form y Seven Little Australians Patrick V. Well before the 1914 Palace Theatre premiere Smith indicated his intention, saying that Seven Little Australians had been on his mind as a theatrical production for several years and that he 'always felt that children should have plays written for them for daytime performances.' He went on to further note that he believed that they should also be written in a childish spirit, with the point of view always being from that of a child' (Adelaide Mail, p. The critical reception to the play was almost unanimously positive, with most critics agreeing that writer/director/producer Beaumont Smith had captured the spirit of the original stories and had succeeded in staging it for the benefit of the children present. Largely adapted from Ethel Turner's Seven Little Australians, with some incidents from Miss Bobbie also incorporated into the narrative. Her granddaughter Philippa Poole has published a book about her grandmother entitled The Diaries of Ethel Turner.1914 single work drama children's Abstract

Ethel Turner died in 1958, leaving as her memorial a book that is now regarded as a classic in children's literature. Seven Little Australians has been read and loved by children all over the world, and it has been continuously in print for over 100 years. Ethel Turner went on to write over 40 books in her lifetime, including children's stories, short stories and poems, many of which appeared in the Town and Country journal and in the Sun Herald newspaper. It has been translated into at least 11 languages, performed as a stage play, and been made into a film, a BBC television series in 1953, and a 10-episode television series for the ABC in 1973. Since then the book has sold over 2 million copies in the English language and has been reprinted over 50 times. In January 1893 she recorded in her diary, 'Night started a new story that I shall call Seven Little Australians.' Later that year, she finished the book, parcelled it up and sent it off to a publisher in Melbourne. Ethel kept diaries for a remarkable 62 years, recording the details of her full and eventful life. She showed a great love of literature while at school and in her late teens launched a literary and social magazine in Sydney with her sister Lilian.

Born in England in 1870, Ethel Turner came to Australia with her mother and sisters when she was 10 years old.

The seven little australians