Hendry, Diana 1941-

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HENDRY, Diana 1941-

PERSONAL: Born October 2, 1941, in Wirral, Merseyside, England; daughter of Leslie Gordon (a hide and skin broker and songwriter) and Amelia (Kesler) McConomy; married George Hendry (a scientist), October 9, 1965 (divorced, April, 1981); children: Hamish, Kate. Education: University of Bristol, B.A. (with honors), 1984, M.Litt., 1987. Politics: "Variable, but never Tory." Religion: "A believer, but not a belonger." Hobbies and other interests: Playing the piano and yoga.

ADDRESSES: Home—Edinburgh, Scotland. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House Children's Books, 61-63 Uxbridge Rd., Ealing, London W5 5SA.

CAREER: Sunday Times, London, England, assistant literature editor, 1958-60; Western Mail, Cardiff, Wales, reporter and feature writer, 1960-65; freelance journalist for various newspapers in Liverpool and Bristol, England, 1965-80; Clifton College, Bristol, instructor in English, 1987-90. Writer-in-residence, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, 1997-98. Tutor at Bristol Polytechnic, 1987—, and Open University, 1991—. McConomy & Co. Ltd., nonexecutive director; Thornbury Arts Festival, arts director.

MEMBER: PEN, Society of Authors.

AWARDS, HONORS: Winner, Stroud Festival International Poetry Competition, 1976; shortlisted for Smarties Prize for Children's Books, England Book Trust, 1985; third prize, Peterloo Poetry Competition, 1991; Whitbread Prize for Children's Book of the Year, Whitbread Breweries, 1991, for Harvey Angell; second prize, Peterloss Poetry Competition, 1993; Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award, 2001.

WRITINGS:

Midnight Pirate, illustrated by Janet Duchesne, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1984.

Fiona Finds Her Tongue, illustrated by Victoria Cooper, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1985.

Hetty's First Fling, illustrated by Nicole Goodwin, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1985.

The Not Anywhere House, illustrated by Mei-Yim Low, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1989.

The Rainbow Watchers, illustrated by Mei-Yim Low, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1989.

The Carey Street Cat, illustrated by Barbara Walker, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1989, illustrated by Thor Wickstrom, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Christmas on Exeter Street, illustrated by John Lawrence, Knopf (New York, NY), 1989.

Sam Sticks and Delilah, illustrated by Janet Duchesne, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1990.

A Camel Called April, illustrated by Elsie Lennox, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1990.

Double Vision (young adult novel), Julia MacRae (London, England), 1990, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

Back Soon!, illustrated by Carol Thompson, Bridge Water Books (Mahwah, NJ), 1993.

Kid Kibble, illustrated by Adriano Gon, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1994.

Why Father Christmas Was Late for Harlepool, illustrated by Sue Heap, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 1994.

Making Blue, Peterloo Poets (England), 1995.

Dog Donovan, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1995.

The Very Noisy Night, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Borderers, Peterloo Poets (England), 2001.

The Very Busy Day, Little Tiger (London, England), 2001.

You Can't Kiss It Better, Red Fox (London, England), 2003.

No Homework Tomorrow, Glowworm (England), 2003.

Twelve Lilts: Psalms & Responses, Mariscat (England), 2003.

"harvey angell" series

Harvey Angell, Julia MacRae (London, England), 1991, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2001.

Harvey Angell and the Ghost Child, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2002.

Harvey Angell Beats Time, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2002.

Contributor of poems, stories, and book reviews to anthologies and periodicals, including Spectator and Encounter.

SIDELIGHTS: British author Diana Hendry is the author of numerous picture books for children, as well as poetry and fiction for older readers. Dog Donovan is a children's book that shows how each of the seven members of the Donovan family has unique fears. The mother is afraid of sounds in the night, another avoids the dark, while another is spooked by his shadow. Each of them agrees that a dog would give them the protection they need, so they acquire a watchdog, only to find that the huge animal is even more timid than they are. The dog, Hero, helps them in another way, however; by comforting Hero when he is afraid, the Donovans learn to conquer their own fears as well. "This bubbly, comforting story shows how natural fears are and how they can be overcome," wrote Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist. Hendry presents the charming adventures of a mouse family in The Very Busy Day and The Very Noisy Night. Reviewing the latter for Booklist, Marta Segal called it a "reassuring story that may become a bedtime favorite," and a Publishers Weekly writer commended it for the "quiet comfort" it offers.

Writing for older children, Hendry created the "Harvey Angell" series, which has drawn some comparisons to J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. Henry is an orphan living with his aunt, a sour woman who runs a boarding house. His life is enlivened by a new boarder, Harvey Angell, who brings music and mystery to the house. Blending fantasy and farce, the author provides "slapstick humor, and details that are both nostalgic and timeless," reported Gillian Engberg in Booklist. Robyn Ryan Vandenbroek, reviewing Harvey Angell for School Library Journal, likened the title character to "a 20th-century version of Mary Poppins," and called the book "a delicious mixture of mystery and fantasy," as well as "delightfully expressive." A Publishers Weekly contributor recommended Harvey Angell as a "swift-moving story" that "stands apart as an entertaining, thought-provoking read for fans of whimsical fantasy."

Diana Hendry once told CA: "When I was a child I wanted to be the second Enid Blyton. Then I wanted to be a concert pianist, and then I wanted to be Frank Sinatra. I have always written, but didn't return to writing for children until, as a mature student at Bristol University, I wanted a little relief from academic essays!

"Poetry is my first love—and remains so. I seem to write a lot about houses and about children who are trying to make themselves feel at home in the world—maybe because I don't. I write because I love words. I write because I want to leave something behind that says 'I was here.' A name on a tree trunk might be a better idea.

"I write very secretly and don't much like talking about ideas. Fiona Finds Her Tongue was sparked by a memory of being very shy. Christmas on Exeter Street was written when I was snowbound in Cornwall, England, feeling very miserable, and trying to cheer myself up. Mrs. M. in this story is perhaps how I would like to be, but am not! Double Vision is a teenage novel and is very autobiographical. It contains a lot about the sea because I was brought up in a seaside village. The Carey Street Cat is a story about a cat who catches a little bit of a star—a Dazzle—and it is really a message from me to myself saying, 'Don't get too carried away by things. Keep your feet on the ground.'

"I suppose I also write to find out more about myself. I love my children, dogs, piano, and a few friends. I'm not much good at traveling because I'm afraid of getting lost. I read and read and read.

"My ideas seem to come in very different ways. Sometimes it's two themes that rub together like sticks rubbed together to make a fire (not that I quite believe anyone has ever done this, although they say it's possible). Sometimes I get a title. Poems are different. I might plod at an idea, or something like a small electrical charge happens and I can't keep away from the poem until it's done.

"The only books in the house when I was a child were a set of Charles Dickens books that my father bought from a traveling salesman and a leather bound book called The Way to a Fortune. I belonged to a lot of libraries, and when I was ill my grandfather bought me books. I wasn't encouraged to read—rather the opposite. Perhaps that's why I did."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Chris Sherman, review of Double Vision, p. 1226; November 15, 1994, Linda Ward-Callegan, review of Kid Kibble, p. 601; March 1, 1995, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Dog Donovan, p. 1248; December 1, 1999, Marta Segal, review of The Very Noisy Night, p. 711; January 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Harvey Angell, p. 858; February 15, 2002, Helen Rosenberg, review of The Very Busy Day, p. 1019.

Guardian (London, England), January 14, 2003, review of You Can't Kiss It Better, p. 71.

Horn Book, January-February, 1990, Ethel R. Twichell, review of Christmas on Exeter Street, p. 51.

Publishers Weekly, October 18, 1991, review of The Rainbow Watchers, p. 62; February 6, 1995, review of Dog Donovan, p. 85; November 15, 1999, review of The Very Noisy Night, p. 64; November 26, 2001, review of Harvey Angell, p. 62.

School Library Journal, August, 1991, Ruth Smith, review of A Camel Called April, p. 150; October, 1991, Maggie McEwen, review of The Not-Anywhere House, p. 95; December, 1991, Cheryl Cufari, review of The Rainbow Watchers, p. 94, Ruth M. McConnell, review of The Carey Street Cat, p. 116; April, 1993, Gail Richmond, review of Double Vision, p. 140; November, 1994, Kate McClelland, review of Back Soon, p. 81, Christina Dorr, review of Kid Kibble, p. 104; April, 1995, John Peters, review of Dog Donovan, p. 102; October, 1996, Claudia Cooper, review of Happy Birthday, Owl, p. 98; November, 1999, Robin L. Gibson, review of The Very Noisy Night, p. 119; December, 2001, Robyn Ryan Vandenbroek, review of Harvey Angell, p. 134; March, 2002, Linda M. Kenton, review of The Very Busy Day, p. 189.