On October 4, 1916 in Spokane, Washington, Julia Cunningham was born. Julia went to school for a short time in Virginia. She was an editor and held various other jobs before writing children’s and young adult books. The Vision of Francois the Fox, Ms. Cunningham’s first book, was published in 1960, followed by Viollet (1966), The Treasure Is the Rose (1973), and Tuppeny (1978).
Her book, Dorp Dead (1965), has been called “a ground-breaking novel that dramatically changed children’s literature in the 20th century.”
As a children’s author, Cunningham has felt she needs to “listen, look, daydream, be aware of smell and taste, and be “disciplined.” Critics have praised her works for their originality and “poetic prose.”
Among her many honors are the Christopher Medal for Come to the Edge and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor for The Flight of the Sparrow. The Treasure Is the Rose was a National Book Award Finalist. Julia Cunningham lives in Santa Barbara, California.
— Terri DeGezelle