Violet Hilda Drummond (30 July 1911 – 7 February 2000) was a British children's author and illustrator from the 1930s to 1970s. During her career, Drummond primarily wrote series on ''Mrs. Easter'', ''Little Laura'' and ''Miss Anna Tully''. Of her works, Drummond was awarded the 1954

Kate Greenaway Medal The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...

for ''Mrs Easter and the Storks''. During the 1960s, her ''Little Laura'' books were adapted into eighteen television films for the

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

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. Apart from writing, Drummond was an illustrator for various authors including

Helen Cresswell Helen Cresswell (11 July 1934 – 26 September 2005) was an English television scriptwriter and author of more than 100 children's books, best known for comedy and supernatural fiction. Her most popular book series, ''Lizzie Dripping'' and ''The ...

Barbara Sleigh Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (1906–1982) was an English children's writer and broadcaster. She is remembered most for her Carbonel series about a king of cats. Family and career Barbara Sleigh was born on 9 January 1906 in Birmingham, the da ...

and J.K. Stanford. Drummond was also a watercolour painter and had her artwork shown in

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Early life and education

On 30 July 1911, Drummond was born in London. Her father, Robert Drummond, was a banker who was killed in action in 1914 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Her mother, Hilda Margaret Harris subsequently remarried, taking the surname Gunning. As a child, Drummond began her drawing experience doodling in her school notebooks. Growing up, Drummond attended the Links School in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

and then a finishing school in Paris. For her art education, Drummond attended Saint Martin's School of Art from 1939 to 1942. During this time period, Drummond was a member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry for the

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Career

As a children's author, Drummond wrote ''Phewtus the Squirrel'' in 1939 based on a toy squirrel named Rufus that her son mispronounced as Phewtus. From the 1940s to 1970s, Drummond primarily wrote fictional series comprising five books each on ''Mrs. Easter'' and ''Little Laura''. While writing two books on ''Miss Anna Truly'', Drummond also provided the illustrations for each of her fictional books. Of her works, Drummond received the 1957

for ''Mrs Easter and the Storks''. For the

, Drummond's ''Little Laura'' series was adapted into eighteen animated television films. For the BBC adaption, Drummond wrote, illustrated and produced the ''Little Laura'' episodes that aired on the

from 1963 to 1964. Apart from writing, Drummond illustrated works for various other authors from the 1940s to the 1960s. These authors included J.K. Stanford,

and others. Alongside her literary career, Drummond started painting in the 1950s. With her watercolour paintings and lithographs, Drummond had works shown at the Fortescue Swann Gallery plus the Chenil and the Upper Grosvenor Galleries in London. She was an elected member of the

Society of Industrial Artists The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a professional body for designers. It is the only Royal Chartered body of experienced designers. Its membership is multi-disciplinary – representing designers in all design, disciplines including ...

. Apart from art, Drummond started a self-named productions company in 1960 as chairperson. Drummond was married and had one child before her death on 7 February 2000 in Essex.

Books illustrated by Drummond

* ''The Twelfth'', 1944, by J.K. Stanford * ''Here and There, a Lusty Trout'', 1947, by Thomas A. Powell * ''Verse and Worse'', 1952, by Arnold Silcock * ''The Title's My Own'', 1952, by G. Bles * ''The Shaggy Dog Story'', 1953, by E. Partridge * ''Wild Little Horse'', 1955, by E. Dillon * ''Carbonel King of the Cats'', 1955, by B. Sleigh * ''The Kingdom of the Winds'', 1957, by Angela Jean * ''Espit de Corps'', 1957, by Lawrence Durrell * ''Lisa and the Helicopter'', 1958, by B. Ireson * ''The Piemakers'', 1967, by

* ''The Quest of the Catnip Mouse'', 1967, by A. Miller.

Books written by Drummond

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drummond, Violet Hilda 1911 births 2000 deaths 20th-century English women artists Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Artists from London British children's book illustrators British children's writers British printmakers First Aid Nursing Yeomanry people Kate Greenaway Medal winners Writers from London Writers who illustrated their own writing