Melbourne-born and based, Hazel Eileen Edwards attended Ashburton Primary and Camberwell High School. After working in a bank and studying at night, she entered Toorak Teachers' College. She taught at Westall High School and was invited to lecture at Frankston Teachers' College while studying at Monash University (BA 1971, BEd 1974, MEd 1980) at night. Later she lectured in children's literature and psychology at Toorak Teachers' College, and the Institute of Early Childhood Development (Now Melbourne University), then became a freelance author-lecturer after the publication of 'General Store' (1977) and the now classic "There's a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake" (1980) which toured nationally with Garry Ginivan productions as 'Hippo Hippo the Musical' (2016).