Ursula Dubosarsky AM is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has won and been nominated for many national literary prizes, and was appointed Australian Children's Laureate for 2020–2021.
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Early life and education
Ursula Dubosarsky was born Ursula Coleman in 1961 in Sydney, Australia.
She attended Lindfield, Hunter's Hill, and Chatswood Primary Schools, and then SCEGGS Darlinghurst. She studied at University of Sydney and later Macquarie University.
Academia
Dubosarsky has taught courses in children's literature at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney.
As of 2020 she is an honorary associate of the Department of English at Macquarie University.
Other activities
From 2016 to 2024 Dubosarsky was a member of the Library Council of New South Wales.
Writing career
As of 2020 Dubosarsky is the author of over 60 illustrated books and novels, which have been translated into 17 languages.
She has also written three non-fiction Word Spy books for children, illustrated by Tohby Riddle, about language, grammar, and etymology. In the United States and Canada, The Word Spy is published under the title The Word Snoop.
Adaptations
Three of her books have been adapted for theatre: The Red Shoe, The Terrible Plop and Too Many Elephants in This House.
A theatrical work, "The Giant's Garden", based on a story by Dubosarsky (in turn inspired by Oscar Wilde) was performed at the 2026 Adelaide Festival.
Recognition, awards, and honours
Dubosarsky has won many national literary prizes, including (as of 2009) five New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, more than any other writer in the Awards' 30-year history.
Her Word Spy books have won the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award and the Junior Judges' Award.
Her novel The Red Shoe is included in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up and is one of 200 significant works of Australian literature in the Copyright Agency's Reading Australia program.
In 2014, the annual Christmas Windows of the department store David Jones were based on her story Reindeer's Christmas Surprise, illustrated by Sue deGennaro and her book Too Many Elephants In this House, illustrated by Andrew Joyner, was chosen for the National Simultaneous Storytime. In 2018 the National Library of Australia published Midnight at the Library, illustrated by Ron Brooks, to celebrate the Library's 50-year anniversary. In 2019 a study room at Marrickville Library was named in honour of her novel The Blue Cat.
She was appointed the Australian Children's Laureate for 2020–2021. In the 2026 King's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her "significant service to literature as an author of children and young adult books".
International
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominee 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 2023, 2024, 2025.
Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominee
Luchs (Lynx ) Award for Children's Literature for The Golden Day (in German Nicht Jetz, niemals)
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour Book List for The Golden Day
YALSA (Division of the American Library Association) Excellence in Non-fiction for Young Adults Nominee for Word Snoop
International Youth Library White Ravens for The First Book of Samuel; The Red Shoe; and Midnight at the Library.
Australian
2020–2021 – Australian Children's Laureate
2013 – Inducted into Speech Pathology Australia's Hall of Fame for her contribution to children's literature
2011 – Children's Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books for The Return of the Word Spy with illustrator Tohby Riddle
2009 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Young People's Literature for The Word Spy with illustrator Tohby Riddle
2009 – Junior Judges Project, Children's Book Council of Australia, Winner for The Word Spy with illustrator Tohby Riddle
2009 – Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA), Picture Book Winner for Rex with illustrator David Mackintosh
2007 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature for The Red Shoe
2006 – Queensland Premier's Literary Award, Young Adult Book Award for The Red Shoe
2006 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature for Theodora's Gift
2006 – Victorian Premier's Literary Award, Prize for Young Adult Literature for Theodora's Gift
2001 – Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Award for Children's Literature for Abyssinia
1995 – New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Ethnic Affairs Commission Award for The First Book of Samuel
Theatrical productions
Too Many Elephants in This House at NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
The Red Shoe at the Jigsaw Theatre.
Plop!, a musical version of The Terrible Plop at the Windmill Theatre in Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra, Sydney, regional Victoria, Queensland and Darwin and the New Victory Theater in New York.
The Giant's Garden by Slingsby theatre company at the Adelaide Festival of Arts 2025.
Selected works
Maisie and the Pinny Gig (1989) illustrated by Roberta Landers
High Hopes (1990)
Zizzy Zing (1991)
The Last Week in December (1993)
The White Guinea-Pig (1994)
The First Book of Samuel (1995)
Bruno and Crumhorn (1996)
Black Sails, White Sails (1997)
The Strange Adventures of Isador Brown (1998), illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace
My Father Is Not a Comedian! (1999)
Honey and Bear (1999) illustrated by Ron Brooks
The Even Stranger Adventures of Isador Brown (2000), illustrated by Paty Marshall-Stace
The Game of the Goose (2000), illustrated by John Winch
The Two Gorillas (2000), illustrated by Mitch Vane
Fairy Bread (2001), illustrated by Mitch Vane
Abyssinia (2001)
The Magic Wand (2002), illustrated by Mitch Vane
Special Days with Honey and Bear (2002) illustrated by Ron Brooks
Isador Brown's Strangest Adventures of All (2003) illustrated by Mitch Vane