Saviour Pirotta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saviour Pirotta
Pirotta at the Austrian National Library in Vienna in 2018
Born	1958 (age 66–67) Malta
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Genre	Children's picture books, Greek myth, fiction, historical fiction, detective stories, non-fiction
Years active	1986–present
Notable works	The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths, Firebird, The Wolfsong Series

Saviour Pirotta's autograph

Saviour Pirotta is a British author who was born in Malta. He lives in England. He is famous for writing many books for children. Some of his most well-known books include The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths, Firebird, and the Ancient Greek Mysteries Series. His books are very popular in the UK, Greece, Italy, and South Korea.

Early Life and Inspiration

Saviour Pirotta was the second of five brothers. He grew up speaking both English and Maltese. He went to Naxxar Primary School and later earned a scholarship to St Aloysius' College.

He loved reading from a young age. Some of his favorite books were the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, and Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson. These stories helped him want to write his own books. He also found ideas for his writing from the work of film animators like Ray Harryhausen.

Becoming an Author in the UK

Saviour Pirotta moved to the UK in 1981. His first job was directing short plays in London. This led him to work as a storyteller for the Commonwealth Institute until 1989.

He soon started writing books. At first, he wrote picture books. Then he began writing non-fiction books, especially about pirates and different religious festivals. His book Pirates and Treasure, published in 1995, was special because it showed sea-robbers from many different cultures. He also wrote science books for very young children using the name Sam Godwin. One of these, A Seed in Need, won an award in 1998 for being the best non-fiction picture book.

His book Turtle Bay was chosen as a "Notable Science Trade Book" in 1998. It was also picked as one of the best children's books by the American Booksellers Association.

Award-Winning Stories

In 2010, his picture book Firebird won an Aesop Accolade award in the US. It also won a Best Book Award from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.

In 2016, it was announced that Saviour Pirotta would write a series of adventure stories for older children. These books are set in Ancient Greece and are called the Ancient Greek Mysteries. The first book, Mark of the Cyclops, came out in 2017. Other books in the series include Secret of the Oracle, Pirates of Poseidon, and Shadow of the Centaurs.

He also started a four-book series called Wolfsong, which is set in the Stone Age. The first book, The Stolen Spear, was published in 2019. In 2019, he also released The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad, an adventure story set in the golden age of Islam.

Saviour Pirotta is now a British citizen. He lives in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

Books in Other Languages

Saviour Pirotta's books have been translated into many languages. They are published in countries all over the world, including the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In 2020, his Stone Age Wolfsong series was translated into Maltese. His First Greek Myths series was also translated into Maltese in 2021.

Working with Illustrators

Saviour Pirotta has worked with many talented children's illustrators. Some of these include Jane Ray, Emma Chichester Clark, Catherine Hyde, Chris Riddell, and Chris Mould. Their artwork helps bring his stories to life.

Theatre Plays

In 2019, a theatre in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, performed Saviour Pirotta's first professional play for children. It was called Granny's Exploding Toilet and all the shows were sold out! He was asked to write another play, an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood.

In 2024, a theatre in Malta announced that Saviour Pirotta had turned his bestselling First Greek Myths series into a family musical. The show is called Miti, Miti and is part of a children's theatre festival. It is planned to tour around Europe.

Festival Appearances

Saviour Pirotta often attends book festivals. He has appeared at many events, including the Edinburgh Children's Book Festival, the Bradford Literary Festival, and the Scarborough Literary Festival. At these festivals, he meets readers and talks about his books.

Awards and Special Mentions

Saviour Pirotta's books have won several awards and have been recognized for their quality:

• The Whispering Stones was a finalist for the National Book Council Awards in Malta in 2024.
• The Heart Scarab was on the longlist for the Sparkle Book Awards in 2022-2023.
• Pandora's Box won the Fiction Express Readers Award for Best Fiction in 2020.
• The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad was a finalist for the North Somerset Teachers' Book Award in 2019.
• The Unicorn Prince was featured in The Guardian's "Books of the Month" in October 2018.
• Mark of the Cyclops was a finalist for the Historical Association Young Quills Award in 2018.
• Mark of the Cyclops won the North Somerset Teachers' Book Award for Quality Fiction in 2018.
• Firebird won an Aesop Accolade in the US in 2010.
• Firebird won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award in 2010.
• The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths was included in the Ultimate Young Book Guide in 2002.

Selected Books

Here are some of Saviour Pirotta's books:

Fiction Books

• Crash Landing (2024)
• Earth Shaker (2022)
• The Heart Scarab (Book 1 of The Nile Adventures, 2022)
• The Crocodile Curse (Book 2 of The Nile Adventures, 2022)
• The Jackal's Graveyard (Book 3 of The Nile Adventures, 2023)
• The Search for the Copper Scroll (2022)
• Tears of the Sun God (2021)
• The Stolen Spear (Book 1 of the Wolfsong Series, 2019)
• The Whispering Stones (Book 2 of the Wolfsong Series, 2020)
• The Mysterious Island (Book 3 of the Wolfsong Series, 2021)
• The Wolf's Song (Book 4 of the Wolfsong Series, 2022)
• The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad (2019)
• The River Queen (2018)
• The River King (2018)
• The River Prince (2019)
• Pandora's Box (2020)
• Mark of the Cyclops - An Ancient Greek Mystery (2017)
• Secret of the Oracle - An Ancient Greek Mystery (2017)
• Pirates of Poseidon - An Ancient Greek Mystery (2018)
• Shadow of the Centaurs - An Ancient Greek Mystery (2018)
• The Warrior Princess (2017)
• My Cousin the Minotaur (2016)
• Shadowcave (2017)

Collections of Stories

• Storyworld (1988)
• Joy to the World: Christmas Stories from around the Globe (1998)
• The Sleeping Princess and other Fairy Tales from Grimm (2002)
• The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths (2003)
• Once upon a World (2004)
• Aesop's Fables (2005)
• Traditional Stories from the Amazon (2006)
• Around the World in 80 Tales (2007)
• Children's Stories from the Bible (2008)
• The Giant Book of Giants (2011)
• The Orchard Book of Grimm's Fairytales (2011)
• The Buccaneering Book of Pirates (2013)
• Greek Myths (US only, 2015)
• The Orchard Book of Grimm's Fairy Tales - Deluxe edition (2015)
• The Ghosts Who Danced (2015)
• Orchard Ballet Stories for Young Children (2016)

Book Series

• First Greek Myths (ten books, 2008/2010)
• Grimm's Fairy Tales (eight books, 2012/2013)
• Classic Stories (nine books, 2021)
• Baby's First (six books, 2022)

Picture Books

• Solomon's Secret (1989)
• Do You Believe in Magic? (1990)
• Little Bird (1992)
• Turtle Bay (1998, re-issued as Turtle Watch, 2008)
• Patrick Paints a Picture (2008)
• Firebird (2010/2014)
• George and the Dragon (2015)
• The Talking Bird (2017)
• The Unicorn Prince (2018)