Ursula Dubosarsky (born Ursula Coleman; 1961 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults, whose work is characterised by a child's vision and comic voice of both clarity and ambiguity.[1]
She is the author of over 61 illustrated books and novels, which have been translated into 14 languages.[5]
She has also written three non-fiction "Word Spy" books for children, illustrated by Tohby Riddle, about language, grammar and etymology.[6] These books have won 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.[7] In the United States and Canada The Word Spy is published under the title The Word Snoop.[8]
In 2014, the annual Christmas Windows of the department store David Jones were based on her story Reindeer's Christmas Surprise, illustrated by Sue deGennaro[10] and her book Too Many Elephants In this House, illustrated by Andrew Joyner, was chosen for the National Simultaneous Storytime.[11] In 2018 the National Library of Australia published Midnight at the Library, illustrated by Ron Brooks, to celebrate the Library's 50-year anniversary.[12] In 2019 a study room at Marrickville Library was named in honour of her novel The Blue Cat.[13]
Three of her books have been adapted for theatre: The Red Shoe,[14]The Terrible Plop[15] and Too Many Elephants in This House.[16]
She has collaborated on many books and projects with illustrator Andrew Joyner, as well as with Tohby Riddle.
Plop!,[44] a musical version of The Terrible Plop at the Windmill Theatre in Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra, Sydney, regional Victoria, Queensland and Darwin and the New Victory Theater in New York.[15]
Bibliographyedit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2015)
Maisie and the Pinny Gig (1989) illustrated by Roberta Landers
High Hopes (1990)
Zizzy Zing (1991)
The Last Week in December (1993)
The White Guinea-Pig (1994)
The First Book of Samuel (1995)
Bruno and Crumhorn (1996)
Black Sails, White Sails (1997)
The Strange Adventures of Isador Brown (1998) illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace
My Father Is Not a Comedian! (1999)
Honey and Bear (1999) illustrated by Ron Brooks
The Even Stranger Adventures of Isador Brown (2000) illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace
The Game of the Goose (2000) illustrated by John Winch
The Two Gorillas (2000) illustrated by Mitch Vane
Fairy Bread (2001) illustrated by Mitch Vane
Abyssinia (2001)
The Magic Wand (2002) illustrated by Mitch Vane
Special Days with Honey and Bear (2002) illustrated by Ron Brooks
Isador Brown's Strangest Adventures of All (2003) illustrated by Mitch Vane
How To Be a Great Detective (2004)
Rex (2005) illustrated by David Mackintosh
Theodora's Gift (2005)
The Puppet Show (2006) illustrated by Mitch Vane
The Red Shoe (2006)
The Word Spy (2008) illustrated by Tohby Riddle Published in the United States as The Word Snoop (2009)
The March of the Ants (2021) illustrated by Tohby Riddle
The Magnificent Hercules Quick (2021) illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Mary and Marcus and the Crazy Dance (2022) illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Hercules Quick's Big Bag of Tricks (2023) illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Critical studies, reference booksedit
The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (2015) edited by Daniel Hahn
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009) edited by Julia Eccleshore Cassell Illustrated
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (2006) edited by Jack Zipes
The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English (2001) edited by Victor Watson
The Oxford Companion to Australian Children's Literature (1993) edited by Stella Lees and Pam Macintyre
Bond, Gwenda (December 2013). "Locus Looks at Books : Divers Hands". Locus (635): 22–23. The Golden Day
Bradford, Clare (2014) "The Red Shoe" Copyright Agency Reading Australia https://readingaustralia.com.au/essays/the-red-shoe/
Hale, Elizabeth (2021) "Mystery, Childhood, and Meaning in Ursula Dubosarsky's The Golden Day" in Our Mythical Hope: The Ancient Myths as Medicine for the Hardships of Life in Children's and Young Adults' Culture University of Warsaw Press pp. 451-469 https://rune.une.edu.au/web/handle/1959.11/54660
Hateley, Erica (2009) "Puck vs. Hermia: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gender, and Sexuality," in Shakespeare in Children's Literature: Gender and Cultural Capital New York: Routledge Chapter 4 (on How to Be a Great Detective)
Holden, Kate (2021) "Ursula Dubosarsky" The Saturday Paper March 13-19 https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/books/2021/03/13/ursula-dubosarsky/161555400011259#hrd
Lavi, Tali (2018) "Know the Author: Ursula Dubosarsky" Magpies vol 33 pp 4-6
Pennell, Beverley (2003) "Leaving the Men to Drown?" in Fin de Siecle: Reconfigurations of Masculinity in Children's Fiction Roderick McGillis Praeger International Research Society for Children's Literature Chapter 19 (on Bruno and the Crumhorn)
Stephens, John (2003) "Always Facing the Issues--Preoccupations in Australian Children's Literature" The Lion and the Unicorn 27(2) Johns Hopkins University Press
Referencesedit
^The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (2006) edited by Jack Zipes
^"Our people". Macquarie University. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^"Department of English". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^""Web Archive: History of the Awards - Previous Winners"". CBCA. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^"The Word Snoop by Ursula Dubosarsky (Dial Books, USA)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^"The Red Shoe". Reading Australia. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^""Children's author's Christmas story decorates David Jones windows"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 November 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^"National Simultaneous Storytime". www.alia.org.au. Australian Library and Information Association. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Dubosarsky, Ursula; Brooks, illustrator.), Ron (2018). Midnight at the library. Canberra, ACT : NLA Publishing. ISBN 978-0-642-27931-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Book a room or computer at the library - Inner West Council".
^ ab""Web Archive: The New Victory Theatre"". The New Victory Theatre. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^Morris, Linda (10 May 2014). "Ursula Dubosarsky: elephants roam from page to stage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^"NSW Premier Nathan Rees Announces 2009 NSW Literary Award Winners" (PDF). 18 May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
^"Ursula Dubosarsky announced as 2020-2021 Australian Children's Laureate". Australian Children's Laureate. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^"2015 - ALMA". www.alma.se. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^"Candidates 2019 - ALMA". www.alma.se. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^"Australians nominated for 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award". Books+Publishing. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
^""Nominated Candidates 2023"". Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^""Golden Day – Ursula Dubosarsky"". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^"Oz books selected for 2014 IBBY Honour Book List". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
^"2010 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Nominations". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 19 January 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2020.