Drewery, Melanie
IN BRIEF
Melanie Drewery is an author, illustrator and artist who writes primarily for children. Koro's Medicine was a finalist in the Picture Book Category of the 2005 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults, and the Maori translation of this title, by Kararaina Uatuku, won the 2005 Te Kura Pounamu Award. Drewery won the Picture Book section of the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for her book Tahi: One Lucky Kiwi.
ProfilePlace of residence: Nelson, New Zealand |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Drewery, Melanie (1970- ) is a writer, illustrator and artist. She writes primarily for children.
Melanie Drewery was born in Palmerston North, and lived in Fielding, Auckland, Picton and Blenhiem before settling in Nelson. She has worked as a children’s librarian, a potter, an artist and as a pre-school teacher. She has been a professional writer since 1998.
Drewery’s concern as a writer is to introduce Te Reo Maori in a way that is both non-threatening and engaging. For Drewery the Maori tradition in story form gives children easy access to Maori language and culture, and encourages further learning.
Drewery is best-known for her Nanny Mihi series (illustrated by Tracy Duncan) about two little children and their visits to their beloved grandmother’s house. Her books include Nanny Mihi & the Rainbow (Reed, 2001), Nanny Mihi’s Garden (Reed, 2002), Nanny Mihi’s Birthday Surprise (Reed, 2003), Matariki (Reed, 2003 and Puffin, 2009)), The Treasure (Reed, 2003), Nanny Mihi’s Treasure Hunt (Reed, 2004), Child of Aotearoa (Reed, 2004) and Koro's Medicine (Huia, 2004).
Cherie Taylor, in The Daily Post, writes of Nanny Mihi’s Birthday Surprise: ‘Delightful illustrations and easy flowing words will make this book inviting and intriguing for any child who has just learned to read.’
Koro's Medicine was a finalist in the picture book category at the 2005 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults. The Maori translation of the book, Nga Rongoa a Koro (translated by Kararaina Uatuku) went on to win the Te Kuru Pounamu Award at the 2005 LIANZA Children's Book Awards. He Tamaiti na Aotearoa (Reed), translated by Hone Apanui, was nominated for the same award.
Of Nga Rongoa a Koro, the judges said: 'Nga Rongoa a Koro has the ‘x’ factor. The illustrations are almost tactile, the topic conveys the cultural importance placed on rongoa and the storyline cleverly conveys this in a way that all readers will be able to relate to.,,'
Nanny Mihi's Christmas was published by Reed in 2006.
Papa's Island (Reed, 2006), is based on real events that happened in World War Two, when Soames Island became a prison camp for 'enemy aliens'.
The Grumble Rumble Mumbler (Huia, 2007) was chosen to be read at the 2007 New Zealand's Biggest Storytime, during Library Week. Click here to hear Drewery reading this at Wellington Central Public Library. 'The Grumble Rumble Mumbler acknowledges children’s fears, and deals with them in a gentle and reassuring way.' (Create Readers Blog, National Library Website).
Itiiti's Gift, illustrated by Fifi Colston, was published by Reed in 2007.
Dad's Takeaways (Mallinson Rendel, 2007) is a charming new picture book by Drewery, telling the story of a family outing to get the best takeaways in the world.
The Mad Tadpole Adventure (Scholastic, 2007) is an illustrated chapter book, telling the story of a little girl who loved her tadpole and watched it turn into a frog! It was nominated in the junior fiction category for the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Tahi: One Lucky Kiwi (Random House, 2007) written by Melanie Drewery and illustrated by Ali Teo and John O'Reilly, is the educational story of Tahi, one lucky kiwi who was found in a game trap and ended up with a false leg. It won Best Picture Book at the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The judges of these awards said 'here's a story to inspire all age groups, where unobtrusive facts about kiwis sit comfortably alongside the snappy, and humorous text.'
Big Fish, Little Fish is a story of family, where Jeremy learns a lesson - it's not the size of the fish that really matters, it's the reason for catching the fish that counts (Raupo, 2008).
Jiminy Shows Off (Mallinson Rendel, 2008) is Drewery's first book for older primary school children.
Stories from our Night Sky (Picture Puffin, 2009), illustrated by Jenny Cooper, takes us from the legends of Matariki and Rona and the Moon through to how tuatara made the stars.
Melanie Drewery's works have been continually listed as Storylines Notable Books. These include: Matariki (2004), Koro's Medicine (2005), Nanny Mihi's Christmas (2006), Itiiti's Gift (2007), The Mad Tadpole Adventure (2008), The Grumble Rumble Mumbler (2008), Dad's Takeaways (2008), Tahi: One Lucky Kiwi (2008), and Big Fish, Little Fish (2009).
She lives in Nelson and participates in the Writers in Schools programme.
writers in schools information
Drewery is available to visit students of all ages. Her preferred age group for writer visits is junior school, preschool and primary. She is happy to discuss being a writer and a writer/illustrator with the students. She prefers to speak to 30-90 students at one time, or one to three classes. She does prefer schools to split into junior and senior groups. Drewery is available to run workshops by prior arrangement, and she is able to participate in tours outside her region.
KAPAI: Kids' Authors Pictures and Information
Where do you live?
On a farm at Ruby Bay, near Nelson. Our house is an old cowshed and a house stuck together!
What books do you read?
Lots and lots of books. I like: Margaret Mahy’s funny books that make me laugh; Bow Down Shadrach by Joy Cowley because it made me cry; Winnie the Witch is one of my favourite book characters.
Who is your favourite author?
Adult author: Annie Proulx, children’s author: I can’t choose between Margaret Mahy and Joy Cowley.
How do you think up your ideas?
Sometimes they just pop into my head, but mostly I think about things that are important to me and how I want children to feel at the end. Then I make up ideas to go with that feeling, sometimes from things that have really happened, and sometimes things I would like to do.
What is the best thing about being an author?
Seeing how the stories I write make people feel. Helping people to feel good or think about what is important.
Questions from Primary School students
Do you have any pets?
2 dogs, 1 cat and 6 horses! And lots of chickens, and sheep.
Do you have a favourite colour?
Purple.
Do you have a favourite food?
Sushi.
Do you have a favourite movie?
Too many to choose from.
Do you have a favourite game?
Pictionary.
What is the most fun thing about being an author?
Seeing the ideas from my head become a book with beautiful pictures and meeting my characters. They all seem like real people to me.
How do you make books?
I write the story lots of times. Sometimes I go to the library or on the internet to find out more information. When I am happy I send the story to my editors. They choose an illustrator and I wait while they do all of the other work.
Where do you like to go for your holidays?
Wellington or the West Coast.
What was the naughtiest thing you ever did at school?
I hid in the bushes just up the road from school with a friend and we didn’t go to school. Instead we stretched blackberry vines across the road because we wanted to give the cars flat tyres. It didn’t work! I went to a very small country school so the road was very quiet.
Questions from Secondary School students
How did you get started?
I wanted to be an author for years. I started writing stories at school and I never stopped. My first book was accepted after 13 years of trying.
Who inspired you when you were getting started?
Joy Cowley was very kind to me and read some of my stories. Robyn Belton, who is an illustrator, helped me too. I was inspired by their enthusiasm for books.
What advice would you give an aspiring writer?
Keep trying, but listen to advice and keep learning about writing as well. Ask people for help when you need it, because most people are happy to point you in the right direction.
Is it difficult to make a living writing in New Zealand?
Yes, because there are not many people in NZ. So if you are paid royalties it is hard to sell enough books – unless you sell overseas.
What were you like as a teenager?
A bit naughty! But I always loved to read and I was good in my English classes. I liked parties and making strange outfits. I loved riding horses then too.
Is there anything else you could tell children about yourself?
I love animals. I get horses from the race track so that they won’t be made into dog food and train them for riding for other people (maybe that is why I like Bow Down Shadrach so much).
I have two girls. I also work as a potter and painter so if I get bored with one job I just go and do another.
Media links and clips
- Interviews with Children’s Authors
- Drewery reading the Grumble Rumble Mumbler at Wellington Central Public Library.
