Pitcher, Caroline 1948–

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Pitcher, Caroline 1948–

(C. Pitcher, Caroline Nell Pitcher)

PERSONAL:

Born April 16, 1948, in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England; daughter of William George Pitcher (a marine surveyor) and Joyce Warner; married Richard Johnson, October 25, 1982; children: Lauren Joy Hewlett, Max Leo. Ethnicity: "English." Education: University of Warwick, graduated (with honors), 1969.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Derbyshire, England. E-mail—liney@carolinepitcher.co.uk.

CAREER:

Worked in an art gallery, 1969-71; teacher at primary schools in East London, England, 1971-84; writer, 1985—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Kathleen Fidler Award, Edinburgh Children's Book Group, 1985, for Diamond; story of the year award, Independent, 1993, for Kevin the Blue; writers' award, Arts Council of Great Britain, 1999, for Silkscreen; East Midlands Arts Award for Cloud Cat.

WRITINGS:

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Diamond, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1987.

Gruff Treatment, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

The Red-spotted Reindeer, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

Mr. Duckbody Superstar, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

Gold in the Garden Shed, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

The Runaway Reptiles, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

The Chocolate Bar Burglar, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1988.

On the Wire, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1989.

The Sue Tribe, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1990.

Gerald and the Pelican, Transworld Yearling (London, England), 1993.

Jo's Storm, illustrated by Jackie Morris, Bodley Head (London, England), 1994.

The Snow Whale, illustrated by Jackie Morris, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 1996.

Mine (young adult novel), Mammoth Contents (London, England), 1997.

Run with the Wind, illustrated by Jane Chapman, Little Tiger Press (Wauwatosa, WI), 1998.

Don't Be Afraid, Little Foal, illustrated by Jane Chapman, Magi (London, England), 1998.

The Time of the Lion, illustrated by Jackie Morris, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 1998.

On the Pond, Heinemann Educational Rhymeworld (London, England), 1998.

Mariana and the Merchild, illustrated by Jackie Morris, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2000.

Are You Spring?, Dorling Kindersley (London, England), 2000.

Silkscreen, illustrated by Cliff Wright, Mammoth Contents, (London, England), 2000.

Cast Away, A&C Black Graffix (London, England), 2000.

Eleven O'Clock Chocolate Cake, Egmont (London, England), 2002.

Nico's Octopus, illustrated by Nilesh Mistry, Crocodile Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The Winter Dragon, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2003.

Lord of the Forest, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2004.

Cloud Cat, Egmont (London, England), 2005.

Sky Shifter, Egmont (London, England), 2005.

(Under name C. Pitcher) Castaway, illustrated by Peter Dennis, Stone Arch Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

The Shaman Boy, Egmont (London, England), 2007.

(Under name C. Pitcher) Please Don't Eat My Sister!, illustrated by Bridget Mackeith, Stone Arch Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

The Littlest Owl, illustrated by Tina Macnaughton, Little Tiger Press (Good Books (Intercourse, PA), 2008.

Author of activity books in the series "Make It Yourself" and "Build Your Own," Franklin Watts, beginning 1984. Work represented in anthologies, including A Moon, a Star, a Story, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1990; Read Aloud Storybook, Kingfisher, 1993; Stories for Seven-year-olds, 1996; In the Frame, 2006; and Like Mother, like Daughter, 2006. Contributor to periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Caroline Pitcher once told CA: "I write children's books. They happen to be about children, rather than adults, that's all. Adults are obsessed by children's books—perhaps because they are about imaginative areas, feelings, and experiences that we've lost, or stifled, or yearn for. We experience the most powerful images and visions in childhood reading and give ourselves to someone else's world. The best children's books are close to poetry, rich, immediate, and clear."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, June 15, 1998, review of Run with the Wind, p. 59; August 10, 1998, review of The Time of the Lion, p. 387; March 13, 2000, review of Mariana and the Merchild, p. 83.