Who is Mem Fox - Australia's Favourite Children's Author

Ranked #4,231 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #156,638 overall

Mem Fox once spent two years writing a book only 585 words long. But don't laugh, she's the only Australian author whose work has outsold 'The Da Vinci Code'. And if you don't know her, your kids probably do.

Mem Fox was born in Australia, grew up in Africa, studied drama in England, and returned to Adelaide, Australia in 1970, where she has lived with her husband, Malcolm, and daughter Chloe, happily ever after.

Mem Fox is Australia's most highly regarded picture-book author. Her first book, Possum Magic, is the best selling children's book ever in Australia, with sales of over three million. And in the USA Time for Bed and Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge have each sold over a million copies. Time for Bed is on Oprah's list of the twenty best children's books of all time. Mem has written thirty picture books for children and five non-fiction books for adults, including the best-selling Reading Magic, aimed at parents of very young children.

All About Mem

Mem has her own page at www.memfox.com and it is full of interesting stuff about Mem. Most interesting of all are her "Stories behind the Stories" where she tells of the inspiration behind all her bestsellers.

Mem is also passionate about reading aloud to children. She is a firm believer in the power of reading aloud, and offers how-to advice as well as a list of great books to start with. Her Ten Read Aloud Commandments are invaluable practical and comforting advice for every parent. Mem describes reading together with your children as a delicious 'chocolate' experience - one that can't be matched by television because it gives children a chance to talk back. It is very Mem that the first commandment is "Spend ten wildly happy minutes reading aloud each day."

Books for Grown Ups

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Possum Magic

"Once upon a time, but not very long ago, deep in the Australian bush, there lived two possums. Their names were Hush and Grandma Poss. Grandma Poss made bush magic%u2026"

Possum Magic (Voyager Books)

Amazon Price: $3.49 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

Australia's best selling picture book. Mem's first book and, in my opinion, best. Incredibly, Possum Magic went to nine different publishers before finally being published in 1983 and finding it's special place in the hearts of Australia's children.

Wombat Divine

The most divine Australian Christmas book ever written.

Wombat Divine

Amazon Price: $3.46 (as of 06/03/2012)Buy Now

Wombat wants more than anything else to be in the Nativity Play with all his friends, but he just doesn't seem to fit any of the roles. Soon all the parts are cast, and Wombat starts to feel very sad. But who will play the Baby Jesus?

Mem Fox on Reading Aloud

"When we look at the sort of home which produces book-lovers the first thing we notice - the most obvious, but strangely the most often forgotten factor - is that such a home has books in it. There exist highly privileged children in our society who cannot read, or will not read. It's not difficult to find out why: they have television; they have toys, computer games, personal DVDs, bikes and all the trappings of a well-off childhood; but they don't have books. These children often have a reading problem at school which their panic-stricken parents disguise under the socially acceptable label of dyslexia. How can books become attractive if there aren't any books around to flick through?"

"One of my small relatives was able to read but wasn't a keen reader and was dropping behind her classmates at school. I discovered that she wasn't allowed to read in bed. Amazing. She had a reading lamp in case she woke up in the night and was frightened. She had books on her shelves-I had seen to that. But she had no time to read; no quiet place to read in because the t.v. was always on; no warm place except bed because the warmest room had the television in it, and no comfortable sofa to curl up in because that was in the warm, well-lit, comfortable, noisy room which had the television in it! The mother's anxiety about her daughter's reading level was very real. She thought she had a big problem on her hands but when the child had been given the permission, the time, the books, the light, the comfort and the warmth of reading in bed every night the problem was solved."

Read the rest of Mem's writing about teaching children to read.

More Mem

Mem Fox and Enough Rope
Andrew Denton interviews Mem Fox on Enough Rope - August 2005.
Mem Fox and child care
Mem's comments blown out of proportion by the as-always sensationalist media.
Mem on babies in child care
Mem explains what she really meant before the press mangled it.
Mem on wikpedia
The boring stuff.

Mem's children's books

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Public Television Storytime Books) by Mem Fox

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Public Television Storytime Books) by Mem Fox

The offbeat style of this wonderful story--and of more...1 point

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

When Koala Lou's mother becomes so busy that she forgets more...0 points

Where Is the Green Sheep? (Horn Book Fanfare List (Awards)) by Mem Fox, Judy Horacek

Where Is the Green Sheep? (Horn Book Fanfare List (Awards)) by Mem Fox, Judy Horacek

There are red sheep and blue sheep, wind sheep and more...0 points

Time for Bed (Big Book Edition) by Mem Fox

Time for Bed (Big Book Edition) by Mem Fox

Darkness is falling everywhere and little ones are more...0 points

Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox

Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox

When a mysterious egg appears outside Hunwick's burrow more...0 points

Where the Giant Sleeps by Mem Fox

Where the Giant Sleeps by Mem Fox

Do ogres snore? Do pirates have blankies? Do fairi more...0 points

A Particular Cow by Mem Fox

A Particular Cow by Mem Fox

Cow's Saturday morning stroll begins calmly enough. more...0 points

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox

One fine day, from out of town--and without any warning more...0 points

More of Mem's wonderful picture books

Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox

Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox

And in winter, bears sleep. But how do you convince more...0 points

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Every day all over the world, children are laughing more...0 points

Boo to a Goose (Picture Puffins) by Mem Fox

Boo to a Goose (Picture Puffins) by Mem Fox

What would you rather do than say "BOO!" more...0 points

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Boris von der Borch is a mean, greedy old pirate--tough more...0 points

Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox

Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox

Long ago and far away, in a rambling garden beside more...0 points

Hattie And The Fox by Mem Fox

Hattie And The Fox by Mem Fox

I can see a nose and two eyes in the bushes!" more...0 points

Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild! by Mem Fox, Marla Frazee

Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild! by Mem Fox, Marla Frazee

Harriet doesn't mean to be pesky. Sometimes she just more...0 points

Night Noises (Voyager Book) by Mem Fox

Night Noises (Voyager Book) by Mem Fox

As elderly Lily Laceby dozes by the fire, her dog, more...0 points

Sophie (Books for Young Readers) by Mem Fox

Sophie (Books for Young Readers) by Mem Fox

Sophie loves her Grandpa. And her Grandpa loves Sophie. more...0 points

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

As everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than tiny baby more...0 points

Mem Fox on Flickr

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Mem Fox and the US Challenged Books List

Mem's 1990 picture book Guess What? is included on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number 66. Challenged by the state of Illinois the challenges are generated because the subject of the story could possibly, maybe be considered a witch.

The challengers obviously missed the very worthy message that even outrageously peculiar behaviour may not be evil, but perhaps just a bit quirky.

The state of Illinois probably doesn't see the irony of a book encouraging tolerance not being tolerated. But hey.

It's a sweet book. You can still get it at Amazon, of course!
Important!

Visit Mem's page

www.memfox.com

Mem has a great page. You can spend hours there!

What's your favourite Mem Fox book? Or, who's your favourite children's book author?

  • kimmanleyort Apr 19, 2011 @ 11:23 am | delete
    One of my favorite children's book authors is Roald Dahl - great books to read together with children. I really liked this personal introduction to the prolific author Mem Fox. I can tell you are a true fan. Blessed by a Squid Angel.
  • fullgamefreedownload May 17, 2010 @ 9:27 pm | delete
    A Particular Cow.
  • KarateKatGraphics Oct 6, 2009 @ 4:02 pm | delete
    "Time for Bed" is on my Top 10 Board Books lens, so I'm lensrolling this there! Nice work on this :)

by

PirateMummy

Hi, I'm Jo. Mem Fox is my absolute favourite children's picture book author. Yes, I read her books even before I had a child to read them to!

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