Frances Watts

Frances Watts is the pen-name of Ali Lavau, a Swiss born Australian author, who moved to Sydney, Australia when she was three years old.^[1] She has studied English literature at Macquarie University, going on to teach Australian Literature and children's literature. After graduating with a PhD, she obtained her first job in publishing.

Frances Watts in 2011

Awards and honours

• 2006 CBCA Book of the Year Awards in the Early Childhood category, Honour book:Kisses For Daddy^[2]
• 2008 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Winner: Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books^[3]
• 2012 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Notable Book: Goodnight, Mice!
• 2012 Prime Minister's Literary Awards Children's Fiction Winner: Goodnight, Mice!
• 2020 CBCA Book of the Year Awards in the Early Childhood category, Winner: My Friend Fred^[4]
• 2020 Aurealis Award for best children's fiction, Shortlisted: The Chicken's Curse^[5]

Books

Fiction

• Extraordinary Ernie & Marvellous Maud (illus. Judy Watson) (2008)^[6]
• The Greatest Sheep in History (illus. Judy Watson) (2009)^[7]
• The Raven's Wing (2014)^[8]
• The Peony Lantern (2015)^[9]
• The Chicken's Curse (2020)^[10]

Picture books

• This Dog Bruce (2004)^[11]
• Kisses for Daddy (illus. David Legge) (2005)^[12]
• Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books (2007)^[13]
• Captain Crabclaw's Crew (2009)^[14]
• A Rat in a Stripy Sock (illus. David Francis) (2010)
• Goodnight, Mice! (illus. Judy Watson) (2011)^[15]
• The Fearsome, Frightening, Ferocious Box (illus. David Legge) (2013)^[16]
• A Very Quacky Christmas (illus. Ann James) (2017)^[17]
• It's a Story, Rory! (illus. David Legge) (2018)^[18]
• Leonard Doesn't Dance (illus. Judy Watson) (2019)^[19]
• My Friend Fred (illus. Anne Yi) (2019)^[20]