I seem to have had reason to dip into the death notices in the paper lately and am always saddened when I read about someone I know of. A couple of weeks ago I read of the passing of Barbara Ker Wilson who was quite a prominent person in the children's book world here in Australia. She not only wrote her own books but was instrumental in publishing others. I first met Barbara's writing when I read her book The Willow Pattern Story. I have long collected blue and white plates and am fascinated by the Chinese love story about a Mandarin girl who defies her rich father and elopes with the poor boy who she loves. I have a copy of this book ready to share with any grandchildren interested enough to know why there are so many versions of willow pattern plates in my house.
I decided to reread many of her books that we have in our library. She certainly had a broad range:
• Wishbones a Chinese Cinderella beautifully illustrated by Meilo So.
• The Turtle and the Island a folktale that tells the story of how a sea turtle builds the island of New Guinea with illustrations by Frane Lessac.
• Maui and the Big Fish is a Polynesian creation myth with illustrations by Frane Lessac.
• Acacia Terrace tells the story of one family who lives in this house in Sydney from the 1860s to after World War II. This book is used often because it fits in with the current History syllabus.
• The Day of the Elephant illustrated by Frane Leassac was written in response to the Asian tsunami which devastated Indonesia, India and Thailand.
And the fun birthday story Meltdown illustrated by David Cox which tells what happens when an ice-cream cake melts on a very hot day.
