Joy Cowley: From Struggling Reader

Joy Cowley was a phenomenal author, she has written multiple children books, adult fiction and non- fiction, besides her major impacts in literature she comes from a very interesting back round. Joy Cowley was born on August, 7, 1936, in Levin New Zealand. She was the eldest of four girls and one boy. Her parents Peter Summers and Cassie Gredge were both physically ill while joy was growing up, the condition of both their health caused the family to be finically poor.

When joy attainted elementary school in her early years she struggled with her academics, she was a poor reader and writer. Since English was her second language it made learning a very difficult experience in her early years. At the age of eleven when she could still barley read, but was able to understand books threw pictures, she became book addicted and also a writing addiction eventually occurred. As time went on, after she finished school her parents sent her to the local pharmacy to work. Joy opposed this idea but she wanted to please her parents.

If the choice was up to joy she would have continued into a career of art or journalism, but she wanted to make her parents happy at the time. Joy Started writing a lot while she worked in the pharmacy . At the age of 20, Joy married farmer Ted Cowley. They moved to a dairy farm. They decided to children, they had four children in a 5 year time p. The children’s names were Sharon, Edward, Judith and James. While the kids were growing up joy milked cows, changed diapers, made puppets and play dough and wrote short stories in the evenings.

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She eventually wrote stories for her son Edward who was a slow reader, the stories eventually made their way to other kids. When joy realized she was an extrodaniry writer she introduced novels to her children’s teachers. They enjoyed them so much; they actually made them into big books they read to their classes. The teachers asked her if she could please work on getting published. When she eventually started focusing on children’s book, she was also writing adult novels. In 1978 Joy stopped writing adult novels; she took a five year brake.

She started working with June Melser who was a teacher/ editor. During this time her influncely work started to occur she designed the Story Box Reading Programmer which was published by Shortland Publications, Auckland, NZ and then The Wright Group, USA. She became deeply involved in early reading and the five years of commitment became twenty years focusing on early childhood books. In 1999, after a 22 year brake from adult novels, she wrote again. This novel included many adult experiences that had occurred. The novel included her marriage to Ted Cowley that ended in 1967.

She decided to get married to Malcolm Mason after her divorce in 1970, a Wellington writer/ accountant, who died in 1985. Her third marriage in 1989 was to Terry Coles. For years, Terry and joy lived in the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand's South Island, with an assortment of animals - sheep, chickens, ducks, 8 cats and a dog - and visits from 13 grandkids. In 2004 they moved to Wellington so that Terry could be nearer medical services suited us for a while but Terry’s heath deteriorated further, strokes leaving him with diminished sight, hearing and mobility.

Wellington’s stairs and traffic became too much of a challenge for them and they had to move out of the city. They decided to leave wellington and move to a cottage in the township of Featherstone, here joy has a shed with a lathe and woodturning tools. Joy still currently alive is still a full time writer today she is focused on adult writing - articles, spiritual reflection material, stories and novels - and books for children. Over the years joy has won multiple awards for her work.

She is a brilliant writer who comes from a very progressive back round who has a major impact on many readers around the world. Commemoration Medal for services to New Zealand| 1990| OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to children's literature| 1992| Margaret Mahy Lecture Award| 1993| NZ Women's Suffrage Centennial Medal| 1993| Hon. D. Litt Massey University| 1993| Award Best TV Drama Script| 1994| Patron NZ Children's Book Foundation| 1994|

Roberta Long medal for multicultural writing (USA)| 2002| A. W. Reed Award for Contribution to New Zealand Literature| 2004| Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCMNZ)| 2005| Prime Minister's Award for Fiction| 2010| University of Alabama, Birmingham, Maryann Manning Award for Outstanding Literacy Scholar| 2011| Joy Cowley said “that learning to read must be a pleasurable and meaningful exercise. If it isn't, then we teach children to read and to hate reading at the same time”.

We infer that joy is a very passionate writer for young children, who wants all children to enjoy reading . Three of her books written by her, Mrs. Wishy-Washy, Mrs. Wishy-Washy Christmas, and Mrs. Wishy-Washy Farm relate to her back round of living on different farms. All three books have Ducks, Cows, and Pigs; they talk about taking care of each and every farm animal. A very interesting task we can do with young students is we can foreshadow the three books to joy personal autobiography.

We can ask young readers who are exposed to these books, different questions about the similarities of joys book and her own personal life. Questions we can ask young readers and graph * Why do you think joy wrote about farm animals in all 3 books? * Do you think joy enjoyed the different animals? * Does Mrs. wishy washy remained joy of herself? * How can we compare The three books to Joy Cowley * After reading all three books what animals do you think were joy favorite ? This question will give to the oppurtinetey to draw which animals they think were joy favorite.

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