May Gibbs

Children's Author

Birthday January 17, 1877

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace England

DEATH DATE Nov 27, 1969 (92)

#154,847 Most Popular

About

Best remembered for her Snugglepot and Cuddlepie series of children's books, this Australian writer and illustrator created the famous "gumnut babies" characters. Her later works include Bib and Bub: Their Adventures and Scotty in Gumnut Land.

Before Fame

In the early years of the Twentieth Century, she began working for Perth, Australia's Western Mail newspaper. She later lived in the United Kingdom for nearly a decade, devoting herself to the study of art and publishing her debut book, About Us.

Trivia

She penned two popular Australian comic strips: Bib and Bub (which ran from the 1920s through the late 1960s) and the shorter-lived Tiggy Touchwood (which was published from 1925 until 1931).

Family Life

Born Cecilia May Gibbs in Kent, England, she spent the majority of her childhood in Western Australia. In 1919, she married miner Bertram James Ossoli Kelly.

Associated With

Like Alison Lester, she was a popular Australian children's author.