author
Ethel C. Pedley
1859–1898
Best known for the classic children’s tale Dot and the Kangaroo, this English-born Australian writer also built a serious career as a musician. Her work is remembered for its affection for the Australian bush and its plea for kindness toward animals.
2 Audiobooks
Dot and the Kangaroo
by Ethel C. Pedley
Dot and the Kangaroo
by Ethel C. Pedley
About the author
Born in Acton near London on June 19, 1859, she moved with her family to Sydney in the 1870s. Music was a major part of her life from childhood: she studied piano early, later took up the violin, and returned to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where she won a medal.
Back in Australia, she worked as a music teacher and became well known in Sydney musical circles. She is now chiefly remembered for her only book, Dot and the Kangaroo, a children’s story published in 1899 after her death. The book’s mix of adventure, fantasy, and sympathy for Australian wildlife helped make it an enduring favorite.
She died in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on August 6, 1898, at just 39. Though her life was short, her best-known story has lasted for generations and remains an important part of Australian children’s literature.