Margaret Mahy

Single 70c 'A Lion in the Meadow' gummed stamp.

A little boy tells his mother repeatedly that there is a "big, roaring, yellow, whiskery lion in the meadow!". His mother doesn't believe him, but pretends there is a dragon that will grow large and vanquish the lion. When the ‘made up’ lion rushes inside and a fire-breathing dragon is revealed outside, the mother is chastened and the little boy reproves her. This simple story - Margaret's first picture book - also powerfully suggests that imagination is just as important as reality, something that Margaret fervently believed.

Single $1.40 'A Summery Saturday Morning ' gummed stamp.

Margaret used a real incident – two dogs running from the geese they had just been chasing – to make this story rhyme. The simple verses were perfectly matched by illustrations from Margaret’s fellow Banks Peninsula resident, Selina Young. The sun-bleached hillsides of Lyttelton’s crater rim and the pale blue skies of a Canterbury summer morning were the first depictions in a Mahy picture book of a distinctive New Zealand landscape.

Single $1.90 'The Word Witch' gummed stamp.

This magical collection brought together an abundance of Margaret’s verses, written throughout her life. Alongside the pyrotechnical word play of 'Bubble Trouble' and 'Down the Back of the Chair' are quiet lyric poems, celebrations of nature’s small wonders, comic dramas, and moments of philosophic reflection.

Single $2.40 'The Great White Man-Eating Shark' gummed stamp.

The Great White Man-Eating Shark tells the hilarious story of Norvin the actor, who is plain and shark-like. Resentful of the other swimmers who obstruct his desire to "shoot through the water like a silver arrow", Norvin fashions a dorsal fin and creates merry havoc in the ocean. Our very human faults – envy, selfishness, revenge - are captured with playful language and wry sympathy.

Single $2.90 'The Changeover' gummed stamp.

This ‘supernatural romance’ details Laura Chant’s passage from childhood to young adult, from ordinary human to 20th century witch. In Margaret’s hands this suburban fairy story became a thrilling exploration of family relationships, a young girl’s erotic development, and the age-old battle between good and evil. The Changeover’s unique blend of magic and humour, suspense and philosophy won Margaret her second Carnegie Medal in 1984.

Kate De Goldi is an acclaimed New Zealand short story writer and author of young adult fiction and children's books, and was a friend to Margaret Mahy. In the presentation pack she gives her perspective on Margaret Mahy's life and passion for literature. Inside this unique four-panel presentation pack you'll find a set of stamps, the first day cover and the miniature sheet, as well as a bibliography of Margaret Mahy's published works. The pack is a must-have for any Margaret Mahy fan!

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