William Taylor was born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand on October 11, 1938. He worked in banking before attending Christchurch Teachers' College. His teaching career includes a year in London and seven years as the principal of Ohakune Primary School. He wrote about his early teaching experiences in Burnt Carrots Don't Have Legs, which was published in 1976. His other books include Possum Perkins, The Worst Soccer Team Ever, Knitwits, Jerome, and Telling Tales: A Life in Writing. He has won several awards including the Library and Information Association of New Zealand's Esther Glenn Award for most distinguished contribution to New Zealand Literature for children and young people in 1991 for Agnes the Sheep, the Senior Fiction Award in 1995 for The Blue Lawn, and the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for lifetime achievement. In 2004, he was awarded an ONZM for services to literature and the community. He died on October 3, 2015 at the age of 77.
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