Sally Murphy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sally Murphy OAM
Born	Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Occupation	Author
Genre	Children's literature

Sally Murphy OAM is a well-known Australian author and poet who writes for children. She has written many different types of books. These include verse novels (stories told in poems), picture books, and books for learning.

Early Life and School

Sally Murphy was born in Perth, Western Australia. She was the youngest of six children. She grew up in a town called Collie in southwest Australia.

Sally loved writing stories from a young age. She often entered writing competitions when she was a child. After finishing school, she went to the University of Western Australia. There, she earned a degree in Arts. She also got a teaching diploma from Edith Cowan University.

Her Writing Career

How She Started Writing Books

Sally Murphy's first book was called Speak Out. It was published in 1997 by Ready Ed Publications. This book had fun educational activities you could print.

Since then, she has published many more books. Some of her famous books are verse novels like Pearl Verses the World (2009) and Toppling (2010). She has also written picture books, junior novels, and more educational titles. As of June 2022, Sally Murphy has published over 50 books!

Teaching and Research

Sally Murphy has also worked in universities. She has studied creative writing, early childhood education, and how to teach English and reading.

From 2012 to 2013, she taught at Edith Cowan University. Later, from 2017 to 2019, she taught at Curtin University. In 2019, she became a lecturer in teaching reading and writing to young children. In 2020, she started coordinating courses for early childhood education.

Other Things She Does

In 2001, Sally Murphy started a website called Aussie Reviews. This website helps people find out about Australian books. Since 2005, she has been a member of a group called the Australia and New Zealand Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. This group helps authors and illustrators of children's books.

Awards and Recognition

Sally Murphy has received many awards for her work.

• 2018: She received an Asialink Arts Residency in Hanoi, Vietnam. This allowed her to spend time writing there.
• 2019: She received a Creative Time Fellowship from the May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust.
• 2022: She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This is a special honor given to Australians for their achievements.

Awards for Pearl Verses the World

Her book Pearl Verses the World won many awards:

• Winner, Children's Book category, Indie Book Award, 2009
• Winner, Family Therapist Literary Award, 2010
• Winner, Hoffmann Award (for the highest ranked West Australian author), West Australian Young Readers' Book Award, 2010
• Winner, Western Australian Premier's Book Awards (Children's Book Category)
• Shortlisted for the Indie Book of the Year Award, 2009
• Shortlisted for Mary Ryan's Award, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, 2009
• Shortlisted for Junior Category, Red Dot Book Award 2009-2010 (International School Libraries Network, Singapore)
• Honour Book, Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers, 2010 (judges called it one of "two outstanding verse novels")

Other Book Awards

• 2010: Winner, Mary Ryan's Award, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, for Toppling
• 2016: Notable Book, Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers, for Roses are Blue
• 2018: Notable Book, Children's Book of the Year (Younger Readers), for Looking Up
• 2021: Honour Book, Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers

Selected Books by Sally Murphy

Here are some of the books Sally Murphy has written:

Verse Novels

These are stories told using poetry.

• Pearl Verses the World
• Toppling, illustrated by Rhian Nest James (2010)
• Worse Things

Picture Books

These books have lots of pictures and are often for younger readers.

• Snowy’s Christmas, illustrated by David Murphy (2009)
• Pemberthy Bear, illustrated by Jacqui Grantford (2006)
• The Floatingest Frog, illustrated by Simon Bosch (2004)

Chapter Books

These are longer stories divided into chapters, usually for middle-grade readers.

• The Big Blowie, illustrated by Craig Longmuir (2008)
• R is for Rolf, illustrated by Trevor Pye (2006)
• Bugged, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen (2006)
• Stuck, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen (2006)
• Doggy Duo, illustrated by Teresa Culkin-Lawrence (2003)

Educational Titles

These books help kids learn about different topics.