Ann Pilling

Ann Pilling (born 17 October 1944) is an English author and poet best known for young adult fiction. She has also written horror fiction under the pen name Ann Cheetham.

For Henry's Leg, published by Viking Kestrel in 1985, she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children's writers.

Pilling was born in Warrington, Lancashire, and grew up in a house "groaning with books". She started writing poetry when she was eight. At twelve years old, she took herself to church because 'I had a strong sense of God'. Her religious faith is important to her but she more often choses secular subjects. She studied English at King's College London and wrote a Master's thesis on C. S. Lewis., her first introduction to contemporary children's books.

Horror stories
The first four books (Dark Powers series) were originally published as by Ann Cheetham.
 * Black Harvest (1983)
 * The Beggar's Curse (1984)
 * The Witch of Lagg (1985)
 * The Pit (1987)
 * The Empty Frame (1997)

Children's books
'Dustbin Charlie Cleans Up' (1994)
 * The Year of the Worm (1984)
 * Henry's Leg (1985)
 * The Friday Parcel (1986)
 * No Guns No Oranges (1986)
 * Our Best Stories (1986), eds. Pilling and A. Wood
 * The Big Pink (1987)
 * The Beast in the Basement (1988)
 * Dustbin Charlie (1988)
 * On the Lion's Side (1988)
 * Stan (1988)
 * The Big Biscuit (1989)
 * The Jungle Sale (1989)
 * Our Kid (1989)
 * Getting Rid of Aunt Mildred (1990)
 * The Donkey's Day Out (1990)
 * Before I Go to Sleep: Bible Stories, Poems, and Prayers for Children, selected and retold, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton (London: Kingfisher, New York: Crown Publishers, Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1990); reissued 2000 as A Kingfisher Treasury of Bible Stories, Poems and Prayers for Bedtime
 * The Boy with His Leg in the Air (1991)
 * Vote for Baz (1992)
 * Considering Helen (1993)
 * The Kingfisher Children's Bible: Stories from the Old and New Testaments, retold, illus. Denton (2003); reissued 2003 as The Kingfisher Book of Bible Stories
 * Realms of Gold: Myths and Legends from Around the World, retold, illus. Denton (1993); reissued 2003 as The Kingfisher Treasury of Myths and Legends
 * The Baked Bean Kids (1993)
 * Mother's Daily Scream (1995)
 * The Life of Jesus (1996)
 * Noah's Ark (1996)
 * Amber's Secret (2000)
 * Why Bear Has a Stumpy Tail and Other Creation Stories (2000)
 * The Catnappers: The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (Collins, 2003), as by Ann Cheetham, illus. Clare Mackie

Adult books

 * A Broken Path (1991)
 * Considering Helen (1993)

Poetry

 * 'Growing Pains' (2008, winner of Smith/Doorstop Pamphlet Competition)
 * 'Home Field' (2008) Arrowhead Press
 * 'The Dancing Sailors' ( 2011) Indigo Dreams Publishing
 * 'Ground Cover' (2015)        Indigo Dreams Publishing
 * 'Ways of Speech' ( 2020)     Shoestring Press
 * In Flight' ( 2024 )          Mudfog Press

Awards ==
 * 1986 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for Henry's Leg.

Her 1988 children's books On the Lion's Side and Stan were shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.