Deri Robins (1958–) Biography

Born 1958, in Cardiff, Wales; Education: University of London, B.A. (with honors), 1979; attended London College of Printing, 1985. Politics: "Leftish."

Addresses

Agent—Clare Pearson, 22 Upper Grosvenor St., London W1Y 9PB, England.

Career

Charles Letts & Co., Sunderland, England, began as proofreader, became editor, 1980–82; Grisewood & Dempsey, London, England, began as assistant editor, 1983, became senior editor of children's nonfiction, 1985–88; freelance writer and editor, 1989–.

Writings

An A-Z Activity Book of Animal Fun, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Meg Sanders) An A-Z Activity Book of Outdoor Fun, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor) The Spies and Detectives Cut and Colour Book, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor) Flags and Uniforms, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1991.

(With Meg Sanders) By Myself Book, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1991.

Holiday Book, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1991.

Gardening Book, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Meg Sanders and Kate Crocker) The Kids Can Do It Book, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1993.

Making Prints, illustrated by husband, Jim Robins, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1993.

Papier Mâché, illustrated by Jim Robins, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1993.

Santa's Sackful of Best Christmas Ideas, illustrated by George Buchanan, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1993.

The Kids' around the World Cookbook, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1994.

In Roman Times, illustrated by David Salariya and others, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1994.

The Great Pirate Activity Book, illustrated by George Buchanan, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1994.

Making Books, illustrated by Charlotte Stowell, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1994.

Christmas Fun, illustrated by Maggie Downer, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1995.

Easter Fun, illustrated by Maggie Downer, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1996.

Birthday Fun, illustrated by Annabel Spenceley, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1996.

Top Tips for Girls, Hippo (London, England), 1997.

Mystery of the Monster Party, illustrated by Anni Axworthy, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1998.

The Stone in the Sword: The Quest for a Stolen Emerald, illustrated by Jim Robins, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1998.

Spooky Time!, illustrated by Martin Chatterton, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Dinosaurs, Aladdin Books (London, England), 2000.

Smart Art, illustrations by David Mostyn, Robinson Children's Books (London, England), 2000.

Farm Animals, Aladdin Books (London, England), 2000.

Let's Start! Fabric Art, Design Eye Holdings, 2000.

(With Lianne South) Creative Bracelets, Tangerine Press (Lake Mary, FL), 2000.

A Smart Girl's Guide to Boys, illustrated by Kat, Red Fox (London, England), 2002.

Cartooning, QED (London, England), 2004.

Special Effects, QED (North Mankato, MN), 2004.

Painting, QED (North Mankato, MN), 2004.

Stencils and Prints, QED (North Mankato, MN), 2004.

Drawing and Sketching, QED (North Mankato, MN), 2004.

Cartooning, QED (North Mankato, MN), 2004.

Other books include Brat Packs: Making Jewelry and Secret File for Girls, Scholastic; The Ultimate Activity Book, My Secret Personality Profile, and My Secret Astrology Profile, all Robinson; Learning with Ozmo, ac-Fulfilling the fantasy of young swashbucklers everywhere, Robins's 1994 book serves up a wealth of adventure in the form of facts, games, crafts, and other activities. (Cover illustration by George Buchanan.)tivity books for BBC Publications; Action Packs: Friendship Bracelets, Hat Trick; Arts and Crafts for all Seasons, Two-Can; and Animals All Around: Farm Animals, Reader's Digest. Contributor to The Millennium Encyclopedia. Contributor to magazines, including Art Magic and Smart.

Work in Progress

Research on young people in history, especially in medieval times, with publications expected to result.

Sidelights

Welsh author and editor Deri Robins has worked in the publishing world for much of her adult career. While she has produced several children's story books, such as The Sword in the Sword: The Quest for a Stolen Emerald, and Mystery of the Monster Party, most of Robins's books have been in the area of nonfiction. In addition to activity books such as Easter Fun, The Spies and Detective Cut and Color Book, and Creative Bracelets, Robins has also presented more focused books that discuss art techniques from painting to cartooning and textile design, and has also served up advice to young readers in A Smart Girl's Guide to Boys.

Robins once told SATA: "I became an author because, after fifteen years of editing other people's work, I decided I preferred the idea and writing side of publishing to the job of dotting all the "i's' and crossing all the 't's.' (I was also very bad at administration and at chasing tardy authors and illustrators.) I still drift in and out of editorial work to pay the mortgage …, but I live by writing as and when I can. More by luck than design, I think I've become pigeonholed as a writer of craft, puzzle, and story books—this is something I never intended!"