Lewis, Paeony 1960-

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Lewis, Paeony 1960-

Personal

Born 1960; married; husband's name Garydd; children: Tim, Emily. Education: Attended University of East Anglia.

Addresses

Home—Norwich, England. Agent—Egmont Books, Ltd., 239 Kensington High St., London W8 6SA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Writer and children's book author. Worked for travel agencies in London and in Seven Oaks, England; former freelance advertisement writer.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

I'll Always Love You, illustrated by Penny Ives, Tiger Tales (Wilton, CT), 2002.

No More Biscuits!, illustrated by Brita Granström, Chicken House (Somerset, England), 2005, published as No More Cookies!, Chicken House/Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

Hurry Up, Birthday!, illustrated by Sarah Gill, Picadilly Press (London, England), 2006.

There's Only One Penguin, Sam, illustrated by Annabel Hudson, Orion Children's Books (London, England), 2007.

Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Fairy Stories, edited by Anna Wilson, Macmillan, 2006.

"SHOOTING STARS" SERIES

Cinderella's Wedding, Hodder Wayland (London, England), 1999.

The Castle Awakes, Hodder & Stoughton Children's Division (London, England), 2001.

Sidelights

While reading to her own two children, British writer Paeony Lewis discovered her own love of children's books. As she explained on her home page, "These books oozed with imagination, optimism and fun." Lewis's first published picture book, I'll Always Love You, presents what seems, on first glance, to be a simple tale of remorse and forgiveness. When a young bear named Alex breaks his mother's favorite ceramic honey bowl, the cub fears she will stop caring for him. However, the mother bear quickly assures him that she will never stop loving him, no matter what. "Children and adults will relate to the situation portrayed in Lewis's breezy text," noted Shawn Bromer in School Library Journal.

No More Biscuits!—which was published in the United States as No More Cookies!—introduces Florence, a young girl with a sweet tooth. After Florence consumes an entire container of cookies, the girl's mother tells her she cannot have any more for a week. Desperate for more sweets, Florence uses a number of disguises in an effort to fool her mother into giving her another cookie. Lewis's "humor will appeal to children," noted Brommer, "and Florence's first-person narrative reads quickly and smoothly." "Little cookie monsters will recognize themselves" in No More Cookies!, added Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper, while a Kirkus Reviews writer deemed the book "good fun with a healthy message."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of No More Cookies!, p. 1591.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2005, review of No More Cookies!, p. 290.

School Library Journal, August, 2002, Shawn Brommer, review of I'll Always Love You, p. 160; May, 2005, Shawn Brommer, review of No More Cookies!, p. 88.