Jackie French

**Jacqueline Anne "Jackie" French** (born 29 November 1953) is an award-winning Australian writer of children's books, and books on gardening.

Jackie French was born in Sydney and grew up in Brisbane. She moved to the bush in her early twenties. She likes gardening and has been on the television series _Burke's Backyard_. She has written more than one hundred books. These books include story books (fiction), and books about true things (non-fiction). Jackie lives  at Araluen, New South Wales.

She began writing when she was 30, to make money to pay for her car. At the time, she was living in a tin shed with a black snake named "Gladys", and a wombat named "Smudge". Jackie also appears regularly on radio and television.

### _Shaggy Gully_ books

_pictures drawn by Bruce Whatley_

1. _Diary of a Wombat_ (2003)
1. _Pete the Sheep_ (2004), also known as _Pete the Sheep-Sheep_ in the US
1. _The Secret World of Wombats_ (2005)
1. _Josephine Wants to Dance_ (2006), also known as _Josephine Loves to Dance_ in the US
1. _The Shaggy Gully Times_ (2007)
1. _Emily and the Big Bad Bunyip_ (2008)
1. _Baby Wombat's Week_ (2009)

### Other picture books

- _Hairy Charlie and the Frog_ (1994)
- _Hairy Charlie and the Pumpkin_ (1994)
- _Mermaids_ (1995)
- _Pigs Don't Fly_ (2000)
- _The Secret Life of Santa Claus_ (2001)
- _Pear-Pinching Pamela_ (also known as _Too Many Pears!_) (2003), pictures drawn by Bruce Whatley
- _Bears Don't Bounce!_ (2003)
- _Queen Victoria's Underpants_ (2010)
- _The Tomorrow Book_ (2011)
- _A Day to Remember_ (2012)

### Collections of short stories

- _Rainstones_ (1991)
- _Alien Games_ (1995)
- _Mind's Eye_ (1996)
- _Dancing with Ben Hall and Other Yarns_ (1997)
- _The Book of Unicorns_ (1997)
- _Ride the Wild Wind_ (2002)

### _Café on Callisto_ books

1. _The Café on Callisto_ (2006)
1. _Space Pirates on Callisto_ (2006)
1. _Vampire Slugs on Callisto_ (2006)

### _The Children of the Valley_ books

1. _The Music from the Sea_ (1993)
1. _The City in the Sand_ (1993)
1. _The House of a Hundred Animals_ (1993)
1. _The Metal Men_ (1994)
1. _The Tribe that Sang to Trees_ (1996)

### _Phredde the Phaery_ books

_pictures drawn by Stephen Michael King_

1. _A Phaery Named Phredde and Other Stories to Eat with a Banana_ (1998)
1. _Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and Other Stories to Eat with a Watermelon_ (1999)
1. _Phredde and the Zombie Librarian and Other Stories to Eat with a Blood Plum_ (2000)
1. _Phredde and the Temple of Gloom - A Story to Eat with a Mandarin_ (2001)
1. _Phredde and the Leopard-Skin Librarian - A Story to Eat with a Dinosaur Apple_ (2002)
1. _Phredde and the Purple Pyramid - A Story to Eat with a Passionfruit_ (2003)
1. _Phredde and the Vampire Footie Team - A Story to Eat with an Orange at Half Time_ (2004)
1. _Phredde and the Ghostly Underpants - A Story to Eat with a Mango_ (2005)
1. _Phredde and the Runaway Ghost Train_ (2005)

- _A Box Full of Phaeries, Phreddes and Fruit_ (contains the first three books put together into one) (2003)

### _School for Heroes_ books

_pictures drawn by Andrea F. Potter_

1. _Lessons for a Werewolf Warrior_ (2009)
1. _Dance of the Deadly Dinosaurs_ (2010)

### _Wacky Families_ books

1. _My Mum the Pirate_ (2003)
1. _My Dog the Dinosaur_ (2003)
1. _My Dad the Dragon_ (2004)
1. _My Uncle Gus the Garden Gnome_ (2004)
1. _My Uncle Wal the Werewolf_ (2005)
1. _My Gran the Gorilla_ (2006)
1. _My Auntie Chook the Vampire Chicken_ (2006)
1. _My Pa the Polar Bear_ (2007)

- _One Big Wacky Family_ (2008) (contains the first four books put together into one)
- _Wonderfully Wacky Families_ (2009) (contains the last four books put together into one)

### Fiction based on history

- _Somewhere Around the Corner_ (1994)
- _Soldier on the Hill_ (1997)
- _Daughter of the Regiment_ (1998)
- _Hitler's Daughter_ (1999)
- _Lady Dance_ (2000)
- _Valley of Gold_ (2003)
- _How the Finnegans Saved the Ship_ (2001)
- _The White Ship_ (2002)
- _Tom Appleby, Convict Boy_ (2004)
- _They Came on Viking Ships_ (2005)
- _Macbeth and Son_ (2006)
- _Pharaoh_ (2007)
- _The Night They Stormed Eureka_ (2009)
- _Oracle_ (2010)
- _Nanberry: Black Brother White_ (2011)
- _Pennies for Hitler_ (June 2012)

### Other children's fiction

- _Smudge_ (1988)
- _The Roo that Won the Melbourne Cup_ (1991)
- _The Boy Who Had Wings_ (1992)
- _Walking the Boundaries_ (1993)
- _Annie's Pouch_ (1995), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
- _The Secret Beach_ (1995)
- _A Wombat Named Bosco_ (1996), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
- _Beyond the Boundaries_ (1996) (the book that comes after _Walking the Boundaries_)
- _The Warrior: The Story of a Wombat_ (1996), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
- _Summerland_ (1997)
- _Felix Smith has Every Right to Be a Crocodile_ (1998)
- _There's an Echidna at the Bottom of my Garden_ (1998), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
- _There's a Wallaby at the Bottom of my Garden_ (1999), pictures drawn by Bettina Guthridge
- _Charlie's Gold_ (1999)
- _Tajore Arkle_ (1999)
- _Burt and the Band_ (2000), pictures drawn by Beth Norling
- _Captain Purrfect_ (2000), pictures drawn by Gus Gordon
- _The Space Bug_ (2002)
- _The Black House_ (2003)
- _One Perfect Day_ (2006), pictures drawn by Peter Bray
- _The Day I Was History_ (2007)
- _The Wombat and the Great Poohjam_ (2009)

### _Animal Heroes_ books

1. _The Goat who Sailed the World_ (2006)
1. _The Dog who Loved a Queen_ (2007)
1. _The Camel who Crossed Australia_ (2008)
1. _The Donkey who Carried the Wounded_ (2009)
1. _The Horse who Bit a Bushranger_ (2010)

### _Fair Dinkum Histories_

1. _Shipwreck, Sailors & 60,000 Years_ (2006)
1. _Grim Crims & Convicts_ (2005)
1. _Rotters and Squatters_ (2007)
1. _Gold, Graves and Glory_ (2007)
1. _A Nation of Swaggies & Diggers_ (2008)
1. _Weevils, War & Wallabies_ (2009)
1. _Rockin', Rollin, Hair & Hippies_ (2010)
1. _Booms, Busts and Bushfires_ (2011)

### Other children's non-fiction

- _Twelve Bottles Popping: Home-Made Presents to Flip Your Lid_ (1994)
- _The Little Book of Big Questions_ (1998)
- _How the Aliens from Alpha Centauri Invaded My Maths Class and Turned Me Into a Writer_ (1998)
- _How to Guzzle Your Garden_ (1999)
- _Stamp, Stomp, Whomp_ (2000)
- _The Book of Challenges_ (2000)
- _The Fascinating History of Your Lunch_ (2001)
- _Big Burps, Bare Bums and Other Bad-Mannered Blunders_ (2003)
- _To the Moon and Back_ (2004)
- _How to Scratch a Wombat_ (2005)
- _The Wonderful World of Wallabies and Kangaroos_ (2008)
- _How High Can a Kangaroo Hop?_ (2008)

### _Outlands_ books

1. _In the Blood_ (2001)
1. _Blood Moon_ (2002)
1. _Flesh and Blood_ (also known as _Blood Will Tell_) (2004)

### Fiction based on history

- _A Rose for the Anzac Boys_ (2008)
- _A Waltz for Matilda_ (2010)

### Other books for teenagers and young adults

- _Missing You, Love Sara_ (2000)
- _Dark Wind Blowing_ (2001)

## Adult fiction

- _A War for Gentlemen_ (2003)
- _Searching for Charlie_ (2003)

### Books about gardening

- _Organic Gardening in Australia_ (1986)
- _Natural Rose Growing: An Organic Approach to Gardening_ (1988)
- _The Organic Garden Doctor_ (1988)
- _Natural Control of Household Pests_ (1990)
- _The Wilderness Garden: A Radical New View of Australian Growing Methods_ (1993)
- _The Salad Garden_ (1993)
- _Organic Control of Household Pests_ (1993)
- _Organic Control of Common Weeds, Aird Books_ (1993), second version released 1997
- _The Earth Gardeners Companion: A Month-by-Month Guide_ (1993)
- _The Chook Book_ (1993)
- _A to Z of Useful Plants_ (1993)
- _New Plants from Old_ (1994)
- _Book of Lavender_ (1994)
- _Book of Mint_ (1994)
- _Book of Rosemary_ (1994)
- _Book of Thyme_ (1994)
- _Book of Chilli_ (1994)
- _Book of Garlic_ (1994)
- _Book of Parsley_ (1994)
- _Book of Basil_ (1994)
- _Jackie French's Guide to Companion Planting in Australia and New Zealand_ (1994)
- _Switch! A Book of Home-Made Power, Water, and Garbage Systems_ (1994)
- _Household Self Sufficiency_ (1994)
- _Yates Guide to Herbs_ (1998)
- _New Plants from Old_ (1994)
- _Back Yard Self Sufficiency_ (1995)
- _The Organic Garden Problem Solver_ (1995)
- _Plants That Never Say Die_ (1995)
- _Soil Food: 3,764 Ways to Feed Your Garden_ (1995)
- _Jackie French's Top Ten Vegetables_ (1995)
- _Jackie French's Cook Book_ (1995)
- _The Pumpkin Book_ (1996)
- _Yates Guide to Edible Gardening_ (1996)
- _Growing Flowers Naturally_ (1996)
- _Making Money from Your Garden_ (1997)
- _Yates Guide to Herbs_ (1998)
- _Jackie French's Household Herb Book_ (1998)
- _Natural Solutions_ (1999)
- _The Best of Jackie French: A Practical Guide to Everything from Aphids to Zuchinni Chocolate Cake_ (2000)
- _The House That Jackie Built (2001)
- _Earthly Delights_ (2001)
- _New Plants from Old: Simple, Natural, No-Cost Plant Propagation_ (2007), second edition of _A to Z of Useful Plants_ (1994)
- _The Wilderness Garden: Beyond Organic Gardening_ (2007), second version of _The Wilderness Garden: A Radical New View of Australian Growing Methods_ (1993)
- _The Earth Gardener's Companion_ (2009)

### Other books for adults

- _Seasons of Content_ (1998), with pictures by Gwen Harrison
- _Rocket Your Child into Reading_ (2004)

## Awards

**To the Moon and Back** (Bryan Sullivan and Jackie French, illus. by Gus Gordon)
- 2005 - Children's Book Council of Australia Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

**Diary of a Wombat** (Bruce Whatley and Jackie French)
- 2004 USA Benjamin Franklin Award
- 2004 USA Lemmee Award
- 2004 KIND Award USA
- 2003 Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association (ALA)
- 2003 Voted Favourite Picture Book of the Year in the Cuffie Awards in the USA
- 2003 Tied with _Diary of a Worm'' for Funniest Book in the Cuffie Awards in the USA
- Number two on the 'Best 20 picture books for 2003' in the USA
- COOL Award, for Best Picture Book, voted by the kids of the ACT
- 2003 Winner Young Australian Readers' Award
- 2003 Winner KOALA Award for Best Picture Book
- 2003 ABA/A A Neilson Book of the Year
- 2003 Honour Book,  Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Picture Book of the Year
    - Shortlisted - books that were on the list to receive an award, but were unsuccessful.
        - 2004 - Bilby Award
        - 2003 - KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards for Picture Book of the Year, Australian Publisher's Association Book Design Awards for Best Designed Children's Picture Book, and also for a Galley Club Award, Picture Book category of the Children's Choice Book Awards

**The Secret World of Wombats**
    - Shortlisted - 2006: NSW Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize

**They Came on Viking Ships**
    - Shortlisted - 2006: for New South Wales Premier's History Awards - Young People's History Prize

**My Dad the Dragon**
    - Shortlisted - 2005: Children's Book Council Awards, the Younger Readers Award and Picture Book of the Year

**Tom Appleby, Convict Boy**
- 2005 Children's Book Council Awards - winner of the Younger Readers Award
    - Shortlisted - 2005: Picture Book of the Year

**Pete the Sheep** (Jackie French and Bruce Whatley)
- 2005 KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards)

**Hitler's Daughter**
- 2003 Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers
- 2003 Named a "Blue Ribbon" book by the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books in the USA.
- UK National Literacy Association WOW! Award
    - Shortlisted
        - 2004: COOL and Yabba Awards
        - 2002: KOALA, COOL and YABBA awards, the Older Readers' category of the Children's Choice Book Awards
        - 2001: the Older Readers' category of the Bilby Award, YABBAs and the WAYRBA.
        - 2000: the Sanderson Young Adult Audio Book of the Year Awards: Vision Australia Library

**How to Guzzle Your Garden**
    - Shortlisted - 2000: Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Eve Pownall Award for Information

**Flesh and Blood**
- 2004 Aurealis Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction - Best Young Adult Novel

**Valley of Gold**
- 2004 - CBCA Notable Book

**Ride the Wild Wind**
- 2003 - CBCA Notable Book
    - Shortlisted - 2003: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards - Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature

**In the Blood**
- 2002 - ACT Book of the Year

**Blood Will Tell**
    - Shortlisted - 2004: Aurealis Award

**CafÈ on Callisto**
- 2000 - winner of the Aurealis Award

**Lady Dance**
- 2001 - winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Book and Book of the Year

**Stamp, Stomp, Whomp**
- 2001 - winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Book and Book of the Year

**Missing You, Love Sara**
- 2001 - Notable Book: CBCA Book of the Year
    - Shortlisted
        - 2002 - for the KOALAs, YABBA
        - 2001 - West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) in the Older Readers' category

**Too Many Pears!**
- 2004 - CBC Notable book
    - Shortlisted - COOl and KOALA Awards

**Daughter of the Regiment**
    - Shortlisted - 1999: Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers

**Somewhere Around the Corner**
- 1995 - Honour Book, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers
- 1994 - Highly Commended in the Annual Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature

**Walking the Boundaries**
- 1994 - Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
    - Shortlisted in the Junior Section of the Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Awards

**Rain Stones**
    - Shortlisted
        - 1993 - Primary Age Group of the WAYRBAs
        - 1992 - Children's Book Council of Australia Awards - Book of the Year, Young Readers
        - 1991 - Children's Book Award in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards

**The Roo that Won the Melbourne Cup**
- 1992 - Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers

## Other websites

- Official website
- Publisher's website
- CBC Award website