Ivy Wallace
Encyclopedia
Ivy Lilian Wallace was a British artist, actress and authoress, best known for writing the Pookie series of illustrated children's stories.
. She started drawing as a child with the encouragement of her parents, who recognised her talents and thought that she might become an artist. However when she left school, she joined Felixstowe Repertory theatre as an actress. When the Second World War broke out she joined the British film industry to make educational films. Later in the War she moved to doing support work for the police and it was while working for them that she first thought of Pookie, the winged rabbit.
While working in a police station during the war, manning a police switchboard, she doodled a picture of a fairy sitting on a toadstool with a little rabbit in front. She then decided that fairies were "two a penny" and so rubbed out the fairy and gave the rabbit wings. After naming the rabbit Pookie she wrote a story about him: "This is the story of Pookie, a little white furry rabbit, with soft, floppity ears, big blue eyes and the most lovable rabbit smile in the world," were the opening lines.
So confident was she that in 1946 Ivy took a train from Grimsby to London to present her manuscript to publishers. She arrived at the offices of Williams Collins Ltd. without a prior appointment. But the response was less than encouraging and she returned home crestfallen, leaving her manuscript behind.
A few weeks later she was contacted by William Hope Collins and asked to attend the Glasgow office where the Children's book section was based. Borrowing some money from her brother to buy a new dress and a 'big hat' to make her appear more 'serious', she took the train north to Glasgow. She met with William Hope Collins in the (now demolished) Cathedral Street offices and not only did William accept the book he also fell in love with its author. Though William was estranged from his then wife, Nancy (née Montague), with whom he had had two children (Gabriel and James), their relationship met with some disapproval in the late 1940s. But in 1950 Ivy and William were married and went to live near Biggar
in the Scottish Borders. They had two daughters, Heather (b.1952) and Cherry (b.1956). She gave up writing upon the death of her husband in 1967 and Collins eventually stopped publishing the books. However they were revived in 1994 when Ivy and her daughters re-printed the stories for their own publishing company, Pookie Productions Ltd.
In 1997 Ivy Wallace was the subject of a documentary on BBC Scotland "Pookie Flies Again" and an exhibition of her drawings was held at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow during that same year
In addition to the Pookie books she wrote two other series, one of which, The Animal Shelf, was later adapted for television and released as 13 animated episodes
.
Background
She was born in GrimsbyGrimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
. She started drawing as a child with the encouragement of her parents, who recognised her talents and thought that she might become an artist. However when she left school, she joined Felixstowe Repertory theatre as an actress. When the Second World War broke out she joined the British film industry to make educational films. Later in the War she moved to doing support work for the police and it was while working for them that she first thought of Pookie, the winged rabbit.
While working in a police station during the war, manning a police switchboard, she doodled a picture of a fairy sitting on a toadstool with a little rabbit in front. She then decided that fairies were "two a penny" and so rubbed out the fairy and gave the rabbit wings. After naming the rabbit Pookie she wrote a story about him: "This is the story of Pookie, a little white furry rabbit, with soft, floppity ears, big blue eyes and the most lovable rabbit smile in the world," were the opening lines.
So confident was she that in 1946 Ivy took a train from Grimsby to London to present her manuscript to publishers. She arrived at the offices of Williams Collins Ltd. without a prior appointment. But the response was less than encouraging and she returned home crestfallen, leaving her manuscript behind.
A few weeks later she was contacted by William Hope Collins and asked to attend the Glasgow office where the Children's book section was based. Borrowing some money from her brother to buy a new dress and a 'big hat' to make her appear more 'serious', she took the train north to Glasgow. She met with William Hope Collins in the (now demolished) Cathedral Street offices and not only did William accept the book he also fell in love with its author. Though William was estranged from his then wife, Nancy (née Montague), with whom he had had two children (Gabriel and James), their relationship met with some disapproval in the late 1940s. But in 1950 Ivy and William were married and went to live near Biggar
Biggar, South Lanarkshire
Biggar is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is situated in the Southern Uplands, near the River Clyde, around 30 miles from Edinburgh along the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles, and as such Biggar serves a wide rural area...
in the Scottish Borders. They had two daughters, Heather (b.1952) and Cherry (b.1956). She gave up writing upon the death of her husband in 1967 and Collins eventually stopped publishing the books. However they were revived in 1994 when Ivy and her daughters re-printed the stories for their own publishing company, Pookie Productions Ltd.
In 1997 Ivy Wallace was the subject of a documentary on BBC Scotland "Pookie Flies Again" and an exhibition of her drawings was held at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow during that same year
In addition to the Pookie books she wrote two other series, one of which, The Animal Shelf, was later adapted for television and released as 13 animated episodes
Animal Shelf
Animal Shelf is a children's model animation series that airs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia, and Kidzone on TVNZ 6 in New Zealand. It used to air on Playhouse Disney , now on CITV there...
.
External links
- Obituary at The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...