Ann Pilling (born 17 October 1944)^[1] is an English author and poet best known for young adult fiction. She has also written horror fiction under the pen name Ann Cheetham.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.

Works

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

• 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 OCLC 59564291
• The Boy with His Leg in the Air (1991)
• Vote for Baz (1992)
• Considering Helen (1993)

 'Dustbin Charlie Cleans Up' (1994) 

• 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 OCLC 53072371
• Realms of Gold: Myths and Legends from Around the World, retold, illus. Denton (1993); reissued 2003 as The Kingfisher Treasury of Myths and Legends OCLC 52470749
• 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 OCLC 51107280

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

Awards

• 1986 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for Henry's Leg.^[3]

Her 1988 children's books On the Lion's Side and Stan were shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.^[1]