Happy (late) 80th, Ruth Craft! (New Zealand writer: "The Winter Bear," 1974)

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Her birthday was yesterday.

Born in Christchurch, she's a writer for the BBC's "Playschool."

Trouble is, there's very little info on her!

I have "The Fair."


https://www.kirkusreviews.com/search/?q=Ruth+Craft;t=author
(five Kirkus reviews)

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1152&bih=594&q=%22ruth+craft%22+nz+books&oq=%22ruth+craft%22+nz+books&gs_l=img.3...899.899.0.1382.1.1.0.0.0.0.126.126.0j1.1.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.0.0.zhHsKS7WLTQ
(a few book covers)


WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
FOR CHILDREN

Play School, Play Ideas, BBC Publications, 1971, revised edition, Hodder & Stoughton, 1983.

The Winter Bear (Junior Literary Guild selection), illustrations by Eric Blegvad, Collins, 1974, Atheneum, 1975.
("There's plenty to see in the countryside, even in winter, but a winter walk is made more special when three children rescue a brown, knitted bear found stuck in a tree, and take him home to get warm and dry.")

Pieter Brueghel's "The Fair," Lippincott, 1975.
("Interprets in rhyme some of the many details to be found in Brueghel's large painting, 'The Village Fair.' ")

The King's Collection, with Elisa Trimby, Doubleday, 1978.
("A king who likes to collect many different things finds happiness with a new collection of sounds that he can make by himself.")

Carrie Hepple's Garden, illustrated by Irene Haas, Atheneum, 1979.
("...Two young children are afraid of the next door neighbor, Carrie Hepple, who they think is a witch. she is reclusive and her garden, as spied through holes in the fence, is a dark jungle of plants. When their ball goes into her yard they argue about who will retrieve it and then reluctantly both decide to go. The unthinkable happens when they get caught by Carrie Hepple! However, as they are about to learn, you should never judge a book by its cover. Carrie takes them on a tour of the garden, pointing out plants and interesting happenings, such as the midnight visitor. Once they find the ball, she offers them warm, fresh cookies and they go back home with a very different view of Carrie Hepple...")

Wise Dog, Collins, 1986.
Monster House, Collins, 1987.

Fancy Nancy, 1988
("Here comes Fancy Nancy! She's the little girl who is never just plain and ordinary. Most of all she loves rainbow-coloured things - like stripey mittens and silver fish and sparkly purple T-shirts. She's interested in everything - so long as it's fancy.")

Fancy Nancy in Disguise, Collins, 1989.
("Fancy Nancy is a very bright, inquisitive five-year-old whose life is full of surprises, but the best birthday surprise is for Fancy Nancy herself. This time she's in disguise. All dressed up in her sparkling sequins, will anyone know that it's her?")

The Day of the Rainbow, with Niki Daly, 1989.
("A girl named Nerinder, a boy named Leroy and a woman, Mrs. Poppodopolous, all lose a precious item in the bustle of city streets on a hot summer day. Then the rain cools down the streets, and a rainbow forms, seeming to light on those three lost objects. When the items are found, order is restored and the city becomes a friendly place.")

(Editor) The Song That Sings the Bird, with John Vernon Lord, 1989
("This is a varied mixture of the work of poets such as Sylvia Plath, Gareth Owen, Christina Rossetti, Michael Rosen, Grace Nichols, Walter de la Mare and Ted Hughes. The emphasis is on the contemporary, but traditional poems have been included as well as many which have not previously appeared in an anthology.")


Lenona.