Sheila Kathleen McCullagh MBE (3 December 1920 – 7 July 2014) was a British author of children's literature.

Biography

McCullagh was born in Surrey, her work was first published in the 1950s, when she was working as a lecturer at Leeds University. From 1958 to 1963 she taught at a teacher's college in London, Ontario before taking up writing full time. She went on to write many children's fantasy and educational books, the Puddle Lane series being among the most popular and successful. A television adaptation of the book series starred and featured original music by Neil Innes. McCullagh spent many years lecturing in Canada and travelled to most corners of the globe, including travel to the Antarctic with Keith Shackleton and Peter Scott. She was also a devout Anglican. During her career she wrote over 300 titles. In 2006 she signed a deal with the publisher Mercury Junior to bring her books back into print. After many years in Cornwall and then retirement in Bath, where she lived with her partner Lois for 20 years, McCullagh moved to a care facility in Wiltshire. Her health had been in decline for some years. She died on 7 July 2014 in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, aged 93.

Books

Television