Joan Woodberry facts for kids

Joan Merle Woodberry was an amazing Australian author and teacher. She was born in Narrabri, New South Wales, on February 10, 1921. Joan loved writing stories, especially for young people. She also spent many years teaching.

Joan was recognized for her great work. In 1981, she became a member of the Order of Australia. This is a special award given to people who do wonderful things for their country. Later, in 2000, she received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Tasmania. This means the university honored her for her achievements, even though she didn't study there. Joan passed away on January 31, 2010, in Hobart, Tasmania.

Stories for Young Readers

Joan Woodberry wrote many exciting books for children. Her stories often featured adventure and interesting characters. One of her most famous books was Rafferty Rides a Winner. This book even won a special award in 1962! It was named the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers.

Here are some of the fun books she wrote for kids:

• Rafferty Takes to Fishing (1959)
• Floodtide for Rafferty (1960)
• Rafferty Rides a Winner (1961)
• Come Back Peter (1968)
• Ash Tuesday (1968)
• The Cider Duck (1969)
• Little Black Swan (1970)
• A Garland of Gannets (1970)

Other Books and Works

Besides her children's fiction, Joan Woodberry also worked on other types of books. She helped edit collections of stories, articles, and poems by different authors. She also wrote non-fiction books that explored history. For example, she created "sketchbooks" about historic places like Hobart and New Norfolk with artists. These books combined drawings with interesting facts about the areas.

Here are some of her other works:

• Andrew Bent and the Freedom of the Press in Van Diemen's Land (1972) - This was a book she edited.
• The Honour Book : Short Stories, Articles, Poetry (1978) - Another book she edited.
• An Anthology of Short Stories, Articles and Poems by Tasmanian Authors (1979) - She edited this one too.
• Historic Hobart Sketchbook (1976) with Frank Mather - A non-fiction book.
• New Norfolk Sketchbook (1977) with John Alty - Another non-fiction book.