Anna Ciddor Explained

Anna Ciddor (born January 1957) is an Australian author and illustrator.

Ciddor is a patron of Oz Kids, an organisation to promote and support children's literary and artistic talents[1] and was an ambassador for Australia Reads 2021-2023.[2] In 2021 she won the Nance Donkin Award for Children's Literature.[3] In 2023 she was the judge for the Boroondara Literary Awards (Young Writers' Prose).[4] In 2024 she is Chair and judge for the ARA Historical Novel Society of Australasia CYA Award[5]

Biography

Ciddor was born in January 1957 in Melbourne.[6] She was brought up in a house without television, and had an inventive and creative childhood.[7] She also had a strong interest in mathematics, and after finishing school, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in mathematics from the University of Melbourne and a Diploma of Education from Melbourne State College. Her first career was as a senior school mathematics teacher, and it was only after marrying and having children that she began writing and illustrating.

Her first book accepted for publication was a picture book,Take Me Back, published in 1988. This book took the reader back in time to show how people lived in Australia in the past.[8] For the next few years, Ciddor continued to write and illustrate non-fiction books, concentrating on bringing history to life for children. In 2002 Allen and Unwin published her first historical fantasy, Runestone, book 1 of Viking Magic. This children's novel, and the other Viking Magic books that followed, use historical details and strong storylines.[9]

In 2005 Ciddor was awarded a two-year grant by the Literature Board of the Australia Council.[10]

Ciddor based her fantasy books on global folk, fairy tale, and myth[11] as well as research into historic lifestyle and belief systems.[12] At the Melbourne Writers Festival in 2007 Ciddor appeared on a panel with Sophie Masson and Kate Forsyth discussing the historical truth behind their fantasy novels.[13] In a study of Canadian children's fantasy, author K.V. Johansen included a chapter on Ciddor's Viking Magic books because 'Although not by a Canadian author, the Viking Magic series is noteworthy' and 'does more towards realistic historical fiction than many "time-travel to learn history" novels'.[14]

In 2016 Ciddor changed to historical fiction with the release of The Family with Two Front Doors, published by Allen and Unwin.[15] It won a Notable Book Award from the Children's Book Council of Australia in March 2017.[16] The Family with Two Front Doors is based on interviews with the author's grandmother Nomi Rabinovitch, and tells the story of Nomi's childhood as the daughter of a rabbi in 1920s Lublin, Poland.[17] [18] The writing style is inspired by Little House on the Prairie, presenting vignettes of the everyday life of a family. The book combines historical fact and imagination but no fantasy elements. According to a review by the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English, it is "an informative, gentle read' that "offers insight into how a Jewish household is run".[19] Unlike most books about the Jewish past, this one does not focus on the Holocaust and "there is... no violence and no hatred... but a charming reconstruction of daily routines".[20] Readings Bookstore, winners of the international Bookstore of the Year Award[21] described The Family with Two Front Doors as a modern counterpart to the classic book Little Women.[22] It was published in the US by Kar-Ben, a division of Lerner Books in 2018,[23] and chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection.[24] In 2019 it was translated into Polish as Dwoje drzwi i dziewięcioro dzieci and published in Poland by Mamania .

Ciddor's book, 52 Mondays, published by Allen and Unwin in 2019, is a fictionalised account of Ciddor's own childhood, filled with memories of Melbourne in the 1960s.[25] It was shortlisted for the 2019 REAL Awards, longlisted for the inaugural Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction.

In Ciddor's most recent book, A Message Through Time, published by Allen and Unwin in 2023, ‘the relationships between the characters … provides some rich discussion and reflection for readers ... clear themes of gender roles, wealth and privilege, resilience, ingenuity, the issues of slavery and moral compass/conscience as well as rich historical details.'[26] It is a standalone companion to The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, published by Allen and Unwin in 2021.[27] The historical details for both novels were provided by Tamara Lewit who is an archaeologist and historian specialising in Ancient Rome.[28] The Boy Who Stepped Through Time was long listed for the ARA Historical Novel Prize in 2021[29] and shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards for Best Children's Fiction in 2022.[30]

In 2021 Ciddor won the Nance Donkin award for Children's Literature.[31]

In 2024 Ciddor is Chair and judge for the ARA Historical Novel Society of Australasia CYA Award

Ciddor has written and illustrated over fifty books.

Awards

Books

Trade market books

Educational market books (a selection)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: OUR PATRONS . OzKids – Childrens Charity Network . 31 May 2017.
  2. Web site: Anna Ciddor - Authors . 2023-05-13 . Australia Reads.
  3. Web site: Nance Donkin Award for Children’s Literature – Society of Women Writers Victoria. 2021-11-17. en-AU.
  4. Web site: Boroondara . City of . 2017-06-30 . Boroondara Literary Awards judges . 2023-05-18 . City of Boroondara . en-AU.
  5. Web site: Judging Panels for the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize HNSA . 2024-04-15 . hnsa.org.au . en-AU.
  6. Book: Who's Who of Australian Writers. D.W. Thorpe. 1 January 1991. 9780909532819. en.
  7. Cohen. John. 2003. Anna Ciddor, Into the Past. Reading Time. The Children's Book Council of Australia. 47. Austlit.
  8. Lavi. Tali. 2016. Know the author: Anna Ciddor. Magpies. 31. 16–18. 2017-03-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20170421092120/http://annaciddor.com/books/magpies-july-2016-anna.pdf. 2017-04-21. dead.
  9. Web site: Runestone/Wolfspell/Stormriders. La Trobe University. 21 December 2015.
  10. Web site: Australia Council Annual Report 2005-6.
  11. Masson. Sophie. 2016. Mosaic and Cornucopia: Fairy Tale and Myth in Contemporary Australian YA Fantasy. Bookbird. 54. 3. 44–53. 10.1353/bkb.2016.0085.
  12. News: Saturday March 19th - Book Families - 2SER - Real Radio 107.3 FM. 2017-03-14. en-gb. https://web.archive.org/web/20170421095326/http://www.2ser.com/component/k2/item/21208-saturday-march-19th-book-families. 2017-04-21. dead.
  13. News: Nix reveals there is a ring of truth to fantasy writing. Sullivan. Jane. 29 August 2007. The Age.
  14. Book: Johansen, K.V.. Beyond Window Dressing? Canadian Children's Fantasy at the Millennium. Sybertooth. 2007. 9780968802458. 80–83.
  15. Koonse. Emma. 2017. Religion Book Deals. Publishers Weekly.
  16. Web site: Children's Book Council of Australia Notable list 2017.
  17. News: Emotional literary journey to Poland. 30 March 2016. The Australian Jewish News. 2017-03-14. en-US.
  18. Web site: Reviews: The Other Mrs Walker, The Family With Two Front Doors. Stuff. Fairfax Media. 2017-03-19.
  19. Web site: IDIOM – The Family with Two Front Doors. www.vate.org.au. Victorian Association of Teachers of English. en-gb. 2017-03-14.
  20. Lees. Stella. 16 March 2016. The Family with Two Front Doors. Reading Time. The Children's Book Council of Australia.
  21. News: Readings Carlton wins top bookstore prize at London Book Fair. Miller. Nick. 13 April 2016. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2017-03-25. en-US.
  22. Web site: Children's classics paired with their modern counterparts by Leanne Hall. www.readings.com.au. en. 2017-03-19.
  23. Book: The Family with Two Front Doors. en-US.
  24. Web site: Junior Library Guild : The Family with Two Front Doors by Anna Ciddor. www.juniorlibraryguild.com. 2019-08-18.
  25. Web site: Books and Publishing. McEwen.
  26. Web site: Warren . Sue . 2023-04-23 . A Message Through Time – Anna Ciddor . 2023-05-13 . Just So Stories . en.
  27. Web site: Allen & Unwin - Australia . 2023-05-13 . www.allenandunwin.com.
  28. Web site: A Message Through Time . 2023-05-13 . en-US.
  29. Web site: 2021 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE – CYA CATEGORY LONGLIST HNSA. 2021-09-09. en-AU.
  30. Web site: aaconvenor . 5 April 2022 . 2021 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement . 2022-04-07 . Aurealis Awards . en.
  31. Web site: Nance Donkin Award for Children’s Literature . 2022-03-15 . Society of Women Writers Victoria . en-AU.
  32. Web site: REAL Awards 2019 shortlists announced Books+Publishing. Mem: 34942848. en-AU. 2019-08-18.
  33. Web site: book_admin. Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction – Longlist 2021. 2021-05-16. en-US.
  34. Web site: Junior Library Guild : The Family with Two Front Doors by Anna Ciddor. 2021-11-03. www.juniorlibraryguild.com.
  35. https://annauthor.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/notable-books-2008.pdf
  36. https://annauthor.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/notable-books-2003.pdf

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