Edith Anne Howes (1872-1954) was born in England and educated in New Zealand at Kaiapoi Borough School. She became a teacher and taught infants from 1899 – 1917 at Gore School. ‘While much of her work centres on mythical fairy world which now seems naïve, the best shows a fine eye for natural detail’ (Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature). She was awarded the MBE (1935) and the King George VI’s Coronation Medal (1937) for her children’s writing. The most famous of her 30 children’s books are Fairy Rings (1911) and The Cradle Ship (1916) which ran to 18 reprints.
Selected bibliography:
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The Sun's Babies (Cassell 1910 & 1922).
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Fairy Rings (Cassell 1911).
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Rainbow Children (Cassell 1912).
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Where Bell-birds Chime (Whitcombe & Tombs 1912).
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Maoriland Fairy Tales (Word Lock 1913).
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The Cradle Ship (Cassell 1916).
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Tales Out of School (Whitcombe & Tombs 1919).
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Little Make-Believe and Other Stories (Whitcombe & Tombs 1920).
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The Sing Fish (Cassell 1921).
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The World So Full... (Cassell 1922).
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The Dream Girl's Gardne (Ward Lock 1923).
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The Lovely Lady and Other Stories (Whitcombe & Tombs 1927?).
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Lizzie Limpet and Other Stories (Whitcombe & Tombs 1928?).
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Tales of Maori Magic (Whitcombe & Tombs 1928).
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Sandals of Pearl illustrated by Audrey Chalmers (Dent 1929).
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Willie Wagtail and Other Tales (Whitcombe & Tombs 1929).
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The Golden Forest (Dent 1930).
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Silver Island (Whitcombe & Tombs 1938).
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Wonderwings and Other Fairy Stories illustrated by Alice Polson (Whitcombe & Tombs 1939?)
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The Cradle Ship illustrated by Florence Mary Anderson (Cassell 1945).
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More Tales of Maori Magic (Whitcombe & Tombs 1953).
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Silver Island illustrated by Alan Gilderdale (Hodder & Stoughton 1983).
