Joy Cowley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joy Cowley
|
|
|---|---|
At the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair
|
|
| Born | Cassia Joy Summers 7 August 1936 Levin, New Zealand |
| Pen name | Joy Cowley |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Period | 1967–present |
| Notable awards | Honorary DLitt (Massey University) |
| Spouse |
Malcolm Mason
(m. 1970; died 1985)Terry Coles
(m. 1989; died 2022) |
Cassia Joy Cowley (born 7 August 1936) is a famous author from New Zealand. She is best known for writing many wonderful children's books. One of her most popular series is about a character called Mrs. Wishy-Washy.
Contents
Joy Cowley's Writing Journey
Joy Cowley started her writing career by creating novels for grown-ups. Her very first book, Nest in a Falling Tree, came out in 1967. This book was even turned into a movie called The Night Digger in 1971. After this success, she wrote more novels for adults, like Man of Straw (1972) and The Growing Season (1979). These books often explored how families dealt with difficult times.
Joy Cowley also wrote collections of short stories, such as Heart Attack and Other Stories (1985). However, today she is most famous for her amazing children's books. One of her well-known children's novels is The Silent One (1981), which also became a movie in 1985. Other popular books include Bow Down Shadrach (1991) and its follow-up, Gladly, Here I Come (1994).
Picture Books and Reading Help
Joy Cowley has written over forty picture books for young readers. Some of these include The Duck in the Gun (1969) and The Terrible Taniwha of Timberditch (1982). The Duck in the Gun and Salmagundi are special because they share messages about peace.
She has also worked a lot to help children learn to read. She has written about 500 special "reading books" that help kids develop their reading skills. These books are often used in schools in New Zealand.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Joy Cowley has received many awards for her writing, especially for her children's books.
In 1990, she was given the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. Then, in 1992, she was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her great work in children's literature. The next year, she received a special degree called an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Massey University. She also received the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993.
Important Literary Awards
In 1993, Joy Cowley was the third person to receive the Margaret Mahy Award. Winners of this award give a speech about children's literature. Joy Cowley's speech was called Influences.
The Storylines Childrens Literature Charitable Trust created the Joy Cowley Award in 2002. This award celebrates her amazing contributions to children's books and reading, both in New Zealand and around the world. Since 2004, she has been a patron of the Storylines Childrens Literature Foundation. Many of her books have been on the Storylines Notable Books List almost every year since 2000.
In 2002, she won the Roberta Long Medal from the University of Alabama at Birmingham for children's books that show different cultures. In 2004, she received the A. W. Reed Award for her contributions to New Zealand literature. In 2010, she won the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for her fiction writing.
New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards
Joy Cowley has won the top "Book of the Year" award three times at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.
- First, for The Silent One in 1982.
- Then, for Hunter in 2006.
- And finally, for Snake and Lizard in 2008.
She also won category awards for her books Ticket to the Sky Dance (1998), Starbright and the Dream Eater (1999), and Shadrach Girl (2001). In 2010, her book Friends: Snake and Lizard won the Children's Choice award in its category.
Her book Bow Down Shadrach won the Fiction category in 1992. Brodie won the Picture Book category in 2002. Many of her other books have also been finalists for these awards.
Her book The Video Shop Sparrow was recognized internationally in 2000. Five of her books have also been finalists for the Esther Glen Award. In 1994, she won an award for Best Script Television Drama for a film called Mother Tongue.
Highest National Honors
In 2005, Joy Cowley was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to children's literature. In 2009, she chose not to accept the title of "Dame" when it was offered again.
In 2018, she was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand, which is a very high honor for her contributions to the country. In 2020, she received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award, an honor given to only 20 living people.
Joy Cowley's Life
Joy Cowley has been married three times. Her first husband was Ted Cowley, and they had four children together. After their marriage ended in 1967, she married Malcolm Mason, a writer and accountant, who passed away in 1985.
In 1989, Joy Cowley married Terry Coles. They lived together with many animals in the Marlborough Sounds for years. Later, they moved to Wellington so Terry could be closer to medical care. As his health declined, they moved again to Featherston, where Joy Cowley lives now. She has 13 grandchildren and continues to write full-time. Terry Coles passed away in September 2022.
Recent Books by Joy Cowley
- 1986 – Turnips For Dinner, illustrated by Jan van der Voo, 16 pages, ISBN: 0-87449-368-4
- 1986 – The King's Pudding, illustrated by Martin Bailey, 16 pages, ISBN: 0-87449-370-6
- 2007 – Snake and Lizard, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 102 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-0-9582787-3-7
- 2009 – Friends: Snake and Lizard, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 144 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-1-877467-25-7
- 2010 – The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate, 40 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 9781877467400
- 2011 – Stories of the Wild West Gang, 362 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-1-877467-85-1
- 2013 – Dunger, 156 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-1-877579-46-2
- 2014 – Speed of Light, 208 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-1-877579-93-6
- 2015 – The Bakehouse, 140 pages, (Gecko Press), ISBN: 978-1-776570-07-2
- 2016 – The Road to Ratenburg, 200 pages, (Gecko Press) ISBN: 978-1-776570-75-1
- 2017 – Helper and Helper, 128 pages, (Gecko Press) ISBN: 978-1-776571-05-5
- 2018 – Snake and Lizard Anniversary Edition, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 102 pages, (Gecko Press) ISBN: 978-1-877467-25-7
See also
In Spanish: Joy Cowley para niños
- New Zealand literature
