Story: Children’s and young adult literature

Celebrated authors: Joy Cowley (2nd of 2)

Celebrated authors: Joy Cowley

Joy Cowley's first books were novels for adults, and she turned to children's literature after one of her sons had trouble learning to read. She wrote stories for him, and these were read by other children and used by schools. In addition to her educational books, Cowley has written picture books, junior fiction and young-adult novels. She received the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction in 2010 and was appointed a member of the Order of New Zealand in 2018.

Using this item

Private collection
Photograph by Terry Coles

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Kerryn Pollock, 'Children’s and young adult literature - Fantasy and social realism, 1970s–2000s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/43161/celebrated-authors-joy-cowley (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 22 Oct 2014, updated 1 Aug 2016