Kaye Umansky author page

Kaye Umansky biography

Kaye Umansky was born in Plymouth in Devon, England, and trained as a teacher. She taught in London primary schools for twelve years, specialising in music and drama, before becoming a full-time writer. Before her writing career, she also acted, worked as a postwoman, folded sheets in a laundry and sang in soul bands.

Umansky writes children’s fantasy, fiction and poetry, and her work also includes poems and playscripts. Her best-known work includes the Pongwiffy books, including Pongwiffy, Pongwiffy and the Goblins’ Revenge, and Pongwiffy and the Spell of the Year.

Her books for classroom and independent reading include I Am a Tree, a 96-page Black Cats story published by Bloomsbury Publishing through the A&C Black Children’s & Educational imprint on 5 December 2011. The story is about Tim, a school drama-club member who expects a starring role in the end-of-year play but is cast as a tree.

Umansky has written fairy-tale and witch-themed fiction including The 13th Fairy, a Sleeping Beauty retelling centred on Grimbleshanks, and Wish for a Witch, the second Elsie Pickles book. Pongwiffy and the Spell of the Year won the Nottingham Children’s Book Award in 1993.