Rosalie Kingsmill Fry (22 April 1911 – 1992) was a Canadian-born author and illustrator who lived most of her life in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. She was born on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and moved to

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

with her family at a young age. She was educated in Swansea and went on to study art at the

Central School of Art and Design The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cr ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from 1929 to 1934. She began writing children's stories because of her interest in illustration; her first book ''Bumblebuzz'' was published in 1938. She served in the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Fry also contributed illustrations to various publications. The text of her book ''Child of the Western Isles'' formed the basis for the 1994 film ''

The Secret of Roan Inish ''The Secret of Roan Inish'' is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel ''Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry'', by Rosalie K. Fry. It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklores ...

''.

Selected works

* ''In a Rock Pool'' (1947) * ''Pipkin Sees the World'' (1951) * ''Pipkin the Woodmouse'' (1953) * ''The Land of Lost Handkerchiefs'', illustrator, text by Marjorie Knight (1954) * ''Deep in the Forest'' (1955) * ''The Wind Call'' (1955) * ''

The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby ''The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby'' is a children's novel by Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–63 as a serial for ''Macmillan's Magazine'', it was first published in its entirety in 1863. It was written as part satire in ...

'', illustrator, text by

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...

(1957) * ''Child of the Western Isles'' (1957), republished in 1959 as ''The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry'', (2017 reprint) * ''Gypsy Princess'', illustrated by Philip Gough (1959) * ''The Echo Song'' (1962) * ''The Riddle of the Figurehead'' (1963) * ''September Island'', illustrated by Margery Gill (1965) * ''Snowed Up'', illustrated by

Robin Jacques Robin Jacques (27 March 1920 – 18 March 1995) was a British illustrator whose work was published in more than 100 novels and children's books. He is notable for his long collaboration with Ruth Manning-Sanders, illustrating many of her coll ...

(1970)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fry, Rosalie K 1911 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 20th-century Welsh women artists People from Vancouver Island People from Swansea Canadian emigrants to Wales Welsh illustrators British women illustrators British children's book illustrators Welsh children's writers British women children's writers Royal Navy personnel of World War II British women in World War II