Joy H. Davidson

Joy H. Davidson has always believed there is something rather magical about opening a book and disappearing into someone else’s world for a while.

An award-winning, internationally published children’s author, Joy writes fun, imaginative picture books for younger readers and first chapter fiction for children aged seven and over. Her stories are filled with humour, heart, learning and the occasional unexpected adventure. Whether writing in rhyme or prose, she wants children to laugh, wonder, care about her characters and, most of all, want to keep turning the pages.

Her first picture book, *Witch’s Cat Wanted*, won the Joy Cowley Award in 2015 and was named a Storylines Notable Book in 2017. Since then, Joy’s books have reached young readers in New Zealand and internationally, including through translated editions.

Joy believes children deserve to be written for with the same care and respect we would hope for from anyone invited into their world. Joy’s writing mentor described her work as being created by “a safe pair of hands”, and those words stayed with her. They still sit quietly behind everything she writes.

Children should be free to tumble headfirst into an adventure, giggle at the ridiculous, worry about a character they have come to love and experience all the delicious ups and downs of a good story — while the grown-ups who put that book into their hands can feel comfortable about the journey it will take them on.

Joy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and a Diploma in Writing Stories for Children, with Excellence. Her love of art, drama and music also brings colour, movement and rhythm to her storytelling.

Today, Joy lives in Whangārei overlooking beautiful Parua Bay. From her cosy coastal writing nook, usually with her little dog Tuppence nearby, she dreams up new characters, adventures and all manner of trouble for them to get into.

Her books include *Witch’s Cat Wanted*, *Titan the Truck*, *The Tree Hut*, *Oh No! Look What the Cat Dragged In*, *Nowhere in Particular – The Chosen One*, and *Grandma’s Lost Her Corgis*.

And if a child closes one of Joy’s books with a smile, a favourite character tucked away in their heart, and the feeling that they would quite like another story please — then Joy considers that a very good day indeed.