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TIM WYNNE-JONES TIM WYNNE-JONES

Photo: Olga Zuyderhoff

Place of birth: Cheshire, England
Now lives near: Perth, Ontario

Tim Wynne-Jones was born in England, grew up in British Columbia and Ontario, and studied at the University of Waterloo and York University. His writing career began when he won the $50 000 Seal First Novel Award for Odd's End, a book he wrote in five weeks while at loose ends when his wife was away in California just after he finished university. Since then he has written and translated numerous picture books and created four works of fiction for children and young adults, two more novels for adults, numerous radio dramas, a children's musical, an opera libretto, short stories, and songs for the television programme, "Fraggle Rock". He and his wife, Amanda Lewis (with whom he wrote the children's book, Rosie Backstage) moved their family of three children to a beautiful rural acreage in eastern Ontario after Mr. Wynne-Jones's successful sojourn as the Perth Public Library Writer-in-Residence in 1988. Although he does not model his fictitious characters on his family, he finds that being with his children puts him in touch with the child in himself. That helps him to write naturally, personally, and originally -- qualities important in the creation of good books for children and for adults.

Awards

  • 1979 Seal First Novel Award for Odd's End.
  • 1983 Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE Book Award for Zoom at Sea.
  • 1984 Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award for Zoom At Sea.
  • 1988 ACTRA National Radio Award for "St. Anthony's Man".
  • 1993 Governor General's Literary Award / Children's Literature (for best English text) for Some of the Kinder Planets.
  • 1994 Book of the Year for Children Award (Canadian Library Association) for Some of the Kinder Planets.
  • 1994 Vicky Metcalf Short Story Award for "The Hope Bakery" in Some of the Kinder Planets.
  • 1995 Governor General's Literary Award / Children's Literature (English text) for The Maestro.
  • 1995 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Some of the Kinder Planets.
  • 1996 International Reading Association Children's Literature Award (Ottawa Valley Council) for The Maestro.
  • 1996 Young Adult Canadian Book Award (Canadian Library Association) for The Maestro.
  • 1997 Vicky Metcalf Award (for an author's body of work).

Selected Bibliography

Books for Children and Young People

Architect of the Moon. Illustrated by Ian Wallace. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1991 (c1988).
30 p.: col. ill.; 23 cm.
ISBN 0888991509

The Book of Changes: Stories. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, c1994.
143 p.; 22 cm.
ISBN 0888992238

Builder of the Moon. Illustrated by Ian Wallace. New York: M.K. McElderry Books, c1988.
30 p.: col. ill.; 23 cm.
ISBN 0689504721
(American edition of Architect of the Moon)

Un Dernier morceau de ciel. Translated by Christiane Duchesne; illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay. Saint-Lambert, Quebec: Héritage, c1993.
32 p.: col. ill.; 27 cm. (Héritage jeunesse)
ISBN 276257367X
(French edition of: The Last Piece of Sky).

The Hour of the Frog. Illustrated by Catharine O'Neill. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, c1989.
30 p.: col. ill.; 21 cm.
ISBN 0888990960

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. By Victor Hugo; retold by Tim Wynne-Jones; illustrated by Bill Slavin. Toronto: Key Porter Kids, c1996.
38 p. : ill. ; 26 cm. (Classic horror series)
ISBN 1550137735

I'll Make You Small. Illustrated by Maryann Kovalski. Vancouver: Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 1990 (c1986).
32 p.: col. ill.; 25 cm.
ISBN 0888991053

The Last Piece of Sky. Illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1993.
32 p.: col. ill.; 27 cm.
ISBN 0888991819

Madeline & Ermadello. Illustrated by Lindsey Hallam. Hawkesville, Ont.: Before We Are Six, 1977.
32 p.: ill.; 22 cm.
ISBN 0920152147

The Maestro: A Novel. Vancouver: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1996 (c1995).
223 p.; 18 cm.
ISBN 0888992637

Mischief City. Illustrated by Victor Gad. Toronto: Groundwood Books, Douglas & McIntyre, c1986.
36 p.: col. ill.; 23 x 24 cm.
ISBN 0888990499

Mouse in the Manger. Illustrated by Elaine Blier. Toronto: Viking, 1993.
31 p.: col. ill.; 23 cm.
ISBN 0670850276

Rosie Backstage. Written by Amanda Lewis and Tim Wynne-Jones; illustrated by Bill Slavin. Toronto: Kids Can Press, c1994.
95 p.: col. ill.; 27 cm.
ISBN 1550741489 (pbk.)
ISBN 1550742094 (bound)

Some of the Kinder Planets. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, c1993.
136 p.; 22 cm.
ISBN 0888991924 (bound)
ISBN 0888992076 (pbk.)

Zoom at Sea. Illustrated by Ken Nutt. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1990 (c1983).
32 p.: ill.; 21 x 26 cm.
ISBN 0888991061

Zoom Away. Illustrated by Eric Beddows. Toronto: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1993 (c1985).
31 p.: ill.; 22 x 28 cm.
ISBN 0888991738

Zoom Upstream. Illustrated by Eric Beddows. Toronto: Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 1993 (c1992).
34 p.: ill.; 21 x 26 cm.
ISBN 0888991886

Translations

The Louse. Written by Colette Dufresne; translated by Tim Wynne-Jones; illustrated by May Rousseau. Waterloo, Quebec: Quintin, 1991.
23 p.: col. ill.; 25 cm. (Fauna in colour)
ISBN 2920438409
ISBN 2920438476 (pbk.)
(English edition of Le Pou)

The Snowy Owl. Written by Joseph Lévesque; translated by Tim Wynne-Jones; illustrated by Pierre Jarry. Waterloo, Quebec: Quintin, 1991.
23 p.: col. ill.; 25 cm. (Fauna in colour)
ISBN 2920438417
ISBN 2920438468 (pbk.)
(English edition of Le Hargang des neiges)

Books for Adults

Fastyngange. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1990 (c1988).
312 p.; 18 cm.
ISBN 0771090323

The Knot. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1990 (c1982).
277 p.; 18 cm.
ISBN 077109020X

Odd's End. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1990 (c1980).
228 p.: 1 ill.; 18 cm.
ISBN 0771090110

Voices. London; Toronto: Hodder & Stoughton, 1990 (c1988).
312 p.; 23 cm.
ISBN 0340510803
(Originally published as Fastyngange)

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Date Created: 2001-05-29
Date Modified: 2002-09-25

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