Muriel Dorothy Butler (née Norgrove, 24 April 1925 – 20 September 2015) was a New Zealand children's book author, bookseller, memoirist and reading advocate. She was a recipient of the

Eleanor Farjeon Award The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of British children's books and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. Founded in 1966, it is presented annually in memory of the c ...

Personal life

Butler was born in the Auckland suburb of

Grey Lynn Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914. Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of t ...

on 24 April 1925, the daughter of William Victor Norgrove and his wife Emily Isobel Norgrove (née Brown). She was educated at

Auckland Girls' Grammar School Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS) is a New Zealand secondary school for girls located in Newton, New Zealand, Newton, Auckland. Established in 1878 as Auckland Girls' High School, it is one of the oldest secondary institutions in the countr ...

, before studying at

Auckland University College The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loca ...

, from where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1947. She became engaged to her future husband, Roy Edward Butler, in August 1945, and they were married in 1947. They went on to have eight children together, six daughters and two sons. Butler died on 20 September 2015 in

Te Atatū Peninsula Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North, also known in Māori language, Māori as Ōrukuwai) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and far ...

, Auckland.

Work

She established the Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop in Auckland which remains a going concern, albeit under new ownership. A brief history of the bookshop's early years was reported in the April 1977 issue of the ''

Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' magazine. Canadian writer

Michele Landsberg Michele Landsberg Order of Canada, OC, (born 12 July 1939) is a Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, feminist and activism, social activist. She is known for writing three bestselling books, including ''Women and Children First'', ''This ...

described Butler's ''Babies Need Books'' as "a trail-blazing and completely accessible book, written with charm and vivacity and detailed, helpful advice" and said that ''Cushla and Her Books'' was notable as "a dramatic, true and detailed account of how the life of a multiply handicapped child was transformed through picture books. Indispensable for parents and teachers of handicapped children."

Jim Trelease James Joseph Trelease (March 23, 1941 – July 28, 2022) was an American educator and author who stressed reading aloud to children to instill a love of literature. Life Jim Trelease was born on March 23 in Orange, New Jersey, to George Edward ...

retold the story of Cushla in several editions of '' The Read-Aloud Handbook''.

Honours and awards

Butler was awarded a Diploma in Education from the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

for her study of her severely handicapped granddaughter Cushla; this research was later adapted for publication as ''Cushla and Her Books''. Butler won the

Children's Book Circle A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...

in 1980. In 1992, Butler became the second recipient of the

Margaret Mahy Award The Margaret Mahy Award, officially the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, is a New Zealand literary prize presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to children's literature, publishing or literacy. Presented an ...

, whose winners present and publish a lecture concerning children's literature or literacy. Butler's lecture was titled
Telling Tales
'. In 1991 she was awarded the Children's Literature Association's Award for Services to Children's Literature (now Betty Gilderdale Award). In the

1993 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1993 were appointments by most of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other count ...

, Butler was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to children's literature.

Bibliography

Collection of books authored by Dorothy Butler

Non-fiction

* ''Babies Need Books'' * ''Children, Books and Families'' * ''Cushla and Her Books'' * ''Five to Eight: Vital Years for Reading'' * ''Reading Begins at Home: Preparing Children for Reading Before They Go to School'' (with

Marie Clay Dame Marie Mildred Clay ( ; née Irwin; 3 January 1926 – 13 April 2007) was a researcher from New Zealand known for her work in educational literacy. She was committed to the idea that children who struggle to learn to read and write can be ...

)

Autobiography

* ''There Was a Time'' * ''All This and a Bookshop Too''

Children's books

* ''Another Happy Tale'' * ''Bears, Bears, Bears'' * ''Behave Yourself, Martha'' * ''Birthday Rain'' * ''The Breakdown Day'' * ''A Bundle of Birds'' * ''By Jingo! A Tale of Old New Zealand'' * ''Come Back Ginger: A Tale of Old New Zealand'' * ''Davy's Ducks: A Tale of Old New Zealand'' * ''Farm Boy, City Girl'' * "Farmer Beetroot's Birthday" * ''Farmyard Fiasco'' * ''Good Morning, Mrs. Martin'' * ''A Happy Tale'' * ''Hector, an Old Bear'' * ''Higgledy Piggledy Hobbledy Hoy'' * ''Just a Dog'' * ''The Little, Little Man'' * ''Lulu'' * ''My Brown Bear Barney'' * ''My Brown Bear Barney at School'' * ''My Brown Bear Barney at the Party'' * ''My Brown Bear Barney in Trouble'' * ''My Monkey Martha'' * ''O'Reilly and the Real Bears'' * ''Seadog: A Tale of Old New Zealand'' * ''Smile Please, Martha'' * ''What a Birthday!'' * ''What Peculiar People!'' * ''Where's Isabella?''

Anthologies

* ''For Me, Me, Me: Poems for the Very Young'' * ''I Will Build You a House: Poems'' * ''The Magpies Said: Stories and Poems from New Zealand'' * ''Reading for Enjoyment for 0-6 Year Olds''

References

External links

Wheelers NZ: Books by Dorothy Butler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Dorothy 1925 births 2015 deaths New Zealand children's writers New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of Auckland alumni New Zealand women children's writers Writers from Auckland People educated at Auckland Girls' Grammar School New Zealand memoirists Women memoirists 20th-century New Zealand writers 21st-century New Zealand writers 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers New Zealand booksellers