What's the story? is Storylines' newsletter. It includes news and information about children's literature around New Zealand as well as internationally.
Born in Australia, Gwenda Turner (1947-2001) came to New Zealand in 1967 and completed a Diploma of Graphic Design at Wellington Polytechnic. Since the publication of her first book Daydream Journey in 1982 Gwenda captivated small children and their grown-ups with her wonderfully detailed, colourful drawings of so many aspects of the familiar and undeniably New Zealand world of the very young. Gwenda was a prolific author/illustrator with more than 30 books (adult and children's) published. Her popular picture books are notable for their colourful celebration of play and family. She wrote of bears, ponies, sheep; she had children making mud, baking cakes, ballet dancing, going out with Dad. She finished her last book just a week before she died.
Selected bibliography:
Daydream Journey (Collins 1982).
Catnip Mice and Tussie Mussies (Collins 1983).
Creepy Cottage (Collins 1983).
The Tree Witches (Kestrel Books 1983).
Falter Tom and the Water Boy text by Maurice Duggan (Penguin Books 1984).
New Zealand A B C (Whitcoulls 1985).
Gwenda Turner's Playbook (Viking Kestrel 1985).
Snow Play (Collins 1986).
New Zealand 1 2 3 (Whitcoulls 1986).
Colours (Puffin 1989).
Once Upon a Time (Puffin 1990).
Shapes (Puffin 1991).
Opposites (Puffin 1992).
Gwenda Turner's Australian A B C (Puffin 1992).
Over on the Farm (Puffin 1993).
Counting Cats and Dogs (Puffin 1994).
Bears in the Park (Puffin 1995).
Gwenda Turner's New Zealand Farm Animals (Puffin 1995).
At the Beach (Puffin 1996).
Teaching bears to Count (Puffin 1996).
Messy Jessie text by Lynda Burnett (Puffin 1996).
Ballet Class (Puffin 1997).
Gwenda Turner's Australian 1 2 3 (Puffin 1997).
Pat-a-Cake (Puffin 1997).
Pony Club (Puffin 1998).
A Day out with Dad (Puffin 1998) [republished as Ferry Ride in 2002].
Born in Australia, Gwenda Turner (1947-2001) came to New Zealand in 1967 and completed a Diploma of Graphic Design at Wellington Polytechnic. Since the publication of her first book Daydream Journey in 1982 Gwenda captivated small children and their grown-ups with her wonderfully detailed, colourful drawings of so many aspects of the familiar and undeniably New Zealand world of the very young. Gwenda was a prolific author/illustrator with more than 30 books (adult and children's) published. Her popular picture books are notable for their colourful celebration of play and family. She wrote of bears, ponies, sheep; she had children making mud, baking cakes, ballet dancing, going out with Dad. She finished her last book just a week before she died.