Hero of the Hill

Description

"Engine H One-Ninety-Nine worked the Wairarapa line, pulling carriages up the steep incline of the Rimutaka Hill." It's a darned long way to the summit of the Rimutakas, and a steep climb at that. But Engine H 199 used to do its bit to get people and freight through the Rimutaka Ranges. The story is told in Joy Cowley's faultless rhyme and rhythm and concludes with a double-page fact spread about the locomotives and brake vans that were needed to achieve this feat.

Joy Cowley is a prolific, widely published and much-celebrated writer of fiction for adults and children. She began her career writing short stories and novels, followed by children's literature. She has written a remarkable range of children's books and stories, often illustrated by renowned artists. Joy Cowley was made a Distinguished Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to children's literature in 2005. Philip Webb is a Wellington-based illustrator who has previously teamed up with Joy Cowley to produce the picture book Fly Pie, but might be best known for his illustrations in Diana Neild's Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig series.