Ann Pilling

Ann Pilling
Born (1944-10-17) 17 October 1944 (age 80)
Warrington, England
Pen nameAnn Cheetham
OccupationAuthor and poet
NationalityEnglish
EducationKing's College London
Notable awardsGuardian Children's Fiction Prize (1986)

Ann Pilling (born 17 October 1944)[1] is an English author and poet best known for young adult fiction. She has also written horror fiction under the pen name Ann Cheetham.[2]

For Henry's Leg, published by Viking Kestrel in 1985, she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children's writers.[3]

Pilling was born in Warrington, Lancashire, and grew up in a house "groaning with books". She started writing poetry when she was eight. At twelve years old, she took herself to church because 'I had a strong sense of God'. Her religious faith is important to her but she more often chooses secular subjects. She studied English at King's College London and wrote a Master's thesis on C. S. Lewis., her first introduction to contemporary children's books.

Works

Horror stories

The first four books (Dark Powers series) were originally published as by Ann Cheetham.

  • Black Harvest (1983)
  • The Beggar's Curse (1984)
  • The Witch of Lagg (1985)
  • The Pit (1987)
  • The Empty Frame (1997)

Children's books

  • The Year of the Worm (1984)
  • Henry's Leg (1985)
  • The Friday Parcel (1986)
  • No Guns No Oranges (1986)
  • Our Best Stories (1986), eds. Pilling and A. Wood
  • The Big Pink (1987)
  • The Beast in the Basement (1988)
  • Dustbin Charlie (1988)
  • On the Lion's Side (1988)
  • Stan (1988)
  • The Big Biscuit (1989)
  • The Jungle Sale (1989)
  • Our Kid (1989)
  • Getting Rid of Aunt Mildred (1990)
  • The Donkey's Day Out (1990)
  • Before I Go to Sleep: Bible Stories, Poems, and Prayers for Children, selected and retold, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton (London: Kingfisher, New York: Crown Publishers, Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1990); reissued 2000 as A Kingfisher Treasury of Bible Stories, Poems and Prayers for Bedtime OCLC 59564291
  • The Boy with His Leg in the Air (1991)
  • Vote for Baz (1992)
  • Considering Helen (1993)
 'Dustbin Charlie Cleans Up' (1994)
  • The Kingfisher Children's Bible: Stories from the Old and New Testaments, retold, illus. Denton (2003); reissued 2003 as The Kingfisher Book of Bible Stories OCLC 53072371
  • Realms of Gold: Myths and Legends from Around the World, retold, illus. Denton (1993); reissued 2003 as The Kingfisher Treasury of Myths and Legends OCLC 52470749
  • The Baked Bean Kids (1993)
  • Mother's Daily Scream (1995)
  • The Life of Jesus (1996)
  • Noah's Ark (1996)
  • Amber's Secret (2000)
  • Why Bear Has a Stumpy Tail and Other Creation Stories (2000)
  • The Catnappers: The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (Collins, 2003), as by Ann Cheetham, illus. Clare Mackie OCLC 51107280

Adult books

  • A Broken Path (1991)
  • Considering Helen (1993)

Poetry

  • 'Growing Pains' (2008, winner of Smith/Doorstop Pamphlet Competition)
  • 'Home Field' (2008) Arrowhead Press
  • 'The Dancing Sailors' ( 2011) Indigo Dreams Publishing
  • 'Ground Cover' (2015) Indigo Dreams Publishing
  • 'Ways of Speech' ( 2020) Shoestring Press
  • In Flight' ( 2024 ) Mudfog Press
Awards ==

Her 1988 children's books On the Lion's Side and Stan were shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Ann Pilling". Puffin Books. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  2. ^ The Writer's Directory 2012 (30th ed.). Detroit, Mich.: St. James Press. 2012. p. 1984. ISBN 9781558628397.
  3. ^ a b "Guardian children's fiction prize relaunched: Entry details and list of past winners" Archived 27 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. guardian.co.uk 12 March 2001. Retrieved 2013-06-04.