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Betty Gilderdale

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Betty Gilderdale

MNZM
Gilderdale in 2014
Gilderdale in 2014
BornBetty Albertina Harrington
(1923-07-26)26 July 1923
London, England
Died9 July 2021(2021-07-09) (aged 97)
Alma materUniversity of London
GenreChildren's books
Notable awardsMargaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award
Spouse
Alan Gilderdale
​
​
(m. 1949; died 2013)​
ChildrenFour

Betty Albertina Gilderdale MNZM (née Harrington; 26 July 1923 – 9 July 2021) was an English-born children's author from New Zealand. She was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2014 for her services to children's literature.

Background

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Gilderdale was born on 26 July 1923 in London and emigrated to New Zealand in 1967.[1][2] In 1949, she received a BA in English from the University of London.[1] The same year, she married Alan Gilderdale,[3] and the couple went on to have four children.[4] Between 1969 and 1981 Gilderdale taught at the North Shore Teachers’ College, at the Auckland College of Education from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Auckland in the Department of Continuing Education. She lived on the North Shore in Auckland.[1][5] Gilderdale died on 9 July 2021, aged 97, having been predeceased by her husband in 2013.[4][6][7]

Career

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Gilderdale created the Little Yellow Digger series, with illustrations by her husband Alan Gilderdale.[1] Books in the series include:

  • The Little Yellow Digger (Scholastic, 2009)
  • The Little Yellow Digger at the Zoo (Scholastic, 1999)
  • The Little Yellow Digger Saves the Whale (Scholastic, 2001)
  • The Little Yellow Digger Goes to School (Scholastic, 2005)
  • The Little Digger and the Bones (Scholastic, 2009)

The first book in the series has been translated into Māori, as Te Mīhini Iti Kōwhai by Huia Publishers.[8]

In 1990, she compiled the short story collection Under the Rainbow: A Treasury of New Zealand Children's Stories.[9]

Gilderdale is the author of The Seven Lives of Lady Barker: Author of Station Life in New Zealand, a biography of author Mary Anne Barker.[10] She is also the author of Sea Change: 145 Years of New Zealand Junior Fiction[11] and Introducing Margaret Mahy.[12]

In 2012, her autobiography, My Life in Two Halves was published.[13]

Gilderdale was a founder and served as president of the Children's Media Watch group. She was also president of and a lifetime member of the Children’s Literature Association of New Zealand.[1]

Honours and awards

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In 1994, Gilderdale received the Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award for her contribution to children's literature.[14] In 1999, she won the New Zealand Children's Literature Association's Award for Services to Children's Literature. The following year, the award was renamed in her honour to the Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award.[15] The Little Yellow Digger won the 2003 Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book.[16] A Sea Change: 145 Years of New Zealand Junior Fiction received the PEN Award for best first book of prose.[17]

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gilderdale was appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of services to children's literature.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Gilderdale Betty". New Zealand Book Council. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Death search: registration number 2021/19381". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Marriages, September 1949, Hampstead registration district". FreeBMD. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Betty Gilderdale death notice". New Zealand Herald. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Gilderdale, Betty Albertina, active 1949-2014". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Little Yellow Digger author Betty Gilderdale dies, aged 97". OneNews. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Alan Gilderdale death notice". New Zealand Herald. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Betty Gilderdale". Huia. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  9. ^ Gilderdale, Betty, ed. (1990). Under the rainbow: A treasury of New Zealand children's stories. David Bateman. ISBN 9781869530358.
  10. ^ Gilderdale, Betty (1996). The Seven Lives of Lady Barker. Auckland, New Zealand: David Bateman. ISBN 1869532899.
  11. ^ Gilderdale, Betty (1982). A Sea Change: 145 Years Of New Zealand Junior Fiction. Longman. ISBN 9780582717756.
  12. ^ Gilderdale, Betty (1987). Introducing Margaret Mahy. Puffin Story Books. ISBN 9780140322606.
  13. ^ Gilderdale, Betty (2012). My Life in Two Halves. David Bateman. ISBN 9781869538323.
  14. ^ "Storylines Margaret Mahy Award". Storylines. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award". Storylines. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award". Storylines. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Betty Gilderdale". Penguin New Zealand. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2014". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
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