Sheila Kathleen McCullagh MBE (3 December 1920 – 7 July 2014) was a British author of children's literature.[1]
Sheila K. McCullagh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sheila Kathleen McCullagh (MBE) 3 December 1920 Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 7 July 2014 (aged 93) Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Children's literature |
Biography
editMcCullagh was born in Surrey, her work was first published in the 1950s, when she was working as a lecturer at Leeds University.[2] From 1958 to 1963 she taught at a teacher's college in London, Ontario before taking up writing full time.[3] She went on to write many children's fantasy and educational books, the Puddle Lane series being among the most popular and successful.[4] A television adaptation of the book series starred and featured original music by Neil Innes.[5]
McCullagh spent many years lecturing in Canada and travelled to most corners of the globe, including travel to the Antarctic with Keith Shackleton and Peter Scott.[6] She was also a devout Anglican.
During her career she wrote over 300 titles. In 2006 she signed a deal with the publisher Mercury Junior to bring her books back into print.[7]
After many years in Cornwall and then retirement in Bath, where she lived with her partner Lois for 20 years, McCullagh moved to a care facility in Wiltshire. Her health had been in decline for some years. She died on 7 July 2014 in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, aged 93. [8][6]
Books
edit- Dragon Pirate Stories
- Griffin Pirate Stories
- Puddle Lane
- The Village with Three Corners (or One Two Three and Away)
- Tim and the Hidden People (series)
- Hummingbirds
- Seahawk
- Buccaneers (series) - illustrated by Derek Collard
- Adventures in Space
- Little Dragons
Television
editReferences
edit- ^ May, Hal (1984). Contemporary Authors Vol. 110. Gale Research Inc. p. 347. ISBN 9780810319103. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "PAVENHAM". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 4 January 1957. p. 4. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Sheila K(athleen) McCullagh". Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Gale. 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Ashworth, Linda (April 1986). "Puddle Lane". Child Education: 35. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Fantasy world of Puddle Lane but rewards are real". Leicester Daily Mercury. 30 September 1985. p. 15. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Sheila McCullagh MBE" (PDF). Royal Crescent Society Newsletter. No. 12. Autumn 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "Trip down Puddle Lane". The Bookseller. No. 5218. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ MCCULLAGH - SHEILA KATHLEEN
External links
edit
The Story People characters from The Village with Three Corners (also known as 1,2,3 and Away!) such as Roger Red-hat, Billy Blue-hat, Johnny and Jennifer Yellow-hat are being used in the I Can Read Without You (ICRWY) Project from The Reading Hut Ltd as 'transition readers' - to bridge the gap between reading 'decodable readers' and 'authentic texts'. A limited series is being published by The Reading Hut Ltd, current copyright holders. 123andAway.com