Nadia Wheatley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nadia Wheatley
Born	(1949-04-30) 30 April 1949 (age 76) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Writer
Known for	Children's fiction, historical fiction, short stories, articles

Nadia Wheatley, born on April 30, 1949, is an Australian writer. She writes many kinds of books, including picture books, novels, and history books. She is famous for her classic picture book My Place, which has pictures by Donna Rawlins. A critic named Peter Craven said her book about Charmian Clift was "one of the greatest Australian biographies." Another well-known book by Nadia Wheatley is A Banner Bold, which is a historical novel.

Some of Nadia Wheatley's books for kids and young adults have won awards from the Children's Book Council of Australia. In 2014, she was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing. This is a very important international award for authors whose books have made a lasting impact on children's literature.

In 2014, the University of Sydney gave Nadia Wheatley a special Doctor of Letters degree. They recognized her amazing writing for both kids and adults. They also honored her work as a historian and how she helped people understand Indigenous issues, different cultures, fairness, and the environment through her stories.

Nadia Wheatley's Early Life

Nadia Wheatley was born in Sydney, Australia. She went to Meriden School and then studied at the University of Sydney. Later, she continued her studies at Macquarie University.

In 1975, Nadia Wheatley moved to Greece with her partner, Martin Johnston. He was a poet and the son of famous Australian writers George Johnston and Charmian Clift. It was in Greece that Nadia started to write seriously. They lived in a town called Chania in Crete and also in a village in the Peloponnese. They had a routine of writing six days a week.

When she returned to Australia in 1978, Nadia Wheatley lived in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney. This area became the setting for her first three books. These books were Five Times Dizzy, Dancing in the Anzac Deli, and The House that was Eureka. After living in Apollo Bay, Victoria, and the Blue Mountains, she moved back to Sydney in 1995. She now lives in the Cooks River Valley, which is the "place" from her famous picture book, My Place.

Nadia Wheatley's Writing Career

Nadia Wheatley's first book, Five Times Dizzy, came out in 1983. It was praised as Australia's first multicultural book for children. It won an award and was even made into a TV mini-series in 1986. This show was shown on the SBS channel, which focuses on different cultures.

Her picture book, My Place, was also turned into a 26-part TV mini-series. Nadia Wheatley helped with the history and story for the show. It was shown on the ABC in 2009 and 2011. The My Place TV series won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Children's Series in 2012.

Nadia Wheatley also used her knowledge of history to write The House That Was Eureka (1986). This historical novel is set during the Great Depression, a time when many people struggled. It tells about battles against people being forced out of their homes. A critic called it "a novel of enduring significance." This book was republished in 2014 as a Text Classic.

While writing books for kids, Nadia Wheatley also researched and wrote a biography of Charmian Clift. This book, The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift, won The Age Book of the Year award for Non-Fiction in 2001. It also won the Australian History Prize in 2002.

For the past ten years, Nadia Wheatley has worked with artist Ken Searle. They have created non-fiction books that follow the Papunya Model of Education. This is an Indigenous way of learning that focuses on the land and environment.

Their journey began from 1998 to 2001. During this time, Wheatley and Searle worked at the school in Papunya. This is an Aboriginal community in the Western Desert of the Northern Territory. They helped the Anangu staff and students create learning materials. Together, they produced the award-winning Papunya School Book of Country and History (2002).

Wheatley and Searle also helped Mary Malbunka, an artist and teacher from Papunya. They supported her in writing and illustrating her picture book memoir, When I Was Little, Like You (2003).

The "Going Bush" Project

Nadia's book Going Bush came from a project started in 2003. Eight schools in inner-Sydney worked together for Harmony Day. The first idea was to help different communities get along. But it grew into a bigger project. It included learning about the environment, Indigenous culture, and living in multicultural communities. Sixteen Muslim, Catholic, and government schools took part.

In 2005, Nadia Wheatley and Ken Searle were asked to work with the children. They focused on the theme of "freedom." Wheatley and Searle used a teaching method they had developed earlier. This method, used at Papunya School, puts the land at the center of learning. The book Going Bush shows what the children learned. They explored a part of urban bushland along Wolli Creek.

Awards for Nadia Wheatley's Books

Nadia Wheatley's books have won many awards over the years.

Awards for Five Times Dizzy

• New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Special Children's Book Award (1983)
• Highly Commended – CBCA Children's Book of the Year: Older Readers (1983)
• Honorary Diploma – International Board on Books for Young People (1983)
• AWGIE Awards for Best Adaptation, Children's Television Drama (for the TV mini-series) (1987)

Awards for Dancing in the Anzac Deli

• Commended – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers (1984)
• Honorary Diploma – International Board on Books for Young People (1985)

Awards for The House that Was Eureka

• Shortlisted – The Australian/Vogel Literary Award (1984)
• New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award (1985)
• Commended – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers (1985)

Awards for My Place

• Won – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers (1988)
• Won – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (1988)
• Won – Kids' Own Australian Literature Award (1988)
• Won – White Raven Award (1988)
• Won – Young Australian Best Book Awards (1990)
• Honorary Diploma – International Board on Books for Young People (1990)
• Listed US Library Best Books for Young People (1988)

Awards for Lucy in the Leap Year

• Shortlisted – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers (1994)
• Shortlisted – New South Wales Ministry for the Arts Awards (1994)
• Shortlisted – Multicultural Award (1994)

Awards for The Night Tolkien Died

• Honour Book – CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers (1995)

Awards for Highway

• Honour Book – CBCA (1999)

Awards for Papunya School Book of Country and History

• Shortlisted – CBCA (2002)

Awards for The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift

• Won – NSW History Awards: The Australian History Prize (2002)

Awards for Going Bush

• Shortlisted – Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing (2007)

Awards for Australians All

• Winner, NSW Premier's History Award, Young People's History Award (2014)