The Pear in the Pear Tree

Pamela Allen is a phenomenon in the world of children’s literature. Since her first publication in 1980, her picture books have enchanted generations of children around the world.

Awards and Commendations:

• Six Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards
• Two New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards
• International Board on Books for Young People Diploma for Illustration
• Margaret Mahy Medal (New Zealand’s most prestigious award for children’s literature)
• The Gaylene Gordon Award for a Much Loved Book from the Children’s Literature Foundation of New Zealand
• Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2024 for significant service to literature as an author.

Pamela’s books are full of the music of language; they are ‘fragments of theatre’, designed to be read aloud and shared between an adult and a child. Patch Theatre Company of Adelaide has created three theatrical performances from a selection of Pamela’s books, which have toured throughout Australia and New Zealand to packed houses.

“From Pamela Allen’s first publication in 1980 it was clear that here was a creator of picture books with all the glow, gesture, din and dance to capture the attention, engage the imagination, teach, show, tickle and excite small children.” – Meg Sorensen, Australian Book Review