Gillian Candler
Gillian Candler is a former teacher and publisher. Her non-fiction books for children explore different environments, from the garden to the seashore and native bush. Her books draw on her experience as an educational publisher, aiming at a style that is both entertaining and informative. Candler has been recognised in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults (previously known as the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards), the Storylines Notable Book Awards and was a recipient of the Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Award.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Candler, Gillian (1959–) was born in England, but spent her formative childhood years in Wellington, New Zealand. After attending Victoria University and the Christchurch College of Education, she taught for a number of years at secondary school level before moving into educational publishing in 1991.
In 2012, Candler released At the Beach: explore and discover the New Zealand seashore (Craig Potton Publishing), the first of her ‘Explore and Discover’ series of non-fiction books illustrated by Ned Barraud. The series was created to introduce children to the flora and fauna to be found in different habitats. At the Beach was a finalist in the Non-Fiction section of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2013, and received the Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Award in 2013.
Her second book was released in 2013, In the Garden: explore and discover the New Zealand backyard (Craig Potton Publishing), and was recognised as a Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book in 2014.
Under the Ocean: explore and discover New Zealand’s sea life (Craig Potton Publishing) was published in 2014. This went on to be a Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book in 2015 and a finalist in the Non-Fiction category of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2015.
In September 2015, Candler released the fourth title in her ‘Explore and Discover’ series, In the Bush: explore and discover New Zealand’s native forests (Potton and Burton).
Whose Beak is This?, illustrated by Fraser Williamson, was published by Potton and Burton in October 2015. The book lets children guess native birds from the shape of their beaks, introducing the concept of adaptation. Whose Beak is This? was a Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book for 2016 and a Non-Fiction finalist in the 2016 Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
From Moa to Dinosaurs: explore and discover ancient New Zealand was published in September 2016 by Potton and Burton. The fifth title in the ‘Explore and Discover’ series takes the reader back in time from New Zealand 1000 years ago to Gondwana times.
MEDIA LINKS AND CLIPS
- Gillian Candler’s website
- Gillian Candler’s author’s page on the Potton and Burton website
- Gillian Candler’s Explore and Discover Nature blog site
- Review of At the Beach on Radio NZ
- Book review of In the Garden on the Booksellers NZ blog
- The story of making a book: Kapi Mana News
- Review of Whose Beak is This? in the Listener
