Joy Watson

Joy Watson (born 21 February 1938)[5] is a New Zealand author of children's books, many of which have been published by Scholastic Corporation. Many of Watson's tales are based on her now-late husband Kevin.[6] Watson has also written lyrics to school musicals and songs. She is the mother of writer/singer/musician Mary-anne Scott.[7]

Joy Watson
Born	21 February 1938
Occupation	Author, school dental nurse
Language	English
Nationality	New Zealander
Education	St Mary's College, Wellington[1]
Period	1980s-present
Genre	Children's literature
Notable works	Grandpa's Slippers[2]
Notable awards	Gaelyn Gordon Award [3] New Zealand Post Award
Relatives	Two great grandchildren[4]

Early life

Watson was born in Gisborne on 21 February 1938[5] to a farming family. Largely educated by correspondence, she later attended school at Waipukurau and St Mary's College, Wellington.[1] Although her father left school at a young age, both of her parents were literate.[5] After finishing school, she trained and worked as a dental nurse until she married at age twenty.[1]

Later years

Watson's book "Grandpa's Slippers" became well-known[8] and won a Gaelyn Gordon award in 1999.[3] In 2015, "Grandpa's Slippers" was a fiction nomination for the Great Kiwi Classic[9] and adapted into a stage show,[10] and included in the Devonport-Takapuna Local Grants for 2017/2018.[11] In 2012, Watson dedicated preschool story time to the community of Hastings for New Zealand Book Month.[12]

Works

• Pets (1988)
• Mouse In The House (1989)
• Grandpa's Slippers (1989)
• Grandpa's Cardigan (1993)
• No Porridge, Please (1994)
• Just In Case (1996)
• A Wet Day At School (1996)
• Foster Dog (1999)
• Highway Robbery (2000)
• The Birthday Flood (2001)
• Grandpa's Shorts (2001) - Children's Choice Award at the 2002 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
• Grandpa's Shed (2003)
• Zita the Zebra (2006)
• Grandpa's Cat (2006)
• Worms Squirm...and Other Poems (2007)[13]

References

1. "JOY WATSON". storylines.org.nz. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
2. Spell binders: How Juliette MacIver, Toby Morris, Mary-anne Scott and Lisala Halapua write their acclaimed children's books
3. Gaelyn Gordon: Tripswitch
4. Joy Watson reads Grandpa's Slippers
5. "Interview with Joy Watson". christchurchcitylibraries.com. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
6. The private inspiration behind this iconic New Zealand kid's book
7. "Mary-anne Scott".
8. "Spell binders: How Juliette MacIver, Toby Morris, Mary-anne Scott and Lisala Halapua write their acclaimed children's books".
9. "The Great Kiwi Classic: On Sacred Cows and Literary Canons".
10. Grandma McGarvey with Grandpa's Slippers
11. "2017/2018 Devonport-Takapuna Local Grants, Round Two" (PDF).
12. "New Zealand Book Month 2012 – get ready to turn the page!".
13. Watson, Joy - bookcouncil

External links

• Joy Watson at Goodreads