Hazel Edwards

Hazel Eileen Edwards (OAM) (born 1945) is an Australian author who has written 200 books, including the classic children's book There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, which has celebrated its 30th anniversary and is a short film by Pocket Bonfire Productions[1] which toured nationally with Little Big Shots Film Festival. Since its publication in 1980, Hippopotamus on Our roof has been reprinted annually, evolved into a series of six picture books and inspired a junior chapter book, classroom play scripts, stage production and a short movie. The Hippopotamus books have also been translated into Chinese, Braille and Auslan signing for the hearing impaired and were presented as an official Australian government gift to the children of Princess Mary of Denmark.

Edwards is a National Ambassador for the 2012 Year of Reading and the Premiers' Reading Challenge.

Biography

Melbourne-born and based, Hazel Eileen Edwards[2] attended Ashburton Primary and Camberwell High School.[3] After working in a bank and studying at night, she entered Toorak Teachers' College. She taught at Westall High school and was invited to lecture at Frankston Teachers’ College while studying at Monash University (BA 1971, BEd 1974, MEd 1980)[4] at night. Later she lectured in children’s literature and psychology at Toorak Teachers’ College, and the Institute of Early Childhood Development (Now Melbourne University), then became a freelance author-lecturer after the publication of 'General Store' (1977) and the now classic There's a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake (1980).

Edwards writes fact and fiction across media, for adults and children. She collaborates with psychologists, directors, scientists, puppeteers and illustrators and enjoys quirky and fanciful approaches to learning, participant-observation and experimenting with new media. She has become an e-publisher specialising in literacy mystery series and performance scripts.

She has written in social issues areas such as transgender in f2m:the boy within and about sociopaths in Difficult Personalities. Her memoir 'Not Just a Piece of Cake:Being an Author'(Brolga) was published in 2015.

2012 National Year of Reading Ambassador and three times nominee for ALMA award.(2010,2011,2012)

Her books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, French, Indonesian, Polish,Russian and Finnish. She is a director on the board of management of the Australian Society of Authors.In 2009, she received the Australian Society of Authors medal. She received an OAM (Order of Australia Medal for services to Literature)[2] in the 2013 Queens Birthday Honours.[5]

Antarctica

As 2001 Australian Antarctic Division writer, awarded the Antarctic Fellowship,[5] Edwards travelled to Casey Station, Antarctica on the Polar Bird. Literary output based on her experience includes Antarctica's Frozen Chosen (a young adult eco-thriller), Antarctic Writer on Ice (her expedition diary), Antarctic Dad (a picture book), Right or Wrong (a play co-written with fellow author Goldie Alexander), Grandma Leaps the Antarctic (an Auslan-signed DVD) and Antarctic Closeup, a National Museum initiative.[5]

Published works

Cake Eating Hippo series

E-book series[8]

'The Frequent Flyer Twins' series.

Literacy Performance Scripts[9]

Memoir; Not Just a Piece of Cake; Being an Author (Brolga)

Works in collections

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Pocket Bonfire Productions.
  2. 1 2 "Mrs Hazel Eileen EDWARDS" (PDF - 211Kb). Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division (A-E). Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 7 June 2013. p. 209. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Hazel Edwards-Award-winning author". Camberwell High School Ex-Students Society Inc. (chessmoves.com). Retrieved 23 June 2013
  4. ↑ "Hazel Edwards". Alumni Profiles-Stories. Monash University. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Hazel Edwards, 2000-01". Antarctic Arts Fellowship. Participants:2000-2009. Australian Antarctic Division. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "f2m; the boy within" . e-book, hazeledwards.com
  7. ↑ "Writing a Non Boring Family History" . e-book, hazeledwards.com
  8. ↑ E-books series. hazeledwards.com
  9. ↑ Literacy Performance Scripts. hazeledwards.com
  10. ↑ Lu Rees Archives (University of Canberra) canberra.edu.au
  11. ↑ Schloss Blutenberg www.ijb.de
  12. ↑ Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (Sweden) www.alma.se (English)
  13. ↑ It's an Honour website
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