Author Nominee: Australia

Jackie French
Australia, Author

Maybe I'm creating the sort of books that I escaped into as a child .... Maybe (just possibly) I'm still creating the childhood I never had...

- Jackie French

Jackie French was born in Sydney in November 1953; when she was three her family moved to Brisbane. Despite an unhappy childhood and difficulties with dyslexia, she graduated from the University of Queensland when she was 20.

She wrote her first book when she was six and her headmistress circulated a copy to every child in her school. After graduation she married and moved to a valley in the bush. During this period she researched the local wildlife, plant ecology and climate in her locality. While she continued to write, she published nothing until the 1980s, but this period of intense research has informed much of her work since then. It is particularly evident in her observation of the habitat and lives of wombats, which she has deliciously depicted in Diary of a Wombat. She is regarded as an expert on the ecology of these creatures and presents conference papers about them and about all sorts of aspects of wildlife, sustainable farming and gardening, as well as campaigning on behalf of disadvantaged children.

When her marriage collapsed she needed an income to support herself and her baby son, so she sent off her work to publishers. Rainstones, her first children's book, was an immediate success, gaining a position on the shortlist for two prestigious Australian awards, and allowing her to devote herself to writing full-time.

Her range of books for children extends beyond the natural environment; she has written science fiction, historical novels, humorous books, text for picturebooks and non-fiction. Whether writing fiction or information books, French's work is underpinned by meticulous research. She passionately believes that her young audience deserves only the highest standards, and refuses to compromise by cutting down information from other sources. She wants to give her readers insights that will cause them to question their world, as well as bringing them pleasure in reading.

To date, Jackie French has published over 130 books, 100 of which are for children. Many of these are translated into at least 25 different languages. She has won over 50 awards, both within Australia and overseas. She is the Australian Capital Territory's permanent Children's Ambassador, and has received many other accolades in Australia in recognition of her campaigning work on behalf of wildlife and children.