Helen Cresswell Biography (1934-)

Born July 11, 1934, in Nottinghamshire, England; daughter of Joseph Edward (an electrical engineer) and Annie Edna (Clarke) Cresswell; married Brian Rowe(in textiles), April 14, 1962; children: Caroline Jane, Candida Lucy. Addresses: Agent--A. M. Heath and Co. Ltd., 79 St. Martins Lane, London WC2N4DD, England.

Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Birth Details: July 11, 1934; Nottinghamshire, England

Famous Works

Writings;Television Plays
Dick Whittington (for children; based on original fairytale), BBC, 1974.
For Bethlehem Read Little Thraves, BBC, 1976.
Lizzie Dripping and the Witch (juvenile), BBC, 1977.
The Day Posy Bates Made History, BBC, 1977.
The Secret World of Polly Flint, Central TV (England), 1985.
Moondial, BBC, 1988.
(Adaptor) Five Children and It (based on work by Edith Nesbit), BBC, 1991.
The Return of the Psammead, BBC, 1993.
(Adaptor) The Demon Headmaster, BBC, 1996.
(Adaptor) The Demon Headmaster Again, BBC, 1996.
Also adaptor of six episodes of The Famous Five, ITV.
Writings; Television Miniseries
The Haunted School, BBC, 1986, also broadcast by Revcom in France and byABC in Australia, both 1986.
Writings; Stage Plays
Lizzie Dripping and the Witch, Unicorn Theatre, London, 1979.
Writings; Children's Books
Sonya-by-the-Shore, illustrated by Robbin Jane Wells, Dent, 1960.
The White Sea Horse, illustrated by Robin Jacques, Oliver and Boyd, 1964,Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1965.
Pietro and the Mule, illustrated by Maureen Eckersley, Oliver and Boyd, 1965, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1970.
Where the Wind Blows, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, Faber, 1966, illustrated by Ati Forberg, Funk (New York City), 1968.
The Piemakers, illustrated by V. H. Drummond, Faber, 1967, illustrated byWitold T. Mars, Lippincott, 1968, new edition illustrated by Judith G. Brown, Macmillan (New York City), 1980.
A Day on Big O, illustrated by Shirley Hughes, Benn, 1967, Follet, 1968.
A Tide for the Captain, illustrated by Jacques, Oliver and Boyd, 1967.
The Signposters, illustrated by Gareth Floyd, Faber, 1968.
The Sea Piper, illustrated by Jacques, Oliver and Boyd, 1968.
Rug Is a Bear, illustrated by Susanna Gretz, Benn, 1968.
Rug Plays Tricks, illustrated by Gretz, Benn, 1968.
The Barge Children, illustrated by Lynette Hemmant, Brockhampton Press, 1968.
The Night-Watchmen, illustrated by Floyd, Macmillan, 1969.
A Game of Catch, illustrated by Floyd, Oliver and Boyd, 1969, illustratedby Forberg, Macmillan, 1977.
A Gift from Winklesea, illustrated by Janina Ede, Brockhampton Press, 1969.
A House for Jones, illustrated by Margaret Gordon, Benn, 1969.
Rug Plays Ball, illustrated by Gretz, Benn, 1969.
Rug and a Picnic, illustrated by Gretz, Benn, 1969.
The Outlanders, illustrated by Doreen Roberts, Faber, 1970.
Rainbow Pavement, illustrated by Hughes, Benn, 1970.
The Wilkses, illustrated by Floyd, BBC Publications, 1970.
John's First Fish, illustrated by Prudence Seward, Macmillan, 1970.
At the Stroke of Midnight: Traditional Fairy Tales Retold, illustrated byCarolyn Dinan, Collins (London), 1971.
The Bird Fancier, illustrated by Renate Meyer, Benn, 1971.
Up the Pier, illustrated by Floyd, Faber, 1971, Macmillan, 1972.
The Weather Cat, illustrated by Margery Gill, Benn, 1971.
The Beachcombers, illustrated by Errol Le Cain, Macmillan, 1972.
Bluebirds over Pit Row, illustrated by Richard Kennedy, Benn, 1972.
Jane's Policeman, illustrated by Gill, Benn, 1972.
The Long Day, illustrated by Gill, Benn, 1972.
Roof Fall!, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1972.
Short Back and Sides, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1972.
The White Sea Horse and Other Stories from the Sea (contains The White Sea Horse, The Sea Piper, and A Tide for the Captain), Chatto and Windus, 1972.
The Beetle Hunt, illustrated by Anne Knight, Longman (Harmondsworth, England), 1973.

The Bongleweed, illustrated by Ann Strugnell, Macmillan, 1973.
The Bower Bird, illustrated by Gill, Benn, 1973.
The Key, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1973.
Cheap Day Return, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1974.
The Trap, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1974.
Shady Deal, illustrated by Kennedy, Benn, 1974.
Butterfly Chase, illustrated by Gill, Kestrel, 1975.
The Winter of the Birds, Faber, 1975, Macmillan, 1976.
Awful Jack, illustrated by Joanna Stubbs, Hodder and Stoughton, 1977.
Donkey Days, illustrated by Hughes, Benn, 1977.
The Flyaway Kite, illustrated by Bridget Clarke, Kestrel, 1979.
My Aunt Polly by the Sea, illustrated by Gordon, Wheaton, 1980.
Nearly Goodbye, illustrated by Tony Morris, Macmillan (London), 1980.
Penny for the Guy, illustrated by Nicole Goodwin, Macmillan (London), 1980.
Dear Shrink, Macmillan, 1982.
The Secret World of Polly Flint, illustrated by Shirley Felts, Faber, 1982, Macmillan (New York City), 1984.
Ellie and the Hagwitch, illustrated by J. Heap, P. Hardy, 1984.
Petticoat Smuggler, illustrated by Shirley Bellwood, Macmillan, 1985.
Whodunnit, illustrated by Caroline Browne, J. Cape, 1986.
Greedy Alice, illustrated by Martin Honeysett, Deutsch, 1986.
Moondial, Macmillan, 1987.
Trouble, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, Gollancz, 1987, Dutton (NewYork City), 1988.
Dragon Ride, illustrated by Liz Roberts, Kestrel, 1987.
Time Out, illustrated by Peter Elwell, Lutterworth, 1987, Macmillan, 1990.
The Story of Grace Darling, Viking (New York City), 1988.
Rosie and the Boredom Eater, Heinemann, 1989.
Whatever Happened in Winklesea?, Lutterworth, 1989.
Almost Goodbye Guzzler, illustrated by Brown, A. and C. Black (London), 1990, published as Almost Goodbye, Dutton, 1992.
Hokey Pokey Did It, Ladybird, 1990.
(Editor) The Puffin Book of Funny Stories, illustrated by A.
Macleod, Viking, 1992.
The Return of the Psammead, illustrated by John Holder, BBC Books, 1993.
The Watchers: Mystery at Alton Towers, Penguin Viking, 1993, Macmillan, 1994.
(Editor) Classic Fairy Tales, illustrated by Carol Lawson, HarperCollins(San Francisco, CA), 1993.
Stonestruck, Faber, 1995.
Mystery at Winklesea: The Little Sea Horse, Hodder and Stoughton, 1995.
Bag of Bones, Hodder and Stoughton, 1996.
Author of Polly Thumb, 1994.
Writings; "Jumbo Spencer" Children's Series
Jumbo Spencer, illustrated by Clixby Watson, Brockhampton Press, 1963, Lippincott, 1966.
Jumbo Back to Nature, illustrated by Leslie Wood, Brockhampton Press, 1965.
Jumbo Afloat, illustrated by Wood, Brockhampton Press, 1966.
Jumbo and the Big Dog, illustrated by Wood, Brockhampton Press, 1968.
Writings; "Lizzie Dripping" Children's Series
Lizzie Dripping, illustrated by Jenny Thorne, BBC Publications, 1972.
Lizzie Dripping by the Sea, illustrated by Faith Jacques,BBC Publications, 1974.
Lizzie Dripping and the Little Angel, illustrated by F. Jacques, BBC Publications, 1974.
Lizzie Dripping Again, illustrated by F. Jacques, BBC Publications, 1974.
More Lizzie Dripping, illustrated by F. Jacques, BBC Publications, 1974.
Lizzie Dripping and the Witch, illustrated by Chris Riddell,BBC Books, 1991, Chivers North America, 1993.
Writings; "Two Hoots" Children's Series
Two Hoots, illustrated by Martine Blanc, Benn, 1974, Crown (New York City), 1978.
Two Hoots Go to Sea, illustrated by Blanc, Benn, 1974, Crown, 1978.
Two Hoots in the Snow, illustrated by Blanc, Benn, 1975, Crown, 1978.
Two Hoots and the Big Bad Bird, illustrated by Blanc, Benn, 1975, Crown,1978.
Two Hoots and the King, illustrated by Blanc, Benn, 1977, Crown, 1978.
Two Hoots Play Hide and Seek, illustrated by Blanc, Benn, 1977, Crown, 1978.
Writings; "Bagthorpe" Children's Series
Ordinary Jack: Being the First Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, illustrated byJill Bennet, Macmillan, 1977.
Absolute Zero: Being the Second Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, illustrated by Bennet, Macmillan, 1978.
Bagthorpes Unlimited: Being the Third Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, illustrated by Bennet, Macmillan, 1978.
Bagthorpes versus the World: Being the Fourth Part of the Bagthorpe Saga,illustrated by Bennet, Macmillan, 1979.
Bagthorpes Abroad: Being the Fifth Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, Macmillan,1984.
Bagthorpes Haunted: Being the Sixth Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, Macmillan, 1985.
Bagthorpes Liberated: Being the Seventh Part of the Bagthorpe Saga, Faber/Macmillan, 1989.
The Bagthorpe Triangle, illustrated by Bennet, Faber, 1992.
Author of Bagthorpes Besieged, 1995.
Writings; "Posy Bates" Children's Series
Meet Posy Bates, illustrated by Kate Aldous, Bodley Head, 1990, Chivers North America, 1991.
Posy Bates, Again!, illustrated by Aldous, Bodley Head, 1991, Macmillan,1994.
Posy Bates and the Bag Lady, Bodley Head, 1992.
Writings; Other
Work represented in numerous anthologies, including Shivers in the Dark,Magnet Books, 1984; I Like This Story, Puffin, 1986; and Hidden Turnings, Greenwillow (New York City), 1989. Contributor of stories and poems to magazines, including Cornhill.
Other Works
Adaptations: Several television plays have been adapted from Cresswell'sbooks, including The Piemakers, BBC, 1967; The Signposters, BBC, 1968; The Night-Watchmen, BBC, 1969; The Outlanders, BBC, 1970; and The Bagthorpe Saga, BBC, 1981. Television series adapted from Cresswell's books include Lizzie Dripping, BBC, 1973, 1975; and Jumbo Spencer, BBC, 1976.

Further Reference

Books:

Baskin, Barbara H., and Karen H. Harris, Books for the Gifted Child, Bowker (New York City), 1980, pp. 117-118.
Blishen, Edward, editor, The Thorny Paradise: Writers on Writing for Children, Penguin Books (New York City), 1975, pp. 108-116.
Children's Literature Review, Volume 18, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1989.
Landsberg, Michele, Reading for the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1987, pp. 157- 182.
Swinfen, Ann, In Defence of Fantasy: A Study of the Genre in English andAmerican Literature Since 1945, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984, pp. 44-74.
Townsend, John Rowe, A Sense of Story: Essays on Contemporary Writers for Children, Lippincott, 1971, pp. 57-67.

Periodicals:

Children's Literature in Education, March, 1971; July, 1971, pp.
51-59; spring, 1975, pp. 21-30.
Horn Book, April, 1981, pp. 215-217.
Junior Bookshelf, June, 1970, pp. 135-139.

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