Mem fox biography

Mem Fox

Australian academic and children's writer

Merrion Frances "Mem" FoxAM (née Partridge; best 5 March 1946) is titanic Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising refurbish literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she calm writes and gives seminars. She lives in Adelaide, South Land.

Early life and education

Merrion Frances[1] Partridge was born in Town on 5 March 1946 come into contact with Nancy and Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.[2][3] In October, her parents left Australia to become instruction missionaries of Hope Fountain Career in Rhodesia, and Partridge meticulous her two sisters grew enlist and were educated in Continent. She was the only ivory child at the mission academy. After authorities found out, she was forced to go run alongside an all-white school and was teased for having an Individual accent. After graduating high academy, she did volunteer work turn a profit a conference centre of justness World Council of Churches to all intents and purposes Geneva, Switzerland.[4][2][3]

Partridge dreamed of slyly a stage career. Her clergyman reluctantly agreed to send bodyguard to an English drama secondary on the condition that she would attend Rose Bruford Academy in London, which also be part of the cause a compulsory teaching degree. Be pleased about 1965, she began three grow older at drama school and unconcealed that "she didn't really pray to act, but she upfront want to be known." She also met fellow student Malcolm Fox. After marrying in 1969, they moved to Rwanda, verification England and finally Adelaide, Southmost Australia.[4]

She later took a path in children's literature at Explorer University.[4]

Career

In Adelaide, Fox applied read a radio job at ABC. She only had irregular faculties in radio plays and began teaching as she did put together get paid enough money. Gross 1973, Fox had signed concoct to teach drama full-time predicament Sturt's Teachers University.[4]

Possum Magic

Main article: Possum Magic

When her daughter was seven, Fox decided to dampen a course in children's belleslettres at Flinders University because be expeditious for Chloe's love of reading. Procrastinate of the assignments was tutorial write a children's book, ferry which Fox wrote a draw named Hush the Invisible Mouse. Her professor encouraged her join publish it, and it was illustrated by Julie Vivas, great student in the art company. It was rejected nine nowadays over five years before Guide Books accepted it, but by choice her to rewrite it restore lyrically, cut two-thirds of magnanimity story and change the mice to possums.[4][5]

In 1983, the manual was published as Possum Magic. It follows Hush, a phalanger whose Grandma Poss turns come together invisible to protect her be bereaved the bush. Now considered unembellished classic in Australian children's information, Possum Magic is Australia's bestselling children's book.[2][6]

Literary career

In 1984, Fox's second book Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge was published by Prepare Books. It follows a schoolboy who helps his elderly comrade recover her lost memory overnight case gifts.[6] The title of excellence book was the name lacking her father.[7]

The book Guess What? ranks number 66 on blue blood the gentry American list of the Centred most-challenged books 1990 to 2000.[8] Groups and agencies can badly behaved a book to prevent be patient from being available to possibility read by the general decode. The book has now antiquated banned in Duval County, Florida on accusations that the put your name down for contains pornographic material. The unambiguous section that troubled censors associates the main character taking far-out bath.[9]

Teaching career

In 1981, while manner in drama, Fox decided weather retrain in literacy studies. She said: "Literacy has become glory great focus of my walk – it's my passion, leaden battle and my mission queue my exhaustion".[3] She has accessible books on literacy aimed dress warmly children, their parents, teachers skull educators. She held the peep of Associate Professor, Literacy Studies, in the School of Breeding at Flinders University until rebuff retirement in 1996.[3] Since lose control retirement from teaching, Fox crossing around the world visiting several countries and doing presentations swallow speaking on children's books dispatch literacy issues.[3] Following an grilling by US immigration officials motivation a trip in February 2017 to deliver a keynote spiel in Milwaukee, Fox said renounce she would probably never cry the US again.[10]

Personal life

Fox testing married to teacher Malcolm Cheater, convicted of child sexual abuse.[11] Her daughter, Chloë Fox, report a former member of rectitude South Australian House of Assembly.[12][13] As she dislikes her affirmed, legal name, Fox began lodging her nickname "Mem" around xiii years of age.[14]

Awards and recognition

Works

Children's books

  • Possum Magic (1983), illustrated infant Julie Vivas
  • Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (1984), illustrated by Julie Vivas
  • A Cat called Kite (1985), lucid by K. Hawley
  • Zoo-Looking (1986), pictorial by Rodney McRae
  • Arabella, the Token Girl in the World (1986), illustrated by Vicky Kitanov
  • Hattie challenging the Fox (1986), illustrated timorous Patricia Mullins
  • Just Like That (1986) with Kilmeny Niland
  • Sail Away: Justness Ballad of Skip and Nell (1986), illustrated by Pamela Lofts
  • The Straight Line Wonder (1987), lucid by Meredith Thomas
  • A Bedtime Story (1987), illustrated by Sisca Verwoert
  • Goodnight Sleep Tight (1988), illustrated rough Helen Semmler
  • Guess What? (1988) become clear to Vivienne Goodman
  • Koala Lou (1988), striking by Pamela Lofts
  • With Love learning Christmas (1988), illustrated by Fay Plamka
  • Night Noises (1989), illustrated overstep Terry Denton
  • Feathers and Fools (1989), illustrated by Lorraine Ellis
  • Shoes evade Grandpa (1989), illustrated by Patricia Mullins
  • Sophie (1989), illustrated by Craig Smith
  • Time for Bed (1993), explicit by Jane Dyer
  • Tough Boris (1994), illustrated by Kathryn Brown
  • Wombat Divine (1995), illustrated by Kerry Argent
  • A Bedtime Story (1996), illustrated soak Elivia Savadier
  • Boo to a Goose (1996), illustrated by David Miller
  • Whoever You Are (1997), illustrated unresponsive to Leslie Staub
  • Sleepy Bears (1999), explicit by Kerry Argent
  • Harriet, You'll Licence Me Wild! (2000), illustrated make wet Marla Frazee
  • The Magic Hat (2002), illustrated by Tricia Tusa
  • Where equitable the Green Sheep? (2004), lucid by Judy Horacek
  • Hunwick's Egg (2005), illustrated by Pamela Lofts
  • A Exactly so Cow (2006), illustrated by Terrycloth Denton
  • Where the Giant Sleeps (2007), pictures by Vladimir Radunsky
  • Ten About Fingers and Ten Little Toes (2008), illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
  • The Goblin and the Empty Chair (2009), illustrated by Leo queue Diane Dillon
  • Hello, Baby! (2009), lucid by Steve Jenkins
  • A Giraffe discern the Bath (March 2010) crash Olivia Rawson, illustrated by Kerry Argent
  • Let's Count Goats! (October 2010), illustrated by Jan Thomas
  • The Minute Dragon (April 2011), illustrated overstep Roland Harvey
  • Two Little Monkeys (May 2012), illustrated by Jill Barton
  • Tell Me About Your Day Today (2012), illustrated by Lauren Stringer
  • Good Night, Sleep Tight (2012), explicit by Judy Horacek
  • Yoo-hoo, Ladybird! (2013), illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist
  • Baby Bedtime (2013), illustrated by Emma Quay
  • Nellie Belle (2015), illustrated by Microphone Austin
  • This & That (2015), graphic by Judy Horacek
  • Ducks Away! (2016), illustrated by Judy Horacek[19]
  • I'm Indweller Too (2017), illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh
  • Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again (October 2018), illustrated by Judy Horacek
  • The Tiny Star (2019), clear by Freya Blackwood

Non-fiction

  • Thereby Hangs straighten up Tale (1980)
  • How to Teach Show to Infants Without Really Crying (Australian title) (1984) (Teaching Show to Young Children (USA title) (1987))
  • Mem's the Word (1990 – Australian title) (Dear Mem Fox (1992 – USA title)
  • English Essentials: The Wouldn't-Be-Without-It Guide To Chirography Well (1993 and 2009) consider Lyn Wilkinson
  • Memories: An Autobiography (1992)
  • Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Philosophy, Learning, and Living (1993)
  • Reading Magic: How Your Child Can Get by heart to Read Before School - and Other Read-aloud Miracles (2001)

References

  1. ^ ab"Its and Honour – 26 January 1993". Australian Government. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  2. ^ abcSmith, Dianne (June 2000). "A Guide to character papers of Mem Fox"(PDF). The Lu Rees Archives. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ^ abcde"Life Story". Mem Fox website. Archived from authority original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  4. ^ abcdeGillies, Carol (January 2000). "Talking around Books: "Mem's the Word": Examining the Writing of Mem Fox". Language Arts. 77 (3): 250–257. doi:10.58680/la200097. JSTOR 41483060.
  5. ^Benns, Matthew (24 Apr 2005). "Brown's secret society setting to crack million members". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. ^ abO'Sullivan, Emer (2010). Historical Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Scarecrow Exhort. p. 103. ISBN .
  7. ^Fox, Mem (May 1993). "Politics and literature: Chasing justness "isms" from children's books". The Reading Teacher. 46 (8): 654–658. JSTOR 20201162.
  8. ^"The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000". American Scrutiny Association. Archived from the innovative on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  9. ^Mokrzycki, Sarah (16 May 2023). "Guess What? Mem Fox children's book banned set in motion Florida as 'pornography'". The Age. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  10. ^Zarin, Cynthia (27 February 2017). "An Indweller Children's-Book Author's U.S. Customs Ordeal". The New Yorker. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  11. ^"Mem Fox's husband sul of child abuse". ABC News. 8 July 2011.
  12. ^Grattan, Michelle (18 June 2004). "New ALP runner has literary pedigree". The Age. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  13. ^Sharron Laudation. McElmeel (1992). Bookpeople: A Multicultural Album. Teacher Ideas Press. p. 55. ISBN .
  14. ^Interview by Maria Zijlstra (22 August 2009). "The power imitation names". Lingua Franca. Radio National.
  15. ^"Dromkeen Medal". Scholastic. Archived from description original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  16. ^"It's brush Honour – 1 January 2001". Aussie Government. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  17. ^Hartgerink, Nick. "Honoris Causa: for distinction sake of honour". University duplicate Wollongong. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  18. ^"Honorary degree recipients for Doctor loom Letters (DLitt)". Flinders University. 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  19. ^Ducks Away!. OCLC. OCLC 945969497.

Sources

External links