Jackie French

Jackie French

Jacqueline Anne "Jackie" French (born 29 November 1953) is an award-winning Australian writer of children's books, and books on gardening.

Jackie French was born in Sydney and grew up in Brisbane. She moved to the bush in her early twenties. She likes gardening and has been on the television series Burke's Backyard. She has written more than one hundred books. These books include story books (fiction), and books about true things (non-fiction). Jackie lives at Araluen, New South Wales.

She began writing when she was 30, to make money to pay for her car. At the time, she was living in a tin shed with a black snake named "Gladys", and a wombat named "Smudge". Jackie also appears regularly on radio and television.

Picture books

Shaggy Gully books

pictures drawn by Bruce Whatley

1. Diary of a Wombat (2003)
2. Pete the Sheep (2004), also known as Pete the Sheep-Sheep in the US
3. The Secret World of Wombats (2005)
4. Josephine Wants to Dance (2006), also known as Josephine Loves to Dance in the US
5. The Shaggy Gully Times (2007)
6. Emily and the Big Bad Bunyip (2008)
7. Baby Wombat's Week (2009)

Other picture books

• Hairy Charlie and the Frog (1994)
• Hairy Charlie and the Pumpkin (1994)
• Mermaids (1995)
• Pigs Don't Fly (2000)
• The Secret Life of Santa Claus (2001)
• Pear-Pinching Pamela (also known as Too Many Pears!) (2003), pictures drawn by Bruce Whatley
• Bears Don't Bounce! (2003)
• Queen Victoria's Underpants (2010)
• The Tomorrow Book (2011)
• A Day to Remember (2012)

Children's fiction

Collections of short stories

• Rainstones (1991)
• Alien Games (1995)
• Mind's Eye (1996)
• Dancing with Ben Hall and Other Yarns (1997)
• The Book of Unicorns (1997)
• Ride the Wild Wind (2002)

Café on Callisto books

1. The Café on Callisto (2006)
2. Space Pirates on Callisto (2006)
3. Vampire Slugs on Callisto (2006)

The Children of the Valley books

1. The Music from the Sea (1993)
2. The City in the Sand (1993)
3. The House of a Hundred Animals (1993)
4. The Metal Men (1994)
5. The Tribe that Sang to Trees (1996)

Phredde the Phaery books

pictures drawn by Stephen Michael King

1. A Phaery Named Phredde and Other Stories to Eat with a Banana (1998)
2. Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and Other Stories to Eat with a Watermelon (1999)
3. Phredde and the Zombie Librarian and Other Stories to Eat with a Blood Plum (2000)
4. Phredde and the Temple of Gloom - A Story to Eat with a Mandarin (2001)
5. Phredde and the Leopard-Skin Librarian - A Story to Eat with a Dinosaur Apple (2002)
6. Phredde and the Purple Pyramid - A Story to Eat with a Passionfruit (2003)
7. Phredde and the Vampire Footie Team - A Story to Eat with an Orange at Half Time (2004)
8. Phredde and the Ghostly Underpants - A Story to Eat with a Mango (2005)
9. Phredde and the Runaway Ghost Train (2005)

• A Box Full of Phaeries, Phreddes and Fruit (contains the first three books put together into one) (2003)

School for Heroes books

pictures drawn by Andrea F. Potter

1. Lessons for a Werewolf Warrior (2009)
2. Dance of the Deadly Dinosaurs (2010)

Wacky Families books

1. My Mum the Pirate (2003)
2. My Dog the Dinosaur (2003)
3. My Dad the Dragon (2004)
4. My Uncle Gus the Garden Gnome (2004)
5. My Uncle Wal the Werewolf (2005)
6. My Gran the Gorilla (2006)
7. My Auntie Chook the Vampire Chicken (2006)
8. My Pa the Polar Bear (2007)

• One Big Wacky Family (2008) (contains the first four books put together into one)
• Wonderfully Wacky Families (2009) (contains the last four books put together into one)

Fiction based on history

• Somewhere Around the Corner (1994)
• Soldier on the Hill (1997)
• Daughter of the Regiment (1998)
• Hitler's Daughter (1999)
• Lady Dance (2000)
• Valley of Gold (2003)
• How the Finnegans Saved the Ship (2001)
• The White Ship (2002)
• Tom Appleby, Convict Boy (2004)
• They Came on Viking Ships (2005)
• Macbeth and Son (2006)
• Pharaoh (2007)
• The Night They Stormed Eureka (2009)
• Oracle (2010)
• Nanberry: Black Brother White (2011)
• Pennies for Hitler (June 2012)

Other children's fiction

• Smudge (1988)
• The Roo that Won the Melbourne Cup (1991)
• The Boy Who Had Wings (1992)
• Walking the Boundaries (1993)
• Annie's Pouch (1995), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
• The Secret Beach (1995)
• A Wombat Named Bosco (1996), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
• Beyond the Boundaries (1996) (the book that comes after Walking the Boundaries)
• The Warrior: The Story of a Wombat (1996), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
• Summerland (1997)
• Felix Smith has Every Right to Be a Crocodile (1998)
• There's an Echidna at the Bottom of my Garden (1998), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
• There's a Wallaby at the Bottom of my Garden (1999), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
• Charlie's Gold (1999)
• Tajore Arkle (1999)
• Burt and the Band (2000), pictures drawn by Beth Norling
• Captain Purrfect (2000), pictures drawn by Gus Gordon
• The Space Bug (2002)
• The Black House (2003)
• One Perfect Day (2006), pictures drawn by Peter Bray
• The Day I Was History (2007)
• The Wombat and the Great Poohjam (2009)

Children's non-fiction

Animal Heroes books

1. The Goat who Sailed the World (2006)
2. The Dog who Loved a Queen (2007)
3. The Camel who Crossed Australia (2008)
4. The Donkey who Carried the Wounded (2009)
5. The Horse who Bit a Bushranger (2010)

Fair Dinkum Histories

1. Shipwreck, Sailors & 60,000 Years (2006)
2. Grim Crims & Convicts (2005)
3. Rotters and Squatters (2007)
4. Gold, Graves and Glory (2007)
5. A Nation of Swaggies & Diggers (2008)
6. Weevils, War & Wallabies (2009)
7. Rockin', Rollin, Hair & Hippies (2010)
8. Booms, Busts and Bushfires (2011)

Other children's non-fiction

• Twelve Bottles Popping: Home-Made Presents to Flip Your Lid (1994)
• The Little Book of Big Questions (1998)
• How the Aliens from Alpha Centauri Invaded My Maths Class and Turned Me Into a Writer (1998)
• How to Guzzle Your Garden (1999)
• Stamp, Stomp, Whomp (2000)
• The Book of Challenges (2000)
• The Fascinating History of Your Lunch (2001)
• Big Burps, Bare Bums and Other Bad-Mannered Blunders (2003)
• To the Moon and Back (2004)
• How to Scratch a Wombat (2005)
• The Wonderful World of Wallabies and Kangaroos (2008)
• How High Can a Kangaroo Hop? (2008)

Fictional books for teenagers and young adults

Outlands books

1. In the Blood (2001)
2. Blood Moon (2002)
3. Flesh and Blood (also known as Blood Will Tell) (2004)

Fiction based on history

• A Rose for the Anzac Boys (2008)
• A Waltz for Matilda (2010)

Other books for teenagers and young adults

• Missing You, Love Sara (2000)
• Dark Wind Blowing (2001)

Adult fiction

• A War for Gentlemen (2003)
• Searching for Charlie (2003)

Adult books

Books about gardening

• Organic Gardening in Australia (1986)
• Natural Rose Growing: An Organic Approach to Gardening (1988)
• The Organic Garden Doctor (1988)
• Natural Control of Household Pests (1990)
• The Wilderness Garden: A Radical New View of Australian Growing Methods (1993)
• The Salad Garden (1993)
• Organic Control of Household Pests (1993)
• Organic Control of Common Weeds, Aird Books (1993), second version released 1997
• The Earth Gardeners Companion: A Month-by-Month Guide (1993)
• The Chook Book (1993)
• A to Z of Useful Plants (1993)
• New Plants from Old (1994)
• Book of Lavender (1994)
• Book of Mint (1994)
• Book of Rosemary (1994)
• Book of Thyme (1994)
• Book of Chilli (1994)
• Book of Garlic (1994)
• Book of Parsley (1994)
• Book of Basil (1994)
• Jackie French's Guide to Companion Planting in Australia and New Zealand (1994)
• Switch! A Book of Home-Made Power, Water, and Garbage Systems (1994)
• Household Self Sufficiency (1994)
• Yates Guide to Herbs (1998)
• New Plants from Old (1994)
• Back Yard Self Sufficiency (1995)
• The Organic Garden Problem Solver (1995)
• Plants That Never Say Die (1995)
• Soil Food: 3,764 Ways to Feed Your Garden (1995)
• Jackie French's Top Ten Vegetables (1995)
• Jackie French's Cook Book (1995)
• The Pumpkin Book (1996)
• Yates Guide to Edible Gardening (1996)
• Growing Flowers Naturally (1996)
• Making Money from Your Garden (1997)
• Yates Guide to Herbs (1998)
• Jackie French's Household Herb Book (1998)
• Natural Solutions (1999)
• The Best of Jackie French: A Practical Guide to Everything from Aphids to Zuchinni Chocolate Cake (2000)
• The House That Jackie Built (2001)
• Earthly Delights (2001)
• New Plants from Old: Simple, Natural, No-Cost Plant Propagation (2007), second edition of A to Z of Useful Plants (1994)
• The Wilderness Garden: Beyond Organic Gardening (2007), second version of The Wilderness Garden: A Radical New View of Australian Growing Methods (1993)
• The Earth Gardener's Companion (2009)

Other books for adults

• Seasons of Content (1998), with pictures by Gwen Harrison
• Rocket Your Child into Reading (2004)

Awards

To the Moon and Back (Bryan Sullivan and Jackie French, illus. by Gus Gordon)

• 2005 - Children's Book Council of Australia Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books^[1]

Diary of a Wombat (Bruce Whatley and Jackie French)

• 2004 USA Benjamin Franklin Award
• 2004 USA Lemmee Award
• 2004 KIND Award USA
• 2003 Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association (ALA)
• 2003 Voted Favourite Picture Book of the Year in the Cuffie Awards in the USA
• 2003 Tied with Diary of a Worm for Funniest Book in the Cuffie Awards in the USA
• Number two on the 'Best 20 picture books for 2003' in the USA
• COOL Award, for Best Picture Book, voted by the kids of the ACT
• 2003 Winner Young Australian Readers' Award
• 2003 Winner KOALA Award for Best Picture Book
• 2003 ABA/A A Neilson Book of the Year
• 2003 Honour Book, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Picture Book of the Year^[1]
  • Shortlisted - books that were on the list to receive an award, but were unsuccessful.
    • 2004 - Bilby Award
    • 2003 - KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards for Picture Book of the Year, Australian Publisher's Association Book Design Awards for Best Designed Children's Picture Book, and also for a Galley Club Award, Picture Book category of the Children's Choice Book Awards

The Secret World of Wombats

• Shortlisted - 2006: NSW Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize^[2]

They Came on Viking Ships

• Shortlisted - 2006: for New South Wales Premier's History Awards - Young People's History Prize

My Dad the Dragon

• Shortlisted - 2005: Children's Book Council Awards, the Younger Readers Award and Picture Book of the Year

Tom Appleby, Convict Boy

• 2005 Children's Book Council Awards - winner of the Younger Readers Award
  • Shortlisted - 2005: Picture Book of the Year

Pete the Sheep (Jackie French and Bruce Whatley)

• 2005 KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards)

Hitler's Daughter

• 2003 Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers^[3]
• 2003 Named a "Blue Ribbon" book by the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books in the USA.
• UK National Literacy Association WOW! Award
  • Shortlisted
    • 2004: COOL and Yabba Awards
    • 2002: KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, the Older Readers' category of the Children's Choice Book Awards
    • 2001: the Older Readers' category of the Bilby Award, YABBAs and the WAYRBA.
    • 2000: the Sanderson Young Adult Audio Book of the Year Awards: Vision Australia Library

How to Guzzle Your Garden

• Shortlisted - 2000: Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Eve Pownall Award for Information^[3]

Flesh and Blood

• 2004 Aurealis Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction - Best Young Adult Novel

Valley of Gold

• 2004 - CBCA Notable Book

Ride the Wild Wind

• 2003 - CBCA Notable Book
  • Shortlisted - 2003: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards - Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature

In the Blood

• 2002 - ACT Book of the Year^[4]

Blood Will Tell

• Shortlisted - 2004: Aurealis Award

CafÈ on Callisto

• 2000 - winner of the Aurealis Award

Lady Dance

• 2001 - winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Book and Book of the Year

Stamp, Stomp, Whomp

• 2001 - winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Book and Book of the Year

Missing You, Love Sara

• 2001 - Notable Book: CBCA Book of the Year
  • Shortlisted
    • 2002 - for the KOALAs, YABBA
    • 2001 - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) in the Older Readers' category

Too Many Pears!

• 2004 - CBC Notable book
  • Shortlisted - COOl and KOALA Awards

Daughter of the Regiment

• Shortlisted - 1999: Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers^[5]

Somewhere Around the Corner

• 1995 - Honour Book, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers^[5]
• 1994 - Highly Commended in the Annual Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature^[6]

Walking the Boundaries

• 1994 - Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
  • Shortlisted in the Junior Section of the Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Awards

Rain Stones

• Shortlisted

• 1993 - Primary Age Group of the WAYRBAs
• 1992 - Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers^[5]
• 1991 - Children's Book Award in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards

The Roo that Won the Melbourne Cup

• 1992 - Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers

References

1. "The Children's Book Council of Australia, The Children's Book of the Year Awards". 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
2. "New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, 2006 Shortlist". 13 April 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
3. "The Children's Book Council of Australia, The Children's Book of the Yea Awards". 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
4. "ACT Book of the Year Winners". ACT Virtual Library. Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
5. "The Children's Book Council of Australia, The Children's Book of the Year Awards 1990 - 1999". 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
6. "The Family Therapy Associations of Australia, Award for Children's Literature". 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2009.

Other websites

• Official website
• Publisher's website Archived 2006-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
• CBC Award website Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine