Di Bates, the Wonder Woman
of children’s books!Di Bates
About Di Bates
When it comes to children’s books, Di Bates has done it all – and a little more! She has written over 100 books for children, performed at over 500 schools, won numerous awards, co-edited the children’s magazine, Puffinalia, worked on the editorial team of the NSW Department of School Education state-wide School Magazine, been employed as writer-in-residence and tutor at numerous institutions, toured with the Children’s Book Council of Australia (NSW branch) and the National Book Council, inspired a generation of writers and more recently been the editor of Little Ears, Australia's first storybook magazine for children aged 3 to 6 years. Phew!
Her most popular books have been the humorous and lively Grandma Cadbury and the Bushranger series and her KOALA Hall of Fame picture book, Big Bad Bruce. The Last Refuge and The Shape are her personal favourites. The Last Refuge, for 10 - 14 year olds, is narrated by a young girl who witnesses, and is a victim of, domestic violence. The Shape, a CBC Notable Book of the Year, is about a young girl whose sister has died and whose mother is acting very strangely. Her most recent book, Crossing the Line (Ford Street Publishing, 2008) has been described by Reading Time as ‘a very powerful story of hope and fear and of the strength of the human spirit.’
Di Bates lives in Woonona (a northern suburb of Wollongong, NSW, on the east coast of Australia) with her husband, the award-winning children's author, Bill Condon, and a ball-crazy dog, Sassy. Di and Bill have fostered a number of children including Ashley who has starred in movies and TV commercials, and Paul, handball champion and avid reader. Di has a married daughter, Claire who lives in Ottawa, Canada, where she is a publicist and freelance journalist.
And now the biggest Di Bates news of all… In 2009, Barrel Books will be publishing Killer Jokes, Di’s selection of the finest jokes for children – with only the funniest jokes being voted in by our panel of chuckling children experts!
To learn more about Di Bates, check out her website: http://enterprisingwords.com/