Aileen Francis Paterson (née Henderson)MBE (30 November 1934 – 23 March 2018) was a Scottish writer and illustrator,^[2] best known for her series of children's books aboutMaisie MacKenzie, the kitten.

Aileen Paterson was born in the Fife town ofBurntisland to William and Helen Henderson.^[3] As a child, she moved toKirkcaldy, before gaining a place atEdinburgh Art College in 1951, where she specialised in pottery.^[4][3] She gained a diploma in designs and craft in 1955 and worked at the Portobello potteries in Edinburgh.^[3]

After marrying her first husband, Bayo Ayodeji, in 1955, she moved toDublin,Ireland. After the marriage ended in divorce, Paterson moved back to Kirkcaldy and earned an education qualification in 1962. She worked as an art teacher inFife in the 1960s.^[3]

For most of her adult life, she lived in Edinburgh and was a passionate supporter of that city.^[5][6] She worked as an art teacher between the 1960s to 1980s.

The title of her first book,Maisie Comes toMorningside (1984), was inspired by the American crime writerChester Himes' bookCotton Comes to Harlem (1965).

Maisie Mackenzie, the heroine of Paterson's series of children's books, wears akilt andFair Isle jumper and lives inMorningside, a suburb ofEdinburgh. Maisie is a brave, adventurous kitten exploring a world that ultimately reinforces the good things in life such as friendship, food, fun, community and football. The wit and finely tuned social observation engages adults as much as children.^[7]

Maisie's world is almost entirely populated by cats, so that although there is a belligerentbudgie and the occasional horse, there are no dogs or humans. However, Maisie's adventures take place in real places (reflected in the books' illustrations) such asEdinburgh,Glasgow,Paris, andNew York.Maisie Bites the Big Apple features theMarc Chagall murals in theMetropolitan Opera House.

Paterson's final book in the series (2006) sees Maisie investigating strange goings-on in Edinburgh'sBotanic Gardens.^[8]

In 2011,Lothian Buses made Maisie the face of the Number 5 bus, which goes through the character's home district of Morningside.^[9]

Several stories were also turned into an animated series calledMeeow! starringStanley Baxter.

Paterson died on 23 March 2018 at the age of 83.^[1]

Following her death in 2018, a memorial stone featuring an image of 'Maisie of Morningside' was raised inEdinburgh's Grange Cemetery, on the site of her son Max's burial plot. The grave lies in the enclosed modern section to the west of the main cemetery.

In the2015 Birthday Honours, she was awarded an MBE for services to children's literature.^[1]

Paterson also contributed to the following anthologies:

• Braw Stories (2005)
• Scottish Summer Schools (2007)

• The Write Stuff – National Library of Scotland
• The Scottish Book Trust Author Details Aileen Paterson