Morgan, Michaela

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Morgan, Michaela

Personal

Born in Manchester, England; children: Edward. Education: Universities of Warwick, B.A. (English; with honors); University of Leicester, Postgraduate Certificate (Education); Cambridge University, educational studies.

Addresses

Home and office—Brighton, England; Villefranche sur Mer, France. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author. Worked variously as a teacher, shop owner, writer-in-residence, and public speaker.

Awards, Honors

Children's Choice designation, International Reading Association, 1991; United Kingdom Reading Association Award, 1993; Children's Book Award shortlist, 1995; Blue Peter Book Award shortlist, 2003, for Words to Whisper, Words to Shout.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Edward Buys a Pet, illustrated by Sue Porter, Dutton (New York, NY), 1987.

Visitors for Edward, illustrated by Sue Porter, Dutton (New York, NY), 1987.

Edward Hurts His Knee, illustrated by Sue Porter, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

Edward Loses His Teddy Bear, illustrated by Sue Porter, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

The Monster Is Coming!, illustrated by Sue Porter, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1990.

Dinostory, illustrated by True Kelley, Dutton (New York, NY), 1991.

(With Colin S. Milkins) The Introductory Encyclopedia of British Wild Animals, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

Pudding, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

Tiger, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

Pickles Sniffs It Out, illustrated by Dee Schulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1994.

Snowflake, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

The Not So Famous Four, illustrated by Mick Reid, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

Catnapped, Longman (Harlow, England), 1994.

Helpful Betty Solves a Mystery, illustrated by Moira Kemp, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1994, published as Betty Solves a Mystery, Mathew Price (Sherborne, England), 2005, published as Hippo Solves a Mystery, Koala Books (Australia), 2005.

Helpful Betty to the Rescue, illustrated by Moira Kemp, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1994, published as Betty to the Rescue, Mathew Price (Sherborne, England), 2005 published as Hippo to the Rescue, Koala Books (Australia), 2005.

The Only Child in Hamelin Town, illustrated by Llewelyn Thomas, Longman (Harlow, England), 1995.

Cool Clive, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1995.

Loyalty and Royalty: Two Tales from Wales, illustrated by Sarah Warburton, Collins Educational (London, England), 1996.

Clive Keeps His Cool, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1996.

Robbie Woods and His Merry Men, illustrated by Doffy Weir, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1996.

Spooky!, illustrated by Stephen Lewis, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1996.

Sick as a Parrot, illustrated by Trevor Dunton, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Invasion of the Dinner Ladies, illustrated by Dee Shulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1997.

The First Snow of Winter, illustrated by Sue Tong, BBC (London, England), 1998.

Dexter's Dinosaurs, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1998.

Monster Mysteries: The Loch Ness Monster, illustrated by Colin Sullivan, Martin Remphry and Karen Hiscock, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1998.

Cool Clive and the Little Pest, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1998.

Shelley Holmes, Ace Detective, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1998.

Leela's Secret Plan, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1999.

Cool Clive and the Bubble Trouble, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Pompom, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2000.

The Magic Puppet, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Shelley Holmes, Animal Trainer, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

The Songbird, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Spike and the Footy Shirt, illustrated by Rob Lee, Egmont World (Handforth, England), 2000.

Sports Day, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

A Year at Duck Green, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2000.

Sausage in Trouble, illustrated by Dee Shulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 2001.

Cool Clive, the Coolest Kid Alive: Two Books in One, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Watch the Birdie!, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Dinosaur Danger!, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

School for Sausage, illustrated by Dee Shulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 2001.

Sausage and the Spooks, illustrated by Dee Shulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 2001.

Sausage and the Little Visitor, illustrated by Dee Shulman, A. & C. Black (London, England), 2001.

Words to Whisper, Words to Shout: and Other Poems to Read Aloud, illustrated by Chloe Cheese, Belitha (London, England), 2002.

The Beast, illustrated by Chris Mould, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2004.

Brave, Brave Mouse, illustrated by Michelle Cartlidge, Albert Whitman & Co. (Morton Grove, IL), 2004.

Buffalo Bert: The Cowboy Grandad, illustrated by Ian Newsham, A. & C. Black (London, England), 2004.

Letter from America, illustrated by Ros Asquith, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2004.

Respect!, illustrated by Karen Donnelly, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2005.

Dear Bunny: A Bunny Love Story, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

Buffalo Bert: The Cowboy Grandad, illustrated by Ian Newsham, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Buddies, illustrated by Ros Asquith, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2006.

Silly Sausage and the Little Visitor, illustrated by Dee Schulman, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Silly Sausage and the Spooks, illustrated by Dee Schulman, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Silly Sausage Goes to School, illustrated by Dee Schulman, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Silly Sausage in Trouble, illustrated by Dee Schulman, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

The Thing in the Basement, illustrated by Doffy Weir, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

The Spooks, illustrated by Daniel Postgate, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2006.

Author's works have been translated into French, Korean, and Dutch.

OTHER

"Oxford Reading Tree" series (readers), thirty-six books, Oxford University Press (London, England), 1998-2006.

How to Teach Poetry Writing at Key Stage 2, David Fulton (London, England), 2001.

How to Teach Poetry Writing at Key Stage 1, David Fulton (London, England), 2003.

Also author of phonics books, teacher's resource books, and other books for educational publishers.

Sidelights

A teacher as well as the author of numerous books for beginning readers, Michaela Morgan has always been a writer. As she noted in an interview for the Chicken House Publishing Web site, "before I could actually write, I made up stories and rhymes in my head." With over a hundred books to her credit, many for the education markets, Morgan shifts her focus between picture books and series titles such as her "Silly Sausage" and "Cool Clive" books for primary-grade readers. On Stories from the Web online, Morgan remarked that the most enjoyable aspect of being a writer is "is getting a new idea and capturing it." Aspiring writers should

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"just do it," she added. "Every day sit down somewhere and write. Anything. For practice in finding words, finding your voice. Don't think about ‘being a writer.’ Just write."

Among Morgan's books for younger children are the picture books Dear Bunny: A Bunny Love Story and Brave, Brave Mouse. Dear Bunny centers on two bunnies that are smitten with each other but too shy to openly express their feelings. For Valentine's Day, Valentino and Valenteeny each pen a love letter, then leave them in a hollow log, each hoping that the other will find their token of affection. A twist is added to the love story when a family of mice finds the letters and use them for nesting purposes. Mice also star in Brave, Brave Mouse, as a young mouse shows more caution than many of his friends, and also shies from dark corners, loud noises, and strangers. Despite the fact that he is sometimes teased, the creature learns to trust his inner voice: sometimes it tells him to be brave and sometimes it tells him to hold back despite the pressure to do them. A critic for Kirkus Reviews dubbed Dear Bunny a "sweet and simple story [that] offers a fresh idea for Valentine's Day." Elaine Lesh Morgan, writing in School Library Journal, described the book as a "charming story, perfect for Valentine's Day." Also reviewing for School Library Journal, Kelley Rae Unger noted of Brave, Brave Mouse that Morgan's "gentle words of encouragement are presented in rhyming verses," and that Michelle Cartlidge's finely drawn pen-and-ink and watercolor images "match the text's reassuring message." Noting the book's "powerful message" for younger children, Ilene Cooper wrote in Booklist that "there's a place for [Brave, Brave Mouse] … in every preschool and kindergarten library."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Brave, Brave Mouse, p. 872; February 1, 2006, Karin Snelson, review of Dear Bunny: A Bunny Love Story, p. 56.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, review of Helpful Betty Solves a Mystery, p. 20; September, 1994, review of Helpful Betty to the Rescue, p. 20.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2006, review of Dear Bunny, p. 44.

Library Journal, March, 1989, Virginia Opocensky, review of Edward Loses His Teddy Bear, p. 166.

Publishers Weekly, August 16, 1991, review of Dinostory, p. 58.

School Library Journal, September, 1988, Nancy Seiner, review of Visitors for Edward, p. 172; September, 1988, Nancy Seiner, review of Edward Gets a Pet, p. 172; March, 1989, Virginia Opocensky, review of Edward Hurts His Knee, p. 166; May, 1989, Carol McMichael, review of The Monster Is Coming, p. 90; October, 1991, Gail C. Ross, review of Dinostory, p. 102; October, 1994, Pamela K. Bomboy, review of Helpful Betty Solves a Mystery, and Helpful Betty to the Rescue, p. 95; November, 2004, Kelley Rae Unger, review of Brave, Brave Mouse, p. 113; January, 2006, Elaine Lesh Morgan, review of Dear Bunny, p. 108.

Times Educational Supplement, March 8, 1986, Elaine Williams, review of Tales Told within Walls, p. 3; December 20, 1996, p. 26; January 24, 1997, "Fruitful Exercises," p. 15; November 14, 1997, review of Sick as a Parrot, and Colour Jets, p. 14; June 30, 2000, review of "Happy Kids" series, p. 23; October 22, 2004, Jan Mark, "Touching Tales and Alluring Fables," p. 19.