Sandy's Fiction for Children

Upon his return from Belfast, perhaps strongly influenced by the Irish writers he was introduced to in Belfast, Sandy took up writing again. Over the next couple of years he had two stories published, and a couple more read on the BBC.

Additionally, the Scottish Literature Board published an annual collection of new Scottish writing, and after two failed attempts, he finally had a story published there. But he was not exactly setting the world on fire.

Then a Scottish publisher held a competition with sections for adult fiction, children's fiction and non-fiction. Sandy wrote a novel for adults, and then at the last minute bunged in a story for children.

His novel, according to Sandy, deservedly disappeared without a trace, but his children's story won. Sandy's literary career took what for him was a completely ​

unexpected turn.

As a result of his win, at the age of 28 (one source says 30, but we think that's wrong) he got a publisher for his first book - for children. He then, over the years before Mma Ramotswe, had some 30 children's books published.

But again, according to Sandy, he didn't really set the world on fire as a children's author, but at least he was a published author of fiction.

He was, of course, also a published author of non-fiction, which we'll have a look at next.

Now, we'll try and list at least some of Sandy's children's output. Why only some? Well, because we can't guarantee we've got them all. Various lists fail to agree.

We've added in some he's written since the first of the Mma Ramotswe novels, and we've also included his Mma Ramotswe children's books.

Short Story

• 2011 "The Strange Story of Bobby Box" (published in the young adult anthology What You Wish For, a charitable collection raising funds for the people of Darfur)
  

Anthologies

• 1991 Children of Wax: African Folk Tales
  
• 1995 Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations
• 2004 The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa

Stand-alone children's books

• 1980 The White Hippo
  
• 1982 The Little Theatre
• 1983 Y blas sy’n cyfri (Welsh for The Taste That Counts)
• 1984 The Perfect Hamburger
• 1988 Film Boy
• 1988 Mike’s Magic Seeds
• 1989 Uncle Gangster
• 1990 Jeffrey’s Joke Machine
• 1990 The Ice-Cream Bicycle
• 1990 The Tin Dog
• 1990 Suzy’s Magician
• 1991 Marzipan Max
• 1991 The Spaghetti Tangle
• 1991 Calculator Annie

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Akimbo

• 1992 Akimbo and the Lions
• 1993 Akimbo and the Crocodile Man
• 2005 Akimbo and the Elephants
• 2006 Akimbo and the Snakes
• 2008 Akimbo and the Baboons

Young Precious Ramotswe

• 2010 Precious and the Puggies (republished in 2011 as Precious and the Monkeys)
• 2012 Precious and the Mystery of Meerkat Hill
• 2012 The Great Cake Mystery
• 2013 Precious and the Missing Lion

Harriet Bean

• 1990 The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
  
• 1991 Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
• 1993 The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean

Max & Maddy

• 1997 Max & Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery
  
• 1999 Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery

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