# Susan Varley

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{{Short description|English writer and illustrator}}
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{{BLP sources|date=August 2015}}
{{notability|Biographies|date=August 2015}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox writer
| embed            = 
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| name             = Susan Varley
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| birth_date       = {{Birth year and age|1961}}
| birth_place      = Blackpool, England
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| occupation       = Illustrator, writer
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| nationality      = British
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| alma_mater       = Manchester Polytechnic
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| genre            = Children's picture books
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| notable_works    = ''Badger's Parting Gifts''
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| children         = 1
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| awards           = [Mother Goose Award](/source/Mother_Goose_Award) 1985
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'''Susan Varley''' is a British illustrator and author of children's picture books. Her best known book is ''Badger's Parting Gifts'', a story which aims to be a gentle introduction to old age and bereavement for young children. She both wrote and illustrated the book, and it was awarded the [Mother Goose Award](/source/Mother_Goose_Award) in 1985.<ref name="Waters" />

==Early life==
Born in 1961 in [Blackpool, England](/source/Blackpool%2C_England), Varley studied graphic design and illustration at [Manchester Polytechnic](/source/Manchester_Polytechnic).<ref name="Waters" />

==Career==
''Badger's Parting Gifts'' was Susan Varley's first book, it was published by [Andersen Press](/source/Andersen_Press) in 1984. A traditional picture book, it seeks to introduce old age and death to young children through a cast of anthropomorphised woodland characters. It won the 1985 [Mother Goose Award](/source/Mother_Goose_Award), an award for the "most exciting newcomer to British children's book illustration". The judges commented that Varley's treatment of the difficult subject of grief was "just distanced enough" for young children "and in no way mawkish".<ref name="Waters">{{cite journal |last1=Waters |first1=Fiona |title=Children's Books - Articles - Awards - The Mother Goose Awards |journal=Books for Keeps |date=May 1985 |volume=32 |url=http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/32/childrens-books/articles/awards/awards-%E2%80%93-the-mother-goose-award-the-guardian-award-the |access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref> Some booksellers however reportedly refused to take it at the time, because of the subject matter.<ref name="BookTrust">{{cite web |last1=Varley |first1=Susan |title='I just hope that it can help' Susan Varley on her iconic book about grief, Badger's Parting Gifts |url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2019/march/i-just-hope-that-it-can-help-susan-varley-on-her-iconic-book-about-grief-badgers-parting-gifts/ |website=BookTrust |access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref>

''Badger's Parting Gifts'' is still in print, and in 2019 a 35th anniversary edition was released in partnership with the charity Child Bereavement UK.<ref>{{cite web |title=Badger's Parting Gifts |url=https://www.childbereavementuk.org/News/badgers-parting-gifts35th-anniversary-edition |website=Child Bereavement UK |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref> It continues to be cited by grief counsellors, teachers and journalists as an effective book to facilitate discussions about death and grief with children.<ref name="Hinde">{{cite news |last1=Hinde |first1=Natasha |title=Prince Harry Sought Grief Counselling 20 Years After His Mother's Death - A Guide On How To Seek Help |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-and-when-to-speak-to-a-grief-counsellor_uk_5d81f470e4b0849d4720b498 |access-date=25 June 2021 |work=Huffington Post |date=18 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="O'Connell">{{cite news |last1=O'Connell |first1=Alex |title=The Building Boy by Ross Montgomery and David Litchfield |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/the-building-boy-by-ross-montgomery-and-david-litchfield-505k3f7v9 |access-date=25 June 2021 |work=[The Times](/source/The_Times) |date=10 September 2016}}</ref>

Varley has also illustrated other authors' books, including ''[The Monster Bed](/source/The_Monster_Bed)'' by [Jeanne Willis](/source/Jeanne_Willis), ''Two Small Pandas'' and ''Lovely Old Lion'' by [Julia Jarman](/source/Julia_Jarman), ''The Spring Rabbit'' by [Joyce Dunbar](/source/Joyce_Dunbar), and ''Captain Small Pig'' by [Martin Waddell](/source/Martin_Waddell).<ref name="ati">''The Monster Bed'', about the illustrator</ref><ref name="Tucker">{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Nicholas |title=IoS Books of the Year 2012: Children's picture books |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/ios-books-year-2012-children-s-picture-books-8420188.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/ios-books-year-2012-children-s-picture-books-8420188.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=The Independent |date=16 December 2012}}</ref> All are published by Andersen.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flugge |first1=Klaus |author-link=Klaus Flugge|title=A publisher's postbag - in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2011/apr/21/illustrated-envelopes-posy-simmonds-axel-scheffler-tony-ross-david-mckee |website=The Guardian |date=21 April 2011 |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="andersen">[http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/catalog/author.htm?authorID=2401 Andersen Press: Susan Varley]</ref>

==Personal life==
Varley is married, with one daughter. She lives in England.

== Selected works ==
* ''Badger's Parting Gifts'', Andersen Press, London 1984

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Portal |Children's literature}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varley, Susan}}
Category:1961 births
Category:English women children's book illustrators
Category:English women children's writers
Category:Living people
Category:Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University
Category:Artists from Blackpool

{{UK-illustrator-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Varley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Varley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Varley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.