Aileen Paterson
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Aileen Paterson (born 30 November 1934) is a Scottish writer and illustrator, best known for her series of children's books about Maisie the kitten, beginning with Maisie Comes to Morningside the title deliberately echoing 'Cotton comes to Harlem' by Chester Himes.
Born in the Fife town of Burntisland, she then moved to Kirkcaldy, before gaining a place at Edinburgh Art College where she specialised in pottery.
Maisie, the heroine, wears a kilt and Fair Isle jumper. She lives in a flat in Morningside, the famous genteel suburb in Edinburgh. Aileen Paterson has created a world where almost everyone is feline. There's a belligerent budgie and the occasional horse, but no dogs or humans. However, the illustrations are of real places, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris or New York, the latter title 'Maisie Bites the Big Apple' featuring the Marc Chagall murals in the Metropolitan Opera House.
Maisie is a brave, adventurous kitten exploring a world that ultimately reinforces the good things in life such as friendship, food, fun, community and football. The wit and finely tuned social observation engages adults as much as children.
Several stories have been turned into an animated series called Meeow starring Stanley Baxter and her latest book sees Maisie investigating strange goings-on in Edinburgh's Botanic Gardens.
Aileen Paterson lives with an aristocratic Cornish Rex called Genghis. She has 5 grown-up children and 6 grandchildren. Her interests include reading, gardening, crosswords and jazz.
[edit] Publications
1 Maisie comes to Morningside (1984)
2 Maisie goes to Glasgow (1984)
3 Maisie’s Mystery Tour (1984)
4 Maisie Meets her Match (1984)
5 Maisie in London (1985)
6 Maisie and the Monster (1985)
7 Little Marco (1987)
8 Maisie goes to School (1988)
9 Maisie and the Space Invader (1988)
10 Maisie and the Posties (1988)
11 Maisie’s Festival Adventure (1988)
12 Maisie Loves Paris (1989)
13 Maisie goes to Hospital (1989)
14 Maisie’s Colouring Book (1990)
15 What Maisie did Next (1991)
16 Maisie in the Rainforest (1992)
17 Maisie and the Puffer (1992)
18 The Pigs of Puddledub (1992)
19 Maisie Digs up the Past (1994)
20 Maisie at the Edinburgh Book Festival (1994)
21 Maisie Goes to Hollywood (1994)
22 Maisie’s Merry Christmas (1995)
23 Maisie’s Second Colouring Book (1995)
24 Maisie’s Fun and Games Activity Book (1996)
25 Children’s Guide to Edinburgh [illustrated] (1997)
26 Maisie and the Pirates (1998)
27 Maisie’s Millennium Calendar (1999)
28 Maisie Jumps into Japan (2000)
29 Maisie Bites the Big Apple (2002)
30 Maisie and the Abominable Snowcat (2004)
31 Maisie and the Botanic Garden Mystery (2006)
32 Maisie’s Botanic Activity Book (2008)
Contributed to the following anthologies
Braw Stories (2005)
Scottish Summer Schools (2007)
