Kaye Umansky facts for kids

Kaye Umansky (born 6 December 1946) is an English author and poet who writes books for children. She has written more than 130 books. Her books include picture books and longer novels. Kaye Umansky is most famous for her "Pongwiffy" and "Jim" book series.

About Kaye Umansky

Kaye Umansky was born in Plymouth, Devon, England. Her mother was a music teacher. She encouraged Kaye to play music from a young age. Her father was also a teacher. He helped her love reading.

Kaye was an only child. She often wrote stories and plays. She would try to get her friends to act in them.

After school, Kaye went to London. She trained to become a teacher. Kaye loved teaching music, drama, and creative writing. She did not enjoy teaching mathematics as much.

Kaye and her husband formed a soul band. They played music in the evenings and on weekends. Kaye says they "never became rich and famous," but they had a lot of fun.

She kept writing stories as a hobby. When her daughter was born, she started writing full-time.

Kaye's Personal Life

Kaye Umansky lives in North London. Her husband, Mo, is an engineer. They have been together for over 30 years. Kaye has a daughter named Ella. She also has step-children and step-grandchildren. Kaye has two cats named Jeremy and Heathcliff.

Kaye's Writing Career

Kaye Umansky's first children's book was published in 1986. It was a collection of songs for children. The book was called Phantasmagoria.

Kaye still writes music books. She also writes plays, poems, novels, and picture books. However, she is best known for creating the character Pongwiffy.

She has been inspired by other famous authors. Two of her biggest influences are Richmal Crompton and Terry Pratchett. People have compared her writing style to that of Roald Dahl and Eva Ibbotson.

In 2008, Kaye Umansky was a judge. She helped choose the winner for the first Roald Dahl Funny Prize. This award celebrates funny children's books.

The Pongwiffy Series

The first Pongwiffy book was published in 1987. It was called Pongwiffy: A Witch of Dirty Habits. The books were first published by A & C Black. Later, Penguin Books published them as paperbacks. Now, Bloomsbury Publishing publishes the series.

The seventh book in the series, Pongwiffy: Back on Track, celebrated Pongwiffy's 21st 'birthday'. The Pongwiffy books have been published in many countries.

The books have also been made into audiobooks. The famous actress Prunella Scales read them. There was also a cartoon TV series. It had 13 episodes and aired on ITV1 in 2002. Dawn French was the voice of Pongwiffy. Her best friend, Sharkadder, was voiced by Jennifer Saunders.

In 2010, a new Pongwiffy story appeared. It was part of a special flip-book. This book was one of the official publications for World Book Day.

Awards Kaye Umansky Has Won

Kaye Umansky has won several awards for her books:

• In 1993, she won the Nottinghamshire Book Award. This was for her book Pongwiffy and the Spell of the Year.
• In 1999, she won the Times Educational Supplement Junior Music Book Award. This was for her book Three Rapping Rats.
• In 2005, she won the Spoken Word Award. This was for the audiobook version of The Silver Spoon Of Solomon Snow. The actor Rik Mayall read this book.