Anna Ciddor (born January 1957) is an Australian author and illustrator.
Ciddor is an ambassador for 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.[6] 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.[7]
Her first book accepted for publication was a picture book,Take Me Back, published in 1988.[6] This book took the reader back in time to show how people lived in Australia in the past.[7][8] For the next few years, Ciddor continued to write and illustrate non-fiction books, concentrating on bringing history to life for children.[8] 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.[7][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.[12][17][18] The writing style is inspired by Little House on the Prairie, presenting vignettes of the everyday life of a family.[12] The book combines historical fact and imagination but no fantasy elements.[17] 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,[26] longlisted for the inaugural Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction.[27]
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.'[28] It is a standalone companion to The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, published by Allen and Unwin in 2021.[29] The historical details for both novels were provided by Tamara Lewit who is an archaeologist and historian specialising in Ancient Rome.[30]The Boy Who Stepped Through Time was long listed for the ARA Historical Novel Prize in 2021[31] and shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards for Best Children's Fiction in 2022.[32]
In 2021 Ciddor won the Nance Donkin award for Children's Literature.[33]
In 2024 Ciddor is Chair and judge for the ARA Historical Novel Society of Australasia CYA Award[5]
Ciddor has written and illustrated over fifty books.[17]
Awards
Nance Donkin Award for Children's Literature[3] winner 2021
The Boy Who Stepped Through Time – ARA Historical Novel Prize long list 2021[31] Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction short list[32]
52 Mondays – shortlisted for the 2019 REAL Awards,[26] longlisted for the inaugural Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction[27]
The Family with Two Front Doors – Notable Book, Children's Book Council of Australia 2017,[16] Junior Library Guild selection in America 2018[34]
Night of the Fifth Moon – Notable Book, Children's Book Council of Australia 2008[35]
Two-year New Work Grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council 2005[10]
Runestone – Notable Book, Children's Book Council of Australia 2003[36]
^Masson, Sophie (2016). "Mosaic and Cornucopia: Fairy Tale and Myth in Contemporary Australian YA Fantasy". Bookbird. 54 (3): 44–53. doi:10.1353/bkb.2016.0085.
