Pamela Kay Allen (née Griffiths; born 3 April 1934) is a New Zealand children's writer and illustrator. She has published over 50 picture books since 1980. Sales of her books have exceeded five million copies.

Early life and family

Born in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

suburb of Devonport in 1934 to Esma Eileen (née Griffith) and William Ewart Griffiths, Allen studied at St Cuthbert's College, then the

Elam School of Fine Arts The Elam School of Fine Arts, founded by John Edward Elam, is part of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. Students study degrees in fine art with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. The schoo ...

at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, from where she graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts in 1955. She then worked as a secondary school art teacher. She married sculptor Jim Allen in 1964. They moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in about 1977, and after about 30 years returned to live in Auckland, New Zealand.

Writing career

Allen published her first book, ''Mr Archimedes' Bath'', in 1980. Since then she has written and illustrated more than 30 picture books for children. She has won or been shortlisted for many awards as both a writer and illustrator. She won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Children's Picture Book of The Year Award in 1983 for ''Who Sank the Boat?'' and 1984 for ''Bertie and the Bear'', and has been shortlisted for the same award on five other occasions. She twice won the Ethel Turner Prize in the

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

, in 1980 for ''Mr Archimedes' Bath'' and 1983 for ''Who Sank the Boat?''. Allen was awarded the

International Board on Books for Young People The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland. IBBY history In 1952, Jella Lepm ...

honour diploma for illustration, for ''Who Sank the Boat?'', in 1984. In 1986, she received the

Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa The New Zealand Library Association Inc., operating as LIANZA (Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa), is the professional organisation for library and information workers in New Zealand, and also promotes library and info ...

Russell Clark Illustration Award for her illustrations in '' A Lion in the Night''. In 2001, ''Who Sank The Boat?'', first published in 1982, won the Gaelyn Gordon Award—given to the author of a New Zealand children's book that has been a favourite with children over a long period of time—from the New Zealand Book Council. Allen returned to live in Auckland and in 2004 she won the Margaret Mahy Medal, New Zealand's top children's literature prize. In the

2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; and ...

, she was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to children's literature. Eight of her books have been adapted for the stage by

Patch Theatre Company Patch Theatre Company, formerly New Patch Theatre, is an Australian theatre company founded in 1972 and based in Adelaide, South Australia, which performs works for young children. Patch has performed at international children's festivals in Ko ...

and performed at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. Allen's daughter, Ruth Allen, a Melbourne-based glass sculptor, was commissioned by Penguin Australia in 2008 to create an artwork to celebrate sales of over five million copies of Allen's books.

References

External links

Pamela Allen pictorial material and papers
1974-2016, manuscripts, audio cassettes, video recordings, etchings and illustrations, State Library of New South Wales. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Pamela 1934 births Living people People from North Shore, New Zealand Elam Art School alumni New Zealand children's writers Writers who illustrated their own writing Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand women children's writers New Zealand women illustrators 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers 20th-century New Zealand writers 21st-century New Zealand writers New Zealand expatriates in Australia

Early life and family

Writing career

See also

Further reading

References

External links