Eleanor Farjeon

Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) was an English writer of children's fiction, poetry, plays, and history who came from a literary family and was largely educated at home. She wrote across genres and under pseudonyms including Tomfool and Chimaera, and counted D. H. Lawrence, Walter de la Mare, and the poet Edward Thomas among her friends. Her best-known books include the Martin Pippin novels and The Little Bookroom, a retrospective collection of her stories illustrated by Edward Ardizzone; she also wrote the words to the hymn "Morning Has Broken," later recorded by Cat Stevens. She won the inaugural Carnegie Medal in 1955, the first Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1956, and the Regina Medal that same year. The Children's Book Circle's annual Eleanor Farjeon Award honours her memory, and animator Hayao Miyazaki has cited her work as an influence.