NEWMAN, Marjorie

PERSONAL:

Born in England. Education: Attended Southlands Teacher Training College (Wimbledon, England). Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, drawing, painting, music, collecting second-hand books, playing guitar, violin, piano, and recorder.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Eunice McMullen, Low Ibbotsholme Cottage, Troutbeck, Windermere, Cumbria LA23 1HU, England.

CAREER:

Teacher and writer. Worked variously in offices, retail shops, and snack bars.

MEMBER:

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Christopher Award, 2003, for Mole and the Baby Bird.

WRITINGS:

Wilkins the Armchair Cat, illustrated by Clare Beaton, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1978.

Wilkins Gets a Job, illustrated by Clare Beaton, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1980.

The Amazing Pet, illustrated by Janet Duchesne, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1982.

Concert at School, Help the Aged Education Department (London, England), 1982.

Mr Green Can't Sleep, Help the Aged Education Department (London, England), 1982.

Letters, Help the Aged Education Department (London, England), 1982.

Skipping Surprise, Help the Aged Education Department (London, England), 1982.

Knocked Out, illustrated by Nicole Goodwin, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1983.

Wilkins Gets a Blanket, illustrated by Clare Beaton, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1984.

Dan and the Football and Dan and the Special Badge, Pickering (Basingstoke, England), 1984.

Dan and the Breakdown and Dan and the Night Visitor, Pickering (Basingstoke, England), 1984.

Burnt Sausages and Custard, illustrated by Catherine Bradbury, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1985.

Andrew and the Special Sunday, Pickering (Basingstoke, England), 1986.

Andrew and the Thank You Cat, Pickering (Basingstoke, England), 1986.

A Room for Neil, illustrated by Catherine Bradbury, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1986.

The School Concert, illustrated by Nicole Goodwin, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1986.

Police Horse, illustrated by David Saunders, A & C Black (London, England), 1986, published as Lloyd, the Police Horse, Scholastic (London, England), 1988.

Storytime One, illustrated by Eileen Madison, Scripture Union (London, England), 1986.

Family Saturday, illustrated by Pamela Southgate, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1987.

The Scary Mouse, illustrated by Pamela Southgate, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1987.

Party Day and Other Stories, Scripture Union (London, England), 1988.

Michael and the Jumble-Sale Cat, illustrated by Pamela Southgate, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1988.

Look at Me Now, illustrated by Kathy James, Macdonald (London, England), 1988.

Green Monster Magic, illustrated by Pamela Southgate, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England), 1988.

The Pirates and the Cats, illustrated by Graham Round, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England), 1988.

(Reteller) The First Christmas, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1988.

(Reteller) Joseph and His Coat of Many Colours, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1988.

(Reteller) Noah Builds an Ark, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1988.

(Reteller) The Good Samaritan, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1988.

(Reteller) Children's Illustrated Bible, illustrated by Michael Codd, World International (Manchester, England), 1989.

My Book of Prayers, illustrated by Linda Pasifull, World International (Manchester, England), 1989, published as My Book of Favorite Prayers, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN), 1990.

The Pirates and the Spring Cleaning, illustrated by Graham Round, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England), 1989.

Songs for Jesus, illustrated by Dianne Stuchbury, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

The Children at Willow Green, illustrated by Joanna Williams, Scripture Union (London, England), 1990.

(Reteller) The Lord's Prayer, illustrated by Dianne Stuchbury, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) The Christmas Story, illustrated by Robin Lawrie, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) The Easter Story, illustrated by Robin Lawrie, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) The Boy Jesus, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) The Boy with Loaves and Fishes, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) Daniel and the Lion's Den, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

(Reteller) David and Goliath, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

Robert and the Giant, illustrated by Sally Gardner, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1990.

Horace, illustrated by Kay Widdowson, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England), 1990.

The Christmas Puzzle Book, illustrated by Peter Kent, Scholastic (London, England), 1990.

(Reteller) Bible People, World International (Manchester, England), 1990.

The Pirates and Captain Bullseye, illustrated by Graham Round, Hodder and Stoughton (London, England), 1991.

Bible Questions and Answers, illustrated by Michael Codd, World International (Manchester, England), 1991.

A Child's First Book of Prayers, illustrated by Elvira Dadd, Hunt and Thorpe (Alresford, England), Revell (Tarrytown, NY), 1991.

Skipper at School, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1992.

(Reteller) A Boy Helps Jesus, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1994.

(Reteller) The Good Neighbor, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1994.

(Reteller) Noah Builds a Boat, illustrated by Edgar Hodges, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1994.

Tiger, Tiger, illustrated by Isabel Rayner, Collins (London, England), 1995.

(With others) Footprint Detective, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1995.

Steve: A Story about Death, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1995, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1998.

Yo Ho Ho!, Corgi (London, England), 1996.

Science Magic, illustrated by Margaret Clark-Jones, Collins (London, England), 1996.

Sir Garibald and Hot Nose, illustrated by Christopher Masters, Macdonald (Hove, England), 1996.

Time for a Party, Heinemann Educational Secondary Division (London, England), 1997.

Hornpipe's Hunt for Pirate Gold, illustrated by Ben Cort, Walker (London, England), Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1998.

The Wonderful Journey of Cameron Cat, illustrated by Charlotte Hard, Walker (London, England), Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1998.

Is That What Friends Do?, Hutchinson Children's Books (London, England), 1998.

Sir Garibald and the Damsel in Distress, illustrated by Christopher Masters, Macdonald (Hove, England), 1998.

Ned the Fighting Donkey, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1999.

Gordon the Clever Goat, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1999.

Rabbit's Trick, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1999.

The King and the Cuddly, Hutchinson Children's Books (London, England), 1999.

Dogs, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Mole and the Baby Bird, illustrated by Patrick Benson, Bloomsbury Children's Books (London, England, and New York, NY), 2002.

Boswell the Kitchen Cat, Little Tiger Press (London, England), 2002.

Captain Pike Looks after the Baby, Macmillan Children's Books (London, England), 2004.

Author of other books for children, as well as scripts for radio, television, and audio cassette.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Just Like You Did, a picture book for Bloomsbury Children's Books (London, England).

SIDELIGHTS:

Children's author Marjorie Newman has been writing and publishing for more than twenty-five years. Her first children's book, Wilkins the Armchair Cat, was published in 1978. Since then, Newman has written more than ninety books for young people from publishers such as Ginn, Hodder, Scholastic, Hamish Hamilton, Scripture Union, John Hunt, and more.

Born in England, Newman has worked at a variety of jobs, including office work and retail sales. Newman began writing when she was about seven years old, as she said on the Word Pool Web site. She attended Southlands Teacher Training College and worked for many years as a "full-time infant teacher," as she remembered in a Bloomsbury Web Site author profile. Newman gradually moved to teaching part-time and writing part-time, then became a full-time writer.

Some of Newman's books have been written in as little as two days, as she noted in her Word Pool author profile. Other books have taken up to a year, or more. She gets her ideas from a variety of sources, including television, or other books she has read, or from things she sees children do. Offering advice on the Word Pool Web site, Newman urges people who want to write children's books to work hard at thinking like a child, to read kids' books, to talk to children, and to watch television aimed at young people.

Although she is an avid artist who draws and paints, so far others have illustrated her books. The "editors won't let me do the illustrations although it's still one of my ambitions to manage this one day," Newman quipped on Word Pool Web site.

Puzzles and games add an interactive element to some of Newman's books. In The Wonderful Journey of Cameron Cat, curious feline Cameron's sense of adventure and exploration gets him stuck in the back of a furniture van. Readers solve puzzles throughout the story as they read about Cameron's attempts to get back to his owner, Ann.

A number of Newman's works revolve around Biblical teachings and stories from the Bible. In A Child's First Book of Prayers, Newman provides a selection of prayers for children newly introduced to religion. The Children's Illustrated Bible presents the Bible in a format accessible to younger readers. Newman offers stories of Biblical characters, themes, and events in titles such as Noah Builds a Boat, A Boy Helps Jesus, and The Good Neighbor.

Many of Newman's works are populated by gentle and understanding animals, some of whom have the same reactions to the world that the children often have. Other animals in the stories represent different personalities—some difficult—that children may encounter. In Is That What Friends Do?, Elephant believes he has found his first and best friend in Monkey. But Monkey is sometimes thoughtless and selfish, often bossy, and frequently unpleasant to Elephant. Though he tries hard to be Monkey's friend, Elephant wonders about their relationship. Monkey's poor treatment of Elephant makes him ask the question that forms the title of the book: is this what friends do? "Being kind and sharing is the answer in this very traditional type English nursery story," wrote Barbara James in Magpies.

Cuthbert the lion, the hero of The King and the Cuddly, must continually uphold his reputation for ferocity and fearlessness. To do so, he has to keep his comforting toy, Cuddles, a secret. If the other animals in the jungle found out about Cuddles, they might think Cuthbert is not really as brave and bold as he claims to be. But when Cuddles comes up missing, Cuthbert worries little about his reputation and instead becomes determined to find his absent friend, no matter what others may think. In the process, he learns that others may have little secret friends of their own. Deepa Earnshaw, writing in School Librarian, called The King and the Cuddly a "charming story" with "a nice, but perhaps obvious, conclusion" that should nonetheless appeal to pre-schoolers and young children.

In the award-winning Mole and the Baby Bird, young Mole adopts a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest. Although Mole takes good care of the little bird, his parents tell him it may die and repeatedly warn him that it is a wild creature, not a pet. The bird gains strength and grows quickly with Mole's care, but when it shows signs of wanting to fly, Mold builds a cage to make sure it cannot leave. Captivity, however, does not suit the bird; its condition worsens even though Mole continues to give it plenty of attention and loving care. Mole continues to ignore his parents' gentle cautions that the bird is not intended to be a pet and should be free.

When Grandpa Mole visits and sees the situation, he takes Mole for a walk up a high hillside. There, Mole sees birds in their natural setting and realizes that his pet should be allowed to fly free, no matter how much he might want to keep the bird for his own. While Grandpa demonstrates to his young grandson "what is right and what is natural, … it is Mole who makes the decision to set the bird free," wrote Kathy Broderick in Booklist. Newman "conveys to youngest readers the importance of allowing others to be free to be themselves," wrote a reviewer in Publishers Weekly, while Marlene Gawron, writing in School Library Journal, observed that "the message of making others happy through a selfless act and the true meaning of love comes across gently" in the pages of Mole and the Baby Bird. A writer in Kirkus Reviews called the book a "sweet story," going on to predict that young readers "will eagerly read between the lines" and reach their own conclusions about how and why Mole decides to release the bird.

Newman's works also strive to explain the sometimes bewildering, sometimes painful events in a child's world. Steve: A Story about Death, a specially commissioned work concerning the death of a parent, is intended for children in the seven to nine year age range. More mildly, The Scary Mouse tells the story of how Paul conquers his fear of touching mice when he is asked to take care of his friend Annette's mouse while she is in the hospital. "How Paul overcomes his distaste is well told," wrote a reviewer in Books for Keeps.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2002, Kathy Broderick, review of Mole and the Baby Bird, p. 413.

Books for Keeps, July, 1990, review of The Scary Mouse, p. 9.

Kirkus Reviews, August 5, 2002, review of Mole and the Baby Bird, p. 1231.

Magpies, March, 1999, Barbara James, review of Is That What Friends Do?, p. 26.

Publishers Weekly, June 29, 1998, review of The Wonderful Journey of Cameron Cat, p. 61, and review of Hornpipe's Hunt for Pirate Gold, p. 61; July 15, 2002, review of Mole and the Baby Bird, pp. 72-73.

School Librarian, spring, 2001, Deepa Earnshaw, review of The King and the Cuddly, p. 20.

School Library Journal, December, 2002, Marlene Gawron, review of Mole and the Baby Bird, p. 104.

Times Educational Supplement, February 14, 1992, Carol Fox, "Sharing the Story," review of Skipper at School, p. 31.

ONLINE

Bloomsbury Web Site,http://www.bloomsbury.com/ (July 7, 2003), profile of Marjorie Newman.

Word Pool,http://www.wordpool.co.uk/ (July 7, 2003), profile of Marjorie Newman.*