Josephine Pullein-Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josephine Pullein-Thompson
The sisters, Josephine on the left, c. 1942
Born	Josephine Mary Wedderburn Pullein-Thompson 3 April 1924
Died	19 June 2014
Other names	Josephine Mann
Occupation	writer
Known for	books about ponies

Josephine Pullein-Thompson (born April 3, 1924, died June 19, 2014) was a famous British writer. She was best known for her exciting pony books. She also used the name Josephine Mann for some of her books.

Josephine was an important member of the Pony Club. She was also a leader in PEN International, an organization for writers. Her mother and two sisters, Christine and Diana, were also writers. Together, they wrote many books, often about horses.

Josephine's Early Life

Josephine Pullein-Thompson was born on April 3, 1924. She came from a well-known family. Her father, Harold Pullein-Thompson, was a war hero. Her mother, Joanna Cannan, was a very successful writer.

Josephine had an older brother, Denis Cannan, who became a famous playwright. She also had two younger twin sisters. All the children in the family grew up to be writers.

Growing Up in the Country

The family first lived in Wimbledon, a suburb of London. Later, they moved to Rotherfield Peppard in Oxfordshire. Their large house, called The Grove, had its own stables. This was perfect for the girls, who loved horses.

Josephine and her sisters learned to ride horses there. They also competed in horse riding events. They wrote about their childhood in the countryside in a book called Fair Girls and Grey Horses.

The girls had a very unusual education. Unlike their brother, who went to a famous school, they were taught differently. Josephine was known for being strong-willed and not always following rules. The sisters were proud of being different.

Starting a Riding School

When Josephine was 15, and her sisters were 14, they stopped formal schooling. They decided to open a riding school. This happened during wartime in Britain.

The riding school helped the family earn extra money. The three sisters taught many people how to ride horses.

Becoming a Writer

In 1946, Josephine's first book, Six Ponies, was published. This was the start of her writing career. She had also helped write It Began With Picotee with her sisters in 1941, which was also published in 1946.

Josephine wrote many books, about 48 of them by herself. Her sisters also wrote dozens of books.

Important Roles and Awards

Josephine was the vice president of the Woodland Hunt Branch of the British Pony Club. This shows how much she loved and supported horse riding.

In 1984, she was given the MBE award. This is a special honor in Britain.

She also served as the general secretary and then president of PEN International. This organization works to promote literature and protect writers' freedom. In 2007, she received the Golden PEN Award for her contributions to literature.

Josephine's Personal Life

For the last 20 years of her life, Josephine was a close companion to Anthony Babington. He was a lawyer and an author. He had faced health challenges from the war.

Anthony traveled with Josephine to many PEN meetings around the world. He was a great support to her until he passed away in 2004.

Josephine's Books

Josephine Pullein-Thompson wrote many popular books, especially about ponies. Here are some of her works:

• Six Ponies (1946)
• I Had Two Ponies (1947)
• Plenty of Ponies (1949)
• Pony Club Team (1950)
• The Radney Riding Club (1951)
• Prince Among Ponies (1952)
• One Day Event (1954)
• Show Jumping Secret (1955)
• Patrick's Pony (1956)
• Pony Club Camp (1957)
• The Trick Jumpers (1958)
• All Change (1961; later republished as The Hidden Horse)
• How Horses Are Trained (non-fiction, 1961)
• Ponies In Colour (non-fiction) (1962)
• Learn To Ride Well (non-fiction, 1966, later republished as How To Ride Well)
• Horses and Their Owners (non-fiction, 1970)
• Race Horse Holiday (1971, also published as Racehorse Holiday)
• Proud Riders (1973)
• Black Ebony (1975)
• Star Riders Of The Moor (1974; later republished as Star Riders)
• Ride Better And Better (with her sister, non-fiction, 1977)
• Fear Treks The Moor (1978)
• Black Nightshade (1978)
• Ride To The Rescue (1979)
• Ghost Horse On The Moor (1980)
• The No-Good Pony (1981)
• Treasure On The Moor (1982)
• The Prize Pony (1982)
• Black Raven (1982)
• Pony Club Cup (1982)
• Save The Ponies (1984)
• Mystery On The Moor (1984)
• Pony Club Challenge (1984)
• Pony Club Trek (1985)
• Suspicion Stalks The Moor (1986)
• Black Swift (1991)
• A Job With Horses (1994)

She also wrote some mystery books for adults: Gin and Murder (1959), Murder Strikes Pink (1963), and They Died In The Spring (1960). She wrote A Place With Two Faces (1972) using the name Josephine Mann.