Sheila K. McCullagh

Sheila K. McCullagh
Born
Sheila Kathleen McCullagh (MBE)

3 December 1920
Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Died7 July 2014 (aged 93)
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
OccupationAuthor
Known forChildren's literature

Sheila Kathleen McCullagh MBE (3 December 1920 – 7 July 2014) was a British author of children's literature.

Biography

McCullagh was born in Surrey. During her teens the family moved to Woodside House, just outside Felmersham on the road to Chellington. She wrote A Survey of the Parish of Felmersham in the year 1939-1940: it included samples of aggregate taken from the river and pressed flowers and crops collected from the land.

Her work was first published in the 1950s, when she was working as a lecturer at Leeds University. From 1958 to 1963 she taught at a teacher's college in London, Ontario before taking up writing full time. She went on to write many children's fantasy and educational books, including the Puddle Lane series. A television adaptation of the book series starred and featured original music by Neil Innes.

McCullagh spent many years lecturing in Canada and travelled widely, including to the Antarctic with Keith Shackleton and Peter Scott. She was a devout Anglican.[citation needed]

During her career she wrote over 300 titles. In 2006 she signed a deal with the publisher Mercury Junior to bring her books back into print.

In later life she moved to Cornwall and then Bath, where she lived with her partner Lois for 20 years. She died on 7 July 2014 in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, aged 93.

Books

References

  1. ↑ May, Hal. Trosky, Susan M. (ed.). Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television. Vol. 110. Gale. p. 347. ISBN 978-0810319103.
  2. ↑ "Pavenham". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 4 January 1957. p. 4. Retrieved 14 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ↑ "Sheila K(athleen) McCullagh". Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Ashworth, Linda (April 1986). "Puddle Lane". Child Education. 63 (4). Scholastic Limited: 35. Retrieved 23 August 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Fantasy world of Puddle Lane but rewards are real". Leicester Mercury. 30 September 1985. p. 15 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. 1 2 "Sheila McCullagh MBE" (PDF). Royal Crescent Society Newsletter (12): 2. Autumn 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Trip down Puddle Lane". The Bookseller. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "McCullagh - Sheila Kathleen". Announcements | Deaths. The Daily Telegraph. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.