Ursula Dubosarsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ursula Dubosarsky
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Dubosarsky in 2000
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| Born | 1961 Sydney, New South Wales |
| Occupation | Writer for children and young adults |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1989- |
Ursula Dubosarsky (born Ursula Coleman in 1961) is a famous Australian writer. She writes exciting stories and non-fiction books for children and young adults. Her books often show the world through a child's eyes and have a fun, funny voice.
Ursula is the third child of Peter and Verna Coleman. She was named after a character from a book called The Rainbow. She went to several primary schools and then to SCEGGS Darlinghurst. Later, she studied at Sydney University and Macquarie University. She has also taught about children's books at universities.
Contents
Discovering Ursula Dubosarsky's Books
Ursula Dubosarsky has written over 60 books, including novels and picture books. Her stories have been translated into 14 different languages around the world.
Exploring Language with "Word Spy" Books
Ursula has also written three non-fiction books called "Word Spy" books. These books are for kids and teach about language, grammar, and where words come from. They were illustrated by Tohby Riddle.
These "Word Spy" books have won many awards. They received the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award, and the Junior Judges' Award. In other countries like the United States and Canada, The Word Spy is known as The Word Snoop.
Popular Stories and Adaptations
One of Ursula's novels, The Red Shoe, is listed in a special book called 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. It is also one of 200 important Australian books in a program called Reading Australia.
In 2014, the famous David Jones department store based its annual Christmas Windows on her story Reindeer's Christmas Surprise. This book was illustrated by Sue deGennaro. Another of her books, Too Many Elephants In this House, was chosen for the National Simultaneous Storytime. This is an event where children all over Australia read the same book at the same time.
In 2018, the National Library of Australia published Midnight at the Library. This book was illustrated by Ron Brooks and celebrated the Library's 50th birthday. A study room at Marrickville Library was named after her novel The Blue Cat in 2019.
Some of Ursula's books have even been turned into plays for the theatre. These include The Red Shoe, The Terrible Plop, and Too Many Elephants in This House. A play called "The Giant's Garden," inspired by one of Ursula's stories, was performed at the 2025 Adelaide Festival.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Ursula Dubosarsky has won many important awards for her writing. She has received nine national literary prizes. This includes five New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, which is more than any other writer in the awards' history.
From 2020 to 2021, she was chosen as the Australian Children's Laureate. This is a special role where a writer helps promote reading and children's literature across Australia.
International Awards
- She has been nominated many times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is one of the biggest awards for children's literature in the world.
- She was also nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
- Her book The Golden Day won the Luchs (Lynx) Award for Children's Literature in Germany.
- The Golden Day was also named an International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour Book.
- Her book Word Snoop was nominated for the YALSA Excellence in Non-fiction for Young Adults Award.
- Several of her books, including The First Book of Samuel, The Red Shoe, and Midnight at the Library, have been recognized by the International Youth Library's White Ravens list.
Australian Awards
- 2020–2021 – Australian Children's Laureate
- 2013 – Inducted into Speech Pathology Australia's Hall of Fame for her work in children's literature.
- 2011 – Children's Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books for The Return of the Word Spy.
- 2009 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Young People's Literature for The Word Spy.
- 2009 – Junior Judges Project, Children's Book Council of Australia, Winner for The Word Spy.
- 2009 – Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA), Picture Book Winner for Rex.
- 2007 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature for The Red Shoe.
- 2006 – Queensland Premier's Literary Award, Young Adult Book Award for The Red Shoe.
- 2006 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature for Theodora's Gift.
- 2006 – Victorian Premier's Literary Award, Prize for Young Adult Literature for Theodora's Gift.
- 2001 – Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Award for Children's Literature for Abyssinia.
- 1995 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethnic Affairs Commission Award for The First Book of Samuel.
- 1994 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner Prize for Children's literature for The White Guinea Pig.
- 1994 – Victorian Premier's Literary Award, Alan Garner Prize for Children's Literature for The White Guinea Pig.
Theatrical Productions of Her Works
Several of Ursula Dubosarsky's books have been turned into plays.
- Too Many Elephants in This House was performed at NIDA.
- The Red Shoe was performed by the Jigsaw Theatre.
- Plop!, a musical based on The Terrible Plop, was performed by the Windmill Theatre in many cities. It even played at the New Victory Theater in New York.
- The Giant's Garden was performed by Slingsby theatre company at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2025.
