Unusual Us and Vivid Vs by Lynne Benton

ALISON UTTLEY was born in 1884 in Derbyshire, and wrote over 100 books, though she is probably best-remembered for her children’s series of 38 books about Little Grey Rabbit (the first of these, The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit, was published in 1929)  She also wrote a pioneering time slip novel for children in 1939, A Traveller in Time, about the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, which was adapted for children’s television in 1979.  Her other important work was The Country Child (1931), a fictionalized account of her childhood experiences at her family farm home.  In 1970 Manchester University awarded her an honorary degree in recognition of her literary work.  She died in 1976.

KAYE UMANSKY is an English poet and writer, who has written over 130 books for children, including the series about Pongwiffy the witch, for which she is particularly well-known.  The first of these, Pongwiffy: A Witch of Dirty Habits, was published in 1987, and there are now 7 in the series.  They have also been released as audiobooks, and as a cartoon series for television.  In addition to these she has written music books, along with plays, poems, novels and picture books, and was the first judge of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize for humorous children’s literature.  Her rhyming series about Jim, such as You need a Trim, Jim, are funny, perceptive and popular with 3-6 year-olds.  She lives in North London with her husband.

I could find no more notable Us (sorry if I’ve left out anyone vital!), so I’m moving on to the Vs.

ELFRIDA VIPONT was a Quaker author, born in Manchester in 1902, who was particularly interested in history, Quakerism and music.  As well as her books for adults she wrote nearly two dozen novels, stories and anthologies for children and young adults. The Lark in the Morn and The Lark on the Wing are among the best of these, and The Lark on the Wing won the Carnegie Medal in 1951.  In 1969 she collaborated with illustrator Raymond Briggs on a picture book for young children, The Elephant and the Bad Baby, published by Hamish Hamilton in 1969, which is possibly her most famous book.  She died in 1992.

CYNTHIA VOIGT, born in 1942, is an American writer of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse. Her first book in the Tillerman family series, Homecoming, was nominated for several international prizes and adapted as a 1996 film.  Her novel Dicey’s Song won the 1983 Newbery Medal.  According to YA librarians, “Voigt's intense character studies introduce young adults to genuine people often isolated from society. While her characters may be orphaned, abandoned, disabled, their strength to overcome adversity is extraordinary.”  She lives in Maine, USA.

CHRIS VAN ALLSBURGH is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for Jumanji (1981) and The Polar Express (1985), both of which he also wrote; both were later adapted as successful films.  He has written and illustrated about twenty books, and for his contribution as a children's illustrator he was 1986 U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award.  He also received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Michigan in April 2012.

MAX VELTHUIJS  (1923–2005) was a Dutch painter, illustrator and writer, one of the most famous children's illustrators in the Netherlands.  In 2004 he received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".  He is best known for the Frog picture books (Dutch Wikipedia lists 21 titles). The first was Frog in Love, which was initially rejected by his Dutch publishers but taken on by Andersen Press in 1989 and then gained global recognition.  In 2003 it was adapted as a children's play and performed by the Tiebreak Theatre Company at Norwich Playhouse.  Frog is a Hero was included in the British National Curriculum.  Velthuijs died in The Hague in 2005.

JULES VERNE was a French novelist, poet and playwright, born in 1823.  His widely popular series of adventure novels, though written originally for adults, have become popular throughout the world with children too.  This could be partly due to the highly abridged translations in which his novels are often reprinted, as well as to several film and television adaptations making them accessible to all ages.  The most notable of these are Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).  .

He died in 1905.

That's the end of my Us and Vivid Vs.  Next time I'll be on to the Wonderful Ws, of which there are several.  I'm looking forward to it!

Website: www. lynnebenton.com

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