"Margaret Mahy was renowned
as a prolific writer of over 300 books for the young, loved and admired world-wide for the richness of her imagination
and unique creativity with language", says Dr Libby Limbrick, chairman
of the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust.
 "Margaret was the founding
patron and huge supporter of Storylines’ work to foster in young people a
love of story and recognition of the power of language.
Through her many educational
readers, novels, picture books, poetry, short stories and screen-writing,
she created an unequalled body of award-winning work which touched the
hearts and minds of literally millions of children world-wide.
Her honours included New
Zealand’s highest, the Order of Merit, and in 2006 the world’s most prestigious
prize for children’s writers, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, as well as
several honorary doctorates, but all her long career she remained a
much-loved member of the community of children’s writers and
illustrators.
Since the mid-1970s she has been
a star turn, often wearing her signature wig, in schools and at literary
festivals. No one hearing her reciting her performance pieces Down the Back of the Chair and
Bubble Trouble will
ever forget her sheer joy in the magic, comedy and power of language.
Margaret’s contribution to New
Zealand and world literature has been immeasurable, on a par with Katherine
Mansfield and Janet Frame. She was a key figure in the explosion of
an indigenous children’s literature from about 1970 onwards, tirelessly carrying
the torch for the growing number of fine authors who chose to write for
children and create arguably the strongest genre of writing within New
Zealand literature.
By teachers and fellow
librarians, by parents and grandparents, but most of all by several
generations of children, her unique voice will be much missed."
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