The world of Patricia Oe / Profile & Philosophy

Patricia Daly Oe is a British writer and teacher who lives to the west of Tokyo with her family, cat and two tortoises. Her passions include music, writing and illustrating stories, enjoying nature, as well as cycling and swimming.

Born in the south east of England (Kent), she graduated from Aston University in Birmingham.
She worked in international sales and marketing for a number of years before arriving in Japan to begin a new career in English education. She has lived in Japan for over twenty years.

Patricia is the author of more than eight children’s picture books and gives book-readings and narration concerts. As well as teaching English, she also holds special workshops and events for both children and adults in relation to using picture books, creativity and imagination in teaching and learning English.

Her stories have been described as heart-warming and moving. Patricia’s brightly-coloured collage-style art is simple and stimulating for young children.
She has also translated a number of books and publications from Japanese to English.

Although I have been writing prose and poetry since I was a child, it was the recognition of the needs of the children I was teaching English to in Japan that inspired me to write and illustrate simple stories. The stories introduce topics that I feel I want children to think about, such as friendship and being kind to one another, nature, believing in yourself and being open to new experiences. At the same time I try to use vocabulary that will help young children learn some English and enjoy following a simple storyline.

I have always loved languages and meeting people from different countries. And although I am fascinated by the diversity of different cultures, I believe that people have the same needs, loves and weaknesses, wherever they come from. If we recognize these similarities, rather than dwelling on the differences, barriers can be broken down and the world will gradually become a better place to live in.

Through my activities as a writer, storyteller and teacher in Japan, I hope to stimulate the imagination and natural creativity of children and to help a little towards world peace and international understanding.