1957)
• The Boundary Riders (1962)
• The Family Conspiracy (1962)
• Threat to the Barkers (1963)
• Birkin (1965)
• A Lamb in the Family (1966)
• The Crew of the Merlin (1966)
• Cross Currents (1967)
• Peter and Butch (1969)
• The Haunted Night (1970)
• Bass and Billy Martin (1972)
• The Way Home (1973)
• Polly's Tiger (1973)
• Helping Horse (1974) (US title: Horse with Eight Hands)
• The Cats (1976)
• Hide Till Daytime (1976)
• Fly into Danger (1977) (Australian title, published 1979: The Bird Smugglers)
• Keep Calm (1978) (US title: When the City Stopped)
• No Escape (1979) (US title: Fly Free)
• Mr Pringle and the Prince (1979)
• A Tide Flowing (1981)
• The Watcher in the Garden (1982)
• The Grannie Season (1985)
• Dinko (1985)
• Hit and Run (1985)
• Beryl the Rainmaker (1987)
• Bianca (1988)

Non-fiction Books

• Bennelong (Australians in History series) (1975)
• Contributed to: The Early Dreaming: Australian Children's Authors on Childhood (1980) – in this book, authors shared memories of their own childhoods.