Merrion Frances "Mem" Fox AM (née Partridge; born 5 March 1946) is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy.

[2][3] In October, her parents left Australia to become teaching missionaries of Hope Fountain Mission in Rhodesia, and Partridge and her two sisters grew up and were educated in Africa.

After graduating high school, she did volunteer work in a conference centre of the World Council of Churches near Geneva, Switzerland.

Her father reluctantly agreed to send her to an English drama school on the condition that she would attend Rose Bruford College in London, which also included a compulsory teaching degree.

[4] When her daughter was seven, Fox decided to take a course in children's literature at Flinders University because of Chloe's love of reading.

One of the assignments was to write a children's book, for which Fox wrote a story named Hush the Invisible Mouse.

It was rejected nine times over five years before Omnibus Books accepted it, but asked her to rewrite it more lyrically, cut two-thirds of the story and change the mice to possums.

[3] Since her retirement from teaching, Fox travels around the world visiting many countries and doing presentations and speaking on children's books and literacy issues.