Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry Wilbert was born an English man on June 15, 1911. When he was young his father built a modal train track in the garden at their house. Wilbert’s father would take him on walks along the railroad tracks and they would stop and speak with the railway workers about what they were doing and why they were doing it. They would tell Wilbert stories of their experiences on the railway. Wilbert loved looking though his dad’s railway magazines; he would flip through them before he could even read. After Wilbert’s father retired, the family moved to Box in Wiltshire, near the Great Western Railways Mainline. Wilbert said that he would lie in bed and listen to the trains. He would hear their puffs, chugs, and whistles and there was no doubt in his mind that the different trains all had their own personalities. He would imagine their conversations and their laughter. Wilbert was generally educated at Dauntsey School in West Lavington, Wiltshire. Then he attained a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Oxford in theology. Wilbert then went to Jerusalem to teach at St. Georges School. This is where he met Margret, his soon to be wife. In Dec 1936 Wilbert came back to England and was ordained deacon at Winchester Cathedral and then became a curate at Odiham in Hampshire. In 1940 Reverend Awdry and Margret had their first child, Christopher. At age two Christopher was diagnosed with the measles and was secluded into a dark room. Rev Awdry would tell Christopher “spur of the moment” tales about unique engines to entertain him while he was sick. The first story was about a sad engine, Edward, a name that was given because it was the first name the Rev could think of. Gordon and Henry were incorporated into the stories next. The Rev made Christopher a model train of Edward and had to tell his story so much that the words became permanent and Christopher would not have them told any other way. Therefore, the Rev had to write them down on scrap paper for family use. For Christmas Christopher asked for a model of Gordon so the Rev started carving out the broom stick. Gordon was difficult to carve out but he did what he could and he gave Christopher the small engine that he had painted blue. Christopher named the train “Thomas” and then requested stories about him. It was Margret that encouraged the Rev to publish. She called and told his mother about the stories and his mother told Margret that she had a cousin that was coming to visit and he was friends with people in the publishing world. The Rev sent his mother the scrap papers that had the stories written in pencil. They were shuffled around and shot down many times till finally Edmund Ward looked at them and he had a vision just like the Rev. The first book of the railway series was then published in 1945. The series brought so much success that the Rev knew that he had created a new world for children to discover. The Rev was presented with an OBE award in the 1996 New Year’s Honors List. He was awarded for his outstanding contribution to children’s literature. By this time the Rev was bed bound due to his osteoporosis so they presented him the award at his house. Reverend W. Awdry OBE died peacefully in his home in Stroud on March 21, 1997.

Major Works

Fiction

1. (1945-1972) “The Railway Series” I have a separate sheet with a list of the first 26 books in the series. (only print if you want them)

2. (1958) “Belinda the Beetle”3. (1961) “Belinda Beats the Band”4. (1986) “The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways”

Non-Fiction

5. (1951) “Our Child Begins to Pray”6. (1987) “The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway”

Featured Book

Thomas the Tank Engine(Fantasy Fiction)

Thomas the Tank Engine is the second book from “The Railway Series” by The Rev. W. Awdry. This book is the first appearance of the beloved No. 1 engine, Thomas. It contains four different stories that describe Thomas to be cheeky, fussy, and really useful. The first story, “Thomas and Gordan,” Thomas taunts Gordon and then stays accidently coupled up to him on an express run. Thomas learns how hard Gordon works and never taunts him again. The second story “Thomas’ Train” Thomas learns the importance of patients when he leaves his coaches and then has to turn around to get them. The third story “Thomas and the Freight Cars” Thomas gets pushed down Gordon’s hill by freight cars and barely stopped in time before he crashes. The fat director agrees to let Thomas pull freight cars for a few weeks so he can learn to control them. The fourth and final story “Thomas and the Breakdown Train” this is the first appearance of James and the fat director gives Thomas his own branch line for helping James and being a really useful engine. Children connect with this book because it is a talking train and he has his own cartoon. Thomas and his railway friends teach children life lessons and how to behave, like fables.

Works CitedAwdry, R. W. (1996). Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection. New York: Random House

Value Publishing.

Awdry, R. W. (2002). Thomas the Tank Engine: Story Collection. New York: Random House.

Awdry, C. (2012). Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry, English (1911 - 1997). Retrieved from http://www.rogallery.com/Awdry_Wilbert/awdry-biography.html

Unknown. (n.d.). Wilbert Awdry. Retrieved from http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Wilbert_Awdry

Unknown. (2013, March 10). Wilbert Vere Awdry. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbert_Awdry

The Railway Series

1. The Three Railway Engines2. Thomas the Tank Engine3. Jame the Red Engine4. Tank Engine Thomas Again5. Troublesome Engines6. Henry the Green Engine7. Toby the Tram Engine8. Gordon the Big Engine9. Edward the Blue Engine10. Four Little Engines11. Percy the Small Engine12. The Eight Famous Engines13. Duck and the Diesel Engine14. The Little Old Engine15. The Twin Engines16. Branch Line Engines17. Gallant Old Engine18. Stephaney the “Bluebell” Engine19. Mountain Engines20. Very Old Engines21. Main Line Engines22. Small Railway Engines23. Enterprising Engines24. Oliver the Western Engine25. Duke the Lost Engine26. Tramway Engines

Edward Irving Wortis pen name Avi

Born December 23rd, 1937

Awards:

Newbery Award (Crispin: The Cross of Lead)

Beacon of Freedom Award (Iron Thunder) Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Two Time Newbery Honor Runner Up

Facts:

Two of his grandfathers were writers, and one grandmother was a playwright. His mother would read to him every night, and he would go to the public library on Fridays. Avi suffered from dysgraphia which is a writing deficiency. It occurs in the brain by not allowing the fingers to form the words, and not allowing the brain to store words or letters. Avi has written more than 70 books, and after living in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1980s and 1990s, Avi now lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife.

Works:

Romeo & Juliet, Together and Alive at Last, 1987

Something Upstairs: A Tale of Ghosts, 1988

The Man Who Was Poe, 1989

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, 1990

The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant), in 2004

Poppy's Return, in 2005

Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation, in 2006

Crispin: At the Edge of the World,in 2006

Iron Thunder, in 2007

Something Upstairs

Copyright 1988

A young boy in real life meets Avi in person, and tells him a supernatural story that he promises is a true story. The story involves a young child (Kenny) dealing with a ghost who haunts his family’s house. The ghost is a slave, who was murdered in 1800. Caleb drags Kenny back to Providence, Rhode Island in the year 1800 to try to solve the murder. To this day Avi believes this story to be true, and it goes beyond a childhood imagination.

It would be very easy for children of all ages to connect to this book. When the author of the book starts out stating that he believes the child, and believes that it’s a true story, it’s very hard not to want to read the book as quickly as possible. The only caution I would take in recommending this book, is that it does get graphic in parts, and if students concentrate on “where ghosts come from” there could be some subject matter that parents are not comfortable educators discussing.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Works Cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_%28author%29 http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/avi http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/interviews/p/avi.htm http://www.nypl.org/author-chat-avi

Barbara Lynne Park was born on April 21, 1947 in Mount Hill, New Jersey.

She has a husband, Richard A. Park, who served in the Air Force; two sons, Steven and David Park and two grandsons, Cal and Nate.

She is the daughter of a merchant and a secretary, Doris and Brooke Tidswell. Has an older brother of two years named Brooke.

Attended Rider University from 1965-67, transferred to University of Alabama and graduated with a B.S. in 1969.

Has a golden retriever named Maggie and lives in Arizona. She was won 7 Children’s Choice Awards, 4 Parent’s Choice Awards,

over 40 other awards as well as being featured in the New York Times, USA Today and Time.

She eats frozen M&M’s after finishing a book. As a kid she wanted be on The Mickey Mouse Club, and in college

she planned to teach high school history and political science. Her first children’s novel was called Operation: Dump the Chump

and was rejected 3 times. Her major works: Junie B. Jones series, Mick Harte was Here, The

Graduation of Jake Moon, The Kid in The Red Jacket, Beanpole, Buddies, Don’t Make Me Smile, Skinny Bones, Dear God, Help! Love, Earl and many others.

The Graduation of Jake Moon is about a young boy who deals with development of his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s disease and how it affects his social life as he goes through middle school. This book describes exactly what a child in that situation would be thinking. It is contemporary realistic fiction.

www.randomhouse.com/authors

www.kids.librarypoint.org/barbara_park

www.patricianewman.com/parkb.html

Beatrix PotterBy Catherine Brannock

Helen Beatrix

She was born in South Kensington, London on July 26, 1866. She absolutely loved animals as a child, and had several in her home classroom. She was home schooled by several Governesses as was the custom of her time. She spent her family holidays in the Scottish countryside, and later in the Lake District of England. This encouraged her love for the outdoors and nature in general. She was very talented at writing and drawing at a young age and these skills were nurtured and encouraged. She wrote very imaginatively about her pets that she shared with her brothers. They had some rabbits, a hedgehog, some mice and bats, and a fully labeled and organized insect collection. Beatrix drew all of these so accurately that it was an early foreshadowing of her life as a distinguished naturalist. From 1881 to 1897 Potter kept a Journal in which she recorded her activities, as well as opinions about society, art and current events.  It was written in a code she invented herself, which was not deciphered until 1958.  In her sketchbook Beatrix practiced observation by drawing; in her Journal she practiced it by writing.  Both skills were very important to the success of her books. She had a particular affinity for mushrooms, and spent a lot of time researching and painting them. She was so skilled that she actually became a scientific illustrator as well as an artist. By 1896 Potter had developed her own theory of how fungi spores reproduced and wrote a paper, 'On the Germination of the Spores of Agaricineae'.  This was presented to a meeting of the Linnean Society by one of the mycologists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, since women could not attend Society meetings. Tragically her paper was lost! She used to write illustrated cards to children she knew, and one of them became the inspiration for her first and most well known book,The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1901. Funnily enough her idea had actually been turned down by several publishers, but a man named Norman Warne published it. They later fell in love and became unofficially engaged, but her parents didn't like it because Warne was "in trade"…whatever that means. Sadly, he died of leukemia only a month after they got engaged. She went ahead with their plans to buy a working farm called Hill Top Farm. She loved it; it was her sanctuary and she worked on her writing and painting as well as learned how to manage and run a farm. She bought another farm four years later, and this helped preserve land in the Lake District. A man named William Heelis encouraged her to buy the farm and they ended up getting married later on. They moved into a cottage on yet another farm. She was avid in the community, and even bought a disease ridden sheep farm and restored it to its former glory. She was an early benefactor of the National Trust, to which she left all of her farms and land when she died on December 22, 1943. This was fifteen farms in total and over 4,000 acres of land, which was important for the preservation of historic property. 

She did not win any awards because when she was writing and publishing her books there weren't any around; they are a newer phenomenon. Her great success was obvious despite this. 

"I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense?" - Beatrix Potter’s Journal, November 17, 1896 from the National Trust collection. Her secret code

was simple letter-for-letter substitution, I find it hilarious that it took so long to crack the code. She also had a pet bunny named Benjamin Bouncer who she walked on a leash like a dog. 

The Tale of Peter Rabbit - 1902 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin - 1903 The Tailor of Gloucester - 1903 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny - 1904 The Tale of Two Bad Mice - 1904 The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle - 1905 The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan - 1905 The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher - 1905 The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit - 1906 The Story of Miss Moppet - 1906 The Tale of Tom Kitten - 1907 The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck - 1908 The Tale of Samuel Whiskers (or The Roly-Poly Pudding) - 1908 The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies - 1909 The Tale of Ginger and Pickles - 1909 The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse - 1910 The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes - 1911 The Tale of Mr Tod - 1912 The Tale of Pigling Bland - 1913 Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes - 1917 The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse - 1918 Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes - 1922 The Tale of Little Pig Robinson-1930

I am featuring The Tale of Peter Rabbit, because not only is it one of my favorite books of all time but I think it is a good way to teach children a lesson without them knowing it. The story is about little Peter Rabbit, who lives with his mother and his siblings under a tree. They are all warned by his mother not to go to Mr. Macgregor's garden, because that is how their father met his pie filling fate. (In

my opinion that is a little bit dark for a children's tale but I feel like back then death was much more common and less traumatic for children) Of course, Peter is a rebel and runs STRAIGHT to the garden and munches on every delicious thing he can get his hands on. He gets seen, and has to run away from Mr. Macgregor. In the process he loses his jacket and shoes, which is the second time in 2 weeks he has done this. He makes it home finally and collapses on the floor with relief. His mother is dismayed but him losing his clothes but doesn't inquire (surprisingly) and he simply goes to sleep while his siblings get yummy treats for dinner. It is a short but very sweet tale, of how you should listen to your mother because she knows what is best for you, and I just love the way that Potter tells it. I think children can relate to this book because who doesn't want to do stuff that their parents say they shouldn't? Who doesn't disobey and then later realize that they should have listened to Mom the whole time? This book falls in the genre of Traditional Literature and Fiction, because I believe it is both a fable and animal fantasy. 

References: http://www.beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/index.html http://www.bpotter.com/Writings.aspx http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Beatrix_Potter

Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary was born in McMinnville, Oregon. She currently lives in Carmel, California. The town she lived in when she was little had no library, so her mother arranged to have books sent from the State Library to Yamhill, her home town. There her mother acted like the librarian in a lodge room over a bank. That was where Beverly first learned to love books. In elementary school, her school librarian suggested to her that she write books for children when she grew up. That was when she decided that she would write the books she longed to read but was unable to find on the library shelves. She graduated from junior college in Ontario, California and the University of California at Berkeley. She then entered the School of Librarianship at the University of Washington, Seattle. She married Clarence Cleary and the two of them had twins.

Awards and Honors:

1984 Newbery Medal – Dear Mr. Henshaw

1978 Newbery Honor Book – Ramona and her Father

1982 Newbery Honor Book – Ramona Quimby, Age 8

1975 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award Catholic Library Association’s

1980 Regina Medal, Children’s Book Council’s

1985 Everychild Award

Major Works:

Dear Mr. Henshaw (August 1983)

Fifteen (1956)

Beezus and Ramona (1955)

Featured Book:

Fifteen

Jane is a fifteen year old girl who so desperately wants to meet a boy. While she is babysitting Sandra, she meets Stan, a sixteen year old boy, who works for The Doggie Diner. Jane thinks of many ways to be able to see this boy Stan again. She even asks her father about getting a dog. That night he calls her and asks if she would like to go to the movies with him. They go on a couple more dates and she tries to impress him by acting like Marcy, a snobby girl who makes fun of Jane. After a failed fancy date night, he tells her that he likes her because she is different than all the other girls. She isn’t high maintenance and she doesn’t make fun of him.

Works Cited Page Cleary, Beverly. Fifteen. New York: Morrow, 1956. Print.

"Main Page." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 28

Mar. 2013

"TEACHERS." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.

Bill Martin, Jr. March 20, 1916- August 11, 2004

William Ivan Martin, Jr. was an educator, principal, textbook editor, air force sergeant, and, for 65 years, a writer. He wrote over 300 children’s books that are meant to be read aloud. When he went to college he was actually unable to read. One of his teachers in college read every single day aloud to the class. He soon learned to relate meaning of the words to the written

form. He published his first book in 1945 which his brother, Bernard Martin, illustrated. Martin chose illustrators carefully and did a ton of books with Eric Carle as well as other well known illustrators.

Major Works:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom

I Love Our Earth

I Pledge Allegiance

Awards:

The Bill Martin, Jr. Award- This award, started in 1996, is given each year to outstanding authors / illustrators of children’s picture books.

He won a number of local awards for many of his books.

Interesting Facts:

Eleanor Roosevelt praised Martin’s first book in her newspaper column in 1945. In time, The Little Squeegy Bug sold 1 million copies.

Texas A&M University named their library after him. The Bill Martin, Jr. Library holds every single one of his books.

Bill Martin, Jr. is called by many, “America’s favorite children’s author”.

The Little Squeegy Bug

Published in 1945; Redone in 2001 1945 version by Bill Martin, Jr. and illustrated by Bernard Martin 2001 version by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson

Illustrated by Patrick Corrigan

This adorable book is all about a little bug that doesn’t know what he is and he meets a bumblebee. The little squeegee bug wishes to become a bumblebee after meeting him. He tries to reach the sky in order to get wings like the bumblebee. He meets new bugs that turn him into a firefly so that he can help everyone and not sting people like a bumblebee. This story is heart-warming with great word sounds that flow right off your tongue.

Works Cited

"Bill Martin Jr. ." Publisher's Weekly. N.p., 06 Sep 2004. Web. 26 Mar 2013. <http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20040906/32786-bill-martin-jr.html>.

"Bill Martin." Bill Martin, Jr.. N.p.. Web. 26 Mar 2013. <http://billmartinjr.com/bill_martin>.

"Bill Martin, Jr. ." Wikipedia. N.p., 17 Jun 2012. Web. 27 Mar 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Martin,_Jr.>.

Martin, Jr., Bill. "Bill Martin, Jr.'s Biography." Scholastic. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/bill-martin-jr>.

Name: Cynthia Rylant

Bio: Born June 6, 1954 in Hopewell, WV, moved to Beaver, WV with her mother. She earned a Bachelors Degree from the University of Charleston in 1975 and a Masters from Marshall University in 1976. She now resides in Eugene, OR

Awards: Newbery Medal and Honor winner (1987 (Honor), 1993 (Medal))

Caldecott Honor winner (1982, 1985)

Interesting Facts: After college worked as a waitress and as a librarian at the Akron Public Library where she became engrossed in children’s books. Her books are often about the ups and downs of family life, with animals and the outdoors, and loner characters. Some of her own pets have been characters in her books.

Major Works: She has written around 166 books plus an autobiography

*When I Was Young In The Mountains (1982) Caldecott Honor Book

*The Relatives Came (1986) Caldecott Honor Book

*A Fine White Dust (1987) Newbery Honor Book

*Missing May (1993) Newbery Medal Book

A Kindness (1988) Best Book Of The Year For Young Adults by American Library Association

Soda Jerk (1990) Best Book Of The Year For Young Adults by ALA

A Couple Of Kooks And Other Stories About Love (1990) Best Book Of The Year For Young Adults by ALA

Author Presentation

Featured Book: Brownie & Pearl Hit the Hay

Edgar and Ingri Parin D’Aulaire

Brownie & Pearl Hit the Hay is a book about a little girl getting ready for bed with her cat.

Little kids would connect with the book because the main character is around their age. Both the character and children would have the same bedtime routine. The colors in the illustrations are very vivid.

Sources:

The Official Website of Cynthia Rylant. N.p., n.d. www.google.com. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cynthiarylant.com>.

"Cynthia Rylant." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Rylant#Children.27s_book_series>.

Genre: Fiction

Biography (1898–1986) -Edgar (1904–1980)- Ingri

Both Born in Europe Edgar Trained with Mattise Ingri’s Parents were artists

Emmigrated to the US together Published over 20 Picture books together

AwardsCaldecott for Abraham Lincoln

Regina Award From Catholic Library

Interesting FactsAlthough they spent most of their early lives in Europe much of their writing focuses on American historyIngri’s born name was IngridEdgar trained with the well know French Renaisance artist Mattise

Major Works Abraham Lincoln

1939 Caldecott Medal

Buffalo Bill 1952 Boy's Club award

Trolls New York Times Book Review "outstanding book"1972. National Book Award finalist in 1973, nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1974.• Columbus 1955• Animals Everywhere 1940• Benjamin Franklin1950• Buffalo Bill 1952• D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths• Don’t Count your chicks 1943• Foxie 1949• George Washington 1936• Leif the Lucky 1941• Magic Meadow 1958• Nils 1948• Norse Gods and Giants 1967• Ola 1932• Pocahontas 1983• Trolls 1972• The Two Cars 1955Featuring!Title: Don’t Count your Chicks

The story starts with a chicken who decides to have an egg. After she has the egg her owner becomes ecstatic. She collects all of the eggs from the pen and goes into town to sell them all. On the way into town she plans her entire life around this one basket of eggs. She

becomes very excited and proud and accidentally drops all of the eggs on the ground and they breakWhy children would connect to the book: The book is hilarious. I think that it would make them laugh and it would draw them in because it is a play off of a catch phrase that a lot of us use.Genre: Traditional literature- literary tale

The book takes you through the story of the life of Pocahontas. It focuses in mainly on her connection to the European settlers and her kindness and playfulness. The book shows how she works hard and saves the lives of people she cares about. This book provides a history story that is watered down enough for children to understand and like it.

Brief Biography

Edgar D’Aulaireo Born in Germany to Artistic Parents (Mom was a musician, Father was

a portrait painter)o Studied Architecture and Artso Illustrated many books in Germany Painted many Frescoes in Norway

Ingri D’Aulaireo Born in Norwayo Studied art in school after encouraged by renowned artist Harriet

Backero Studied in Norway, Germany, and France

As a coupleo Met and got married in Germanyyo A insurance settlement allowed Edgar to move to US and later he sent

for Ingri o They started off illustrating o After catching the eye of the New York Public Library they began

illustrating and writing children’s bookso Wrote and Illustrated over 20 books

Awards Wono The Caldecott for Abraham Lincoln o The Regina Award From the Catholic Libraryo The Boy’s Club Award for Buffalo Billo The New York Times Book Review’s “Outstanding Book” for Trollso National Book award Finalist in 1973 for Trolls o Nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1974 for Trolls

Fun Facts!o Although they spent most of their early lives in Europe, much of their

writing focuses on American Historyo Edgar Trained with the well known Renaissance Henri Mattiseo Ingri also had a run in with a well known artist, Harriet Backer who

convinced her to start pursuing artMajor Works

o Abraham Lincolno Buffalo Billo Trollso Don’t Count Your Chickso George Washingtono Norse Gods and Giantso D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

Featuring! Title: Don’t Count your Chicks The story starts with a chicken who decides to have an egg. After she has the egg her owner becomes

ecstatic. She collects all of the eggs from the pen and goes into town to sell them all. On the way into town she plans her entire life around this one basket of eggs. She becomes very excited and proud and accidentally drops all of the eggs on the ground and they break

Why children would connect to the book: The book is hilarious. I think that it would make them laugh and it would draw them in because it is a play off of a catch phrase that a lot of us use.

Genre: Traditional literature- literary tale

Citationshttp://www.nybooks.com/books/authors/ingri-and-edgar-parin-daulaire/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingri_and_Edgar_Parin_d'Aulairehttp://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0709/2007002636-b.html

Name: Hudson Talbott

Hudson was born July 11, 1949, in Louisville, KY. He was one of four children to Mildred and Peyton Talbott. He attended the University of Cincinnati and received a B. F. A. from Temple.

Hudson Talbott has had a passion and love for art since the time he could first pick up a pencil. Talbott traveled to Europe after graduation and studied at Tyler School of Art in Rome, he lived in Italy and Amsterdam. Later Talbott moved to Hong Kong, China and traveled throughout Asia. In 1974 Hudson Moved to New York where he’s lived and worked ever since.

Major Works

It’s all about Meow United Tweets of America O’Sullivan Stew Safari Journal Forging Freedom The Sword in the Stone King Arthur & the Round Table Excalibur Lancelot

Leonardo's Horse Your Pet Dinosaur - An Owner's Manual We're Back- A Dinosaur's Story – Going Hollywood - A Dinosaur's Dream

Featured Book

This is a wonderful book that takes you on an adventure of a story as Hudson Talbott tells the fascinating story of the Hudson River that also shares his name.

Works Cited

http://hudsontalbott.com/pages/hudson.html

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/youngreaders/teachers-librarians/author_appearance/talbott.html

http://www.hudsontalbott.com/1/menu.html#e_6

Jeff KinneyJeff Kinney is the writer of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. He is not only a writer he is also a cartoonist, producer, as well as a game designer. Jeff grew up in Fort Washington, Maryland but now resides in Plainville, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Jeff went to the

University of Maryland where he created and published his first comic strip, Igdoof, in the college’s newspaper. In the late 90’s Jeff started working on The Diary of a Wimpy Kid but it would not be published until nine years later. From there he has been publishing follow ups for the series left and right publishing one, sometimes two, books a year. In 2010, Jeff put his producer hat on and starting producing the movies for his book series, he released his third Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie early in 2012. Jeff has been at the top of the list for the New York Times bestselling author, Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world and in 2009, he won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award.

Interesting fact Jeff has also created Poptropica.com, it is a website for children to use, children get to build their own characters and play along. The website is kind of like a moving comic strip. Some of his favorite books to read were Judy Blume and Beverley Cleary. Major Works

Diary of a Wimpy Kid a Novel in Cartoons (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Roderick Rule (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Ugly Truth (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-it-Yourself Book (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Third Wheel (2012), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (2012)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid a Novel in CartoonsThis book is written in the form of a journal, it has entries every few days of what Greg has been up to. Greg is starting middle school and writes about the trials and tribulations of being in middle school. He takes the reader through all of the mischief that he seems to find himself in the heart of. From getting in trouble for something he didn’t do, to getting in trouble for things that he did but didn’t feel like he had done anything wrong. Greg goes through all of the things that can happen in middle school: making sure to pick the right seat at the beginning of the school year, the dread of gym class (especially the wrestling unit), what reading level group you’ll get put in, torture from older siblings, taking younger siblings trick-or-treating, being picked on by older kids, safety patrol, having falling outs and falling in with friends, lots and lots of pranks and pranks gone wrong, and of course the last day of school when the year book comes out.

Citations

"BOOKS." Wimpy Kid. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.wimpykid.com/>.

"Fried Chicken Man." Fried Chicken Man RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://yonnastakele.edublogs.org/2011/05/17/jeff-kinney/>

"Jeff Kinney." FAMOUS AUTHORS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.famousauthors.org/jeff-kinney>.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons. New York: Amulet, 2007. Print.

JK ROWLING

Biography: Joanne was born on July 31, 1965 in Yate, England. She studied classic literature and French at the University of Exeter. While in school, her mother passed away, and JK Rowling accredits this to a lot of her inspiration. After graduation she went to Portugal to teach, got married and divorced, and had her first daughter Jessica in 1993. She then moved back to the UK. As a single mother, she struggled to take care of her daughter even with her welfare funding. When her daughter slept, she would go to a local café and write. Eventually, she became so poor that she could not afford paper, so she wrote on napkins. When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published, she made ONLY four thousand dollars. Harry’s story is one of the most famous in children’s literature, and has been made into eight movies. Today she lives in Scotland with her husband and her three children, and focuses a lot of her time on charity work. She has yet to

Major Works:

-Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (June 26, 1997)

-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (July 2, 1998)

-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (July 8, 1999)

-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 8, 2000)

-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (June 21, 2003)

-Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (July 16, 2005)

Awards: For the Harry Potter Series, JK Rowling has won many awards, but most notably she’s won…

-The British Author of the Year and Life Time Achievement Awards in 1999 and 2008.

-The Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.

List of sources:

1 "Biography." JK Rowling, Biography. A E Networks. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/jk-rowling-40998?page=2>.

2. "JK Rowling." Awards and Honours. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.jkrowling.com/en_US/

3. "Pottermore." Pottermore. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.pottermore.com/en-us>.

Did you know…?

-Joanne has no middle name! She took the “K” from her grandmother Kathleen.

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, holds the record for most pre-ordered book for Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

-JK Rowling is the 13th wealthiest woman in the UK, and she is even wealthier than Queen Elizabeth!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone…

Harry’s parents died in a “car crash,” leaving him to be raised by his Aunt and Uncle, the Dursleys, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Spending almost eleven years being treated like a servant and living in a cupboard under the stairs, Harry doesn’t expect his life to change…but one day a mysterious letter arrives telling him all about Hogwarts, a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry! Despite his Uncle’s best attempts, Harry goes to Hogwarts and starts to learn the truth about his parents, and the evil wizard,

Why would children connect to the book?

This book is an excellent book for anyone with an imagination. Kids like stories that have fantastical creatures and magical places, and this series is an escape, and makes children eager to read because most of the chapters leave you asking, “What next!?”

THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK FOR BOYS! There are equally amazing, and strong, female characters that young girls (and those young at heart) can relate to. Hermione Granger, shows girls that the brainy nerd can be cool too! I recommend this series to ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE! Genre: Fantasy, specifically high fantasy. The constant battle

between Harry and Voldemort perfectly shows Good Vs. Evil.

4. "Quotes." JK Rowling, Quotes. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/j_k_rowling.html>.

TEDU 386

Author Presentation

Judy Blume

By: Heather Rice

1) Books Read: Superfudge Fudge-a-Mania Forever (from her young adult books)

2) About Judy Blume:

a) born Judith Sussmanb) Judy Blume was born February 12, 1938. Judy is an American writer. She has an older

brother David, who is five years older. She spent most of her childhood making up stories in her head. She was diagnosed with mononucleosis in her first semester of college and took a brief leave from school before graduating from New York University in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in teaching. She started writing children’s books when her kids were in Preschool. She has written novels for both children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million. She currently lives in New York City, New York with her third husband.

c) Awards: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

d) e) Interesting Facts:

She is currently writing a new novel.Judy is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation.In 2012 she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when she was preparing to leave for a five week trip to Italy.

f) Major Works: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972) Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972) Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.(1970) (Young Adult)

g) Featured Book:

i. Superfudge

ii.

iii. The book is about a boy named Peter and his brother ‘Fudge’ aka Farley Drexel Hatcher. Eleven year old Peter is starting the sixth grade and is devastated at the news that he is

going to have a new sibling. He is relieved however to learn that his new sister Tamara aka Tootsie, is way more manageable than Fudge. Fudge is like any other annoying little brother. Peter is also devastated to learn that Fudge is going to be starting kindergarten at the same school he is attending. His parents also have to relocate for a new job. His mood is uplifted when he develops an infatuation with a girl named Joanne McFadden. Fudge will continue to demonstrate his usual uncontrollable behavior and tantrums, to the extent of being relocated to a different kindergarten class after having kicked his teacher. In the end it all works out for Peter and Fudge never changes. They also move back to New York.

This book won the award Books I Love Best Yearly: Early Readers Award in 1990.

iv. Children will connect to this through their own experience with having an annoying sibling and having them start at the same school that they are attending. They can also relate to having a new sibling born into the family.

v. Genre: Fiction, Humour

Works Cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Blume

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/judy-blume

http://www.judyblume.com

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12942.Judy_Blume

Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson was born in Quig Jiang, China to parents who were missionaries. She lived there until America entered World War II at which time she and her family moved back to America and resided in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. She obtained her undergraduate degree from King College in Bristol, Tennessee and completed two years of graduate work in Richmond, VA at Presbyterian School of Education. She then moved to Japan to serve as a missionary but married her husband when she returned stateside to study in New York. Her husband was a minister and they had four children together. She began writing when the church asked her to write materials for older children. She has written many works for children and now resides in Vermont with her husband.

Awards: Major Works:Hans Christian Andersen Award Bridge to Teribithia 1977Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal Newberry Medal 1978Astrid Lindgren Award School Library Journal Best Books of 1977National Book Award 1977 and 1979 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award 1978Edgar Allan Poe Special Award 1977 Jacob Have I Loved 1981Newberry Medal 1977 and 1981 Newberry Medal 1981Scott O’Dell Award 1996 ALA Notable Children’s Book

School Library Journal Best Books of 1980

The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978National Book Award 1979Newberry Honor Award 1979 Journal Best Books of 1978

Jip, His Story 1996The Scott O’Dell Award 1997Parent’s Choice 1996 Story

Book AwardParent’s Choice 1996

Paperback Book HonorThe Wide-Awake Princess 2000

The Wide-Awake Princess (Literary Fairy-tale)A harsh king and queen give birth to a little girl and throw a party to celebrate. No one comes to the party except the girl’s fairy god-mother who grants her the ability to always be wide-awake during waking hours. After the girl’s parents pass away she is forbidden to become queen by the nobles. She sets out to learn about the people in the kingdom and befriends them. After 5 years have passed the townspeople and the princess trick the nobles into making her queen.

Works Cited

"Author:Katherine Paterson." HarperCollins Publishers. HarperCollins, n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2013. <http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/12576/Katherine_Paterson/index.asp&xgt;.

"Katherine Paterson." Terabithia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2013. <http://www.terabithia.com/about.html>.

"Katherine Paterson's Biography." Scholastic. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2013. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/katherine-paterson>.

Author & Illustrator

Kevin Henkes

Born in 1960 in Wisconsin Grew up loving books, drawing and painting Decided in high school that he loved picture

books and wanted to create them A teacher in high school encouraged his writing

skills which led him to becoming an author First picture book published at 19 years old Majored in Art at the University of Wisconsin Has written 34 picture books and 9 novels Likes to use animals in his picture books, has

many books with mice as the main characters (Chester, Lilly, Owen, and many others!)

Caldecott Medal, 2005 – Kitten’s First Full Moon

Caldecott Honor, 1994 – Owen

Newberry Honor, 2004 – Olive’s Ocean (novel)

1) A Good Day, 20072) Birds, 20093) Chrysanthemum, 19914) Grandpa and Bo, 19865) Jessica, 1989

Awards

Major Works

Featured Book: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

Genre: Fiction

Lilly loves school. She wants to be a teacher. One day she brings to school her brand new purple purse, sunglasses, and quarters that she got over the weekend. She can’t contain her excitement over her new things. She interrupts the class during story time and her teacher, Mr. Slinger, takes away her things. Lilly is crushed! She is sad and angry and then becomes furious! She gets her things back at the end of the day and is surprised by a note and a snack from Mr. Slinger inside her purse. The note says: “Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be

Summary:

Works Cited

"2005 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal#00s

"Biography: Kevin Henkes." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/kevin-henkes

"Welcome to the Official Kevin Henkes Website!" Kevin Henkes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. http://www.kevinhenkes.com/

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Biographical Information:

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7, 1867 in Pepin County, Wisconsin. Her parents were Charles and Caroline Ingalls. She had one older sister, Mary, and two younger

Caldecott Medal, 2005 – Kitten’s First Full Moon

Caldecott Honor, 1994 – Owen

Newberry Honor, 2004 – Olive’s Ocean (novel)

1) A Good Day, 20072) Birds, 20093) Chrysanthemum, 19914) Grandpa and Bo, 19865) Jessica, 1989

Lilly loves school. She wants to be a teacher. One day she brings to school her brand new purple purse, sunglasses, and quarters that she got over the weekend. She can’t contain her excitement over her new things. She interrupts the class during story time and her teacher, Mr. Slinger, takes away her things. Lilly is crushed! She is sad and angry and then becomes furious! She gets her things back at the end of the day and is surprised by a note and a snack from Mr. Slinger inside her purse. The note says: “Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be

Children can connect to this book in a variety of ways. They can relate to Lilly wanting to share something at school that is so exciting to them but struggling to be patient and wait for the right time. They can also relate to the range of emotions that Lilly goes through during the course of the story – happy, excited, sad, angry, furious…

Connection:

sisters, Carrie and Grace. She also had a brother, Charles Frederick Ingalls Jr., who died at nine months. Her family later traveled to what was then called Indian Territory near what is today Independence, Kansas. Then her family moved to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Next, the family helped run a hotel in Burr Oak, Iowa. Then the family moved back to Walnut Grove, where Charles Ingalls became the town butcher and Justice of the Peace. Finally, Charles Ingalls accepted a job working on the railroad, which brought the family to their final stop in Dakota Territory and their final home in De Smet, South Dakota. On December 10, 1882, Laura accepted her first job as a teacher as a way to help out her family financially, rather than out of a love for teaching. Her teaching career ended after she married Almanzo Wilder on August 25, 1885. Their daughter, Rose, was born in 1886. After many setbacks early in their marriage, including the death of an unnamed son and the loss of their home to a fire, the Wilders moved in with Almanzo’s parents in Minnesota and then briefly lived in Westville, Florida. Then they finally returned to De Smet. But that did not work out. So later the family packed everything and moved to Mansfield, Missouri and lived on Rocky Ridge Farm. That is where Laura and Almanzo spent the rest of their lives. After many years, Lauran wished to preserve her life story in a series of books. The “Little House” series was born. The first book Little House in the Big Woods was published in 1932. Almanzo died in 1942. Laura died in her sleep on February 10, 1957. Awards:

Five time runner-up for the Newberry Award First recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (1954), which was in honor of her.

Interesting Facts:

People have been so fascinated with her family that children’s book have been written about five generations of women in this family: Martha Morse Tucker, Charlotte Tucker Quiner, Caroline Quiner Ingalls, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Rose Wilder Lane.

The series was created into a popular television show called Little House on the Prairie, staring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert.

Major Works:

Little House in the Big Woods (1932) Farmer Boy (1933) Little House on the Prairie (1935) On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937) By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939) The Long Winter (1940) Little Town on the Prairie (1941) These Happy Golden Years (1943)

Featured Book Little House on the Prairie :

Little House on the Prairie tells the story of the Ingalls family’s journey from Pepin County, Wisconsin to the Indian Territory in Kansas. They spend many nights sleeping inside their covered wagon. They settle outside Independence, Kansas. Once there, Pa (Charles Ingalls) builds a one-room log house for them to live in. As they get settled into life on the prairie, the Ingalls family goes through a lot of struggles. This includes suffering from malaria, and dealing with Native Americans, who the Ingalls family fear may attack them. Finally, the Ingalls family

gets word that American soldiers will be coming to remove white settlers from the Indian Territory. Pa makes the decision to move the family away before they are forced out. The story ends with the family in the middle of the prairie in their covered wagon, about to go on another journey.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder http://www.lauraingallswilder.com http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/?

page_id=452

Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry Wilbert was born an English man on June 15, 1911. When he was young his father built a modal train track in the garden at their house. Wilbert’s father would take him on walks along the railroad tracks and they would stop and speak with the railway workers about what they were doing and why they were doing it. They would tell Wilbert stories of their experiences on the railway. Wilbert loved looking though his dad’s railway magazines; he would flip through them before he could even read. After Wilbert’s father retired, the family moved to Box in Wiltshire, near the Great Western Railways Mainline. Wilbert said that he would lie in bed and listen to the trains. He would hear their puffs, chugs, and whistles and there was no doubt in his mind that the different trains all had their own personalities. He would imagine their conversations and their laughter. Wilbert was generally educated at Dauntsey School in West Lavington, Wiltshire. Then he attained a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Oxford in theology. Wilbert then went to Jerusalem to teach at St. Georges School. This is where he met Margret, his soon to be wife. In Dec 1936 Wilbert came back to England and was ordained deacon at Winchester Cathedral and then became a curate at Odiham in Hampshire. In 1940 Reverend Awdry and Margret had their first child, Christopher. At age two Christopher was diagnosed with the measles and was secluded into a dark room. Rev Awdry would tell Christopher

“spur of the moment” tales about unique engines to entertain him while he was sick. The first story was about a sad engine, Edward, a name that was given because it was the first name the Rev could think of. Gordon and Henry were incorporated into the stories next. The Rev made Christopher a model train of Edward and had to tell his story so much that the words became permanent and Christopher would not have them told any other way. Therefore, the Rev had to write them down on scrap paper for family use. For Christmas Christopher asked for a model of Gordon so the Rev started carving out the broom stick. Gordon was difficult to carve out but he did what he could and he gave Christopher the small engine that he had painted blue. Christopher named the train “Thomas” and then requested stories about him. It was Margret that encouraged the Rev to publish. She called and told his mother about the stories and his mother told Margret that she had a cousin that was coming to visit and he was friends with people in the publishing world. The Rev sent his mother the scrap papers that had the stories written in pencil. They were shuffled around and shot down many times till finally Edmund Ward looked at them and he had a vision just like the Rev. The first book of the railway series was then published in 1945. The series brought so much success that the Rev knew that he had created a new world for children to discover. The Rev was presented with an OBE award in the 1996 New Year’s Honors List. He was awarded for his outstanding contribution to children’s literature. By this time the Rev was bed bound due to his osteoporosis so they presented him the award at his house. Reverend W. Awdry OBE died peacefully in his home in Stroud on March 21, 1997.

Major Works

Fiction

7. (1945-1972) “The Railway Series” I have a separate sheet with a list of the first 26 books in the series. (only print if you want them)

8. (1958) “Belinda the Beetle”9. (1961) “Belinda Beats the Band”10. (1986) “The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways”

Non-Fiction

11. (1951) “Our Child Begins to Pray”12. (1987) “The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway”

Featured Book

Thomas the Tank Engine

(Fantasy Fiction) Thomas the Tank Engine is the second book from “The Railway Series” by The Rev. W. Awdry. This book is the first appearance of the beloved No. 1 engine, Thomas. It contains four different stories that describe Thomas to be cheeky, fussy, and really useful. The first story, “Thomas and Gordan,” Thomas taunts Gordon and then stays accidently coupled up to him on an express run. Thomas learns how hard Gordon works and never taunts him again. The second story “Thomas’ Train” Thomas learns the importance of patients when he leaves his coaches and then has to turn around to get them. The third story “Thomas and the Freight Cars” Thomas gets pushed down Gordon’s hill by freight cars and barely stopped in time before he crashes. The fat director agrees to let Thomas pull freight cars for a few weeks so he can learn to control them. The fourth and final story “Thomas and the Breakdown Train” this is the first appearance of James and the fat director gives Thomas his own branch line for helping James and being a really useful engine. Children connect with this book because it is a talking train and he has his own cartoon. Thomas and his railway friends teach children life lessons and how to behave, like fables.

Works CitedAwdry, R. W. (1996). Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection. New York: Random House

Value Publishing.

Awdry, R. W. (2002). Thomas the Tank Engine: Story Collection. New York: Random House.

Awdry, C. (2012). Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry, English (1911 - 1997). Retrieved from http://www.rogallery.com/Awdry_Wilbert/awdry-biography.html

Unknown. (n.d.). Wilbert Awdry. Retrieved from http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Wilbert_Awdry

Unknown. (2013, March 10). Wilbert Vere Awdry. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbert_Awdry

The Railway Series

27. The Three Railway Engines28. Thomas the Tank Engine29. Jame the Red Engine30. Tank Engine Thomas Again31. Troublesome Engines32. Henry the Green Engine33. Toby the Tram Engine34. Gordon the Big Engine35. Edward the Blue Engine36. Four Little Engines37. Percy the Small Engine38. The Eight Famous Engines39. Duck and the Diesel Engine40. The Little Old Engine41. The Twin Engines42. Branch Line Engines43. Gallant Old Engine44. Stephaney the “Bluebell” Engine45. Mountain Engines46. Very Old Engines47. Main Line Engines48. Small Railway Engines49. Enterprising Engines50. Oliver the Western Engine51. Duke the Lost Engine52. Tramway Engines

Margaret Wise Brown

Biographical Information

Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 23, 1910. Her grandfather is Benjamin Gratz Brown who was a Senator, the Governor of Missouri, Liberal Republican and Democratic Part Vice Presidential candidate in 1872. She went to boarding school in Connecticut, and after she graduated she attended Hollins College, in Roanoke, Virginia. She received a B.A. in English and went into teaching. She started writing when she was teaching in New York and in 1937 she published her first book, When the Wind Blew. She wrote in the way she felt children wanted to hear. She also wanted to challenge children so she tried to include rhyme into her works. She was engaged to James Stillman Rockefeller Jr. Margaret died in November 13, 1952 at the age of 42 after a surgery she needed from appendicitis. Pen names: Timothy Hay, Golden MacDonald, Juniper Sage, Kaintuck Brown.

Awards

A Child’s Good Night Book, Caldecott Honor Book (1944)

Little Lost Lamb, Caldecott Honor Book (1946)

The Little Island, Caldecott Medal Winner (1947)

Wheel On The Chimney, Caldecott Honor Book (1955)

Major Works

The Little Island, 1946

When the Wind Blew, 1937

The Runaway Bunny, 1942

Goodnight Moon, 1947

Red Light Green Light, 1944

Interesting Facts

Loved animals

She taught illustrators how to draw

Featured Book

Goodnight Moon is a children’s book about a rabbit’s pre-bedtime routine. The rabbit makes sure that he says “goodnight” to every item he can see. As the story progresses the rabbit gets even more tired and ends the story with, “goodnight noises everywhere,” and then falls asleep. It is a fiction picture book. Children connect to this book because it is about a soft, gentle animal that is falling asleep and acknowledging the things that are most important to it.

Sources:

Dittberner, Bev. "Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 - Nov. 13 1952) ." MWB Bibliography. N.p.. Web. 3 Mar 2013. <http://www.btd-island.com/MWB.htm>.

"Today in Literature." Margaret Wise Brown - Life Stories, Books, and Links. Eric Design. Web. 3 Mar 2013.

Ziemacki, Amy. Margaret Wise Brown Writer of Songs and Nonsense. Word Press, n. d. Web. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.margaretwisebrown.com/index.html>.

MEM FOX Born in Australia but grew up in Africa Studied drama in England before returning

to Australia Possum Magic (her first book) has sold over

4 million copies and 29 years after publication is still a best seller in Australia

Written over 40 children’s books Associate Professor of Education at Flinders University for 24 years,

retired in 1996 She has won numerous awards, all of them Australian awards

Major Works:

Possum Magic(1983)

Guess What? (1988)(# 66

on American list of 100

most challenged books)

A Cat Called Kite (1985)

Hattie and the Fox (1986)

The Straight Line Wonder

(1987)

A Bedtime Story (1987)

Night Noises (1989)

o Dromkeen Medal, Advance Australia Award, Flinders University Chancellor’s Medal, The Alice Award, Convocation Medal, Children’s Language and Literature Achievement Award

Controversy! In 2008 she claimed that putting very young children in childcare was child abuse

Whoever You Are is about peace and equality for all. It is geared towards very young children (up to 6 years). It shows children how everyone has similarities, regardless of skin color.

“Little one,Whoever you are,Wherever you are,There are little ones just like you,All over the world.Their skin may be different from yoursAnd their homes may be different from yours…. Joys are the same and love is the same, Pain is the same, and blood is the same…….”

It shows children that everyone laughs, everyone smiles, everyone hurts, and everyone cries… all over the world. We may all look different on the outside, but we are all the same on the inside. This is a great book to teach kids not to judge based on looks. It teaches them not to stereotype. Children will love the pictures and the easiness to read. Genre: Early Childhood

Works Cited

"Google Images." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. http://images.google.com/.

“Mem Fox » Honours and Awards." Mem Fox » Honours and Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.memfox.com/honours-and-awards.html>.

"Mem Fox » Short Bio for Event Introductions." Mem Fox » Short Bio for Event Introductions. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.memfox.com/biography.html>.

Fox, Mem, and Leslie Staub. Whoever You Are. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Print.

Janell Cannon

Self-taught artist and writer Janell Cannon has always admired animals, especially creatures that have been misunderstood or neglected. Her love of bats, spiders, Komodo dragons, and snakes inspired her work at a public library, where she developed award-winning summer reading programs about these unusual animals. While conducting research for a program about bats, Janell found only two books on the subject, both out of print. She decided it was time to make her own story about these wonderful creatures. Janell Cannon created Stellaluna (1994) in hopes that she would transform young people's fear of bats into informed affection. "Fruit bats don't drink blood and won't get caught in your hair. I hope to show them in a positive light so that they might be given more respect," she says.

Janell points out in the book that fruit bats benefit our environment as they pollinate plants. The artist and writer also wanted to touch readers with a story about a friendship shared by two different kinds of creatures, a bat and three baby birds. Cannon likens the book to "a mirror, so that anyone who looks into it will see their own story their own way." She never suspected her book would become a runaway bestseller.  After the success of Stellaluna, Janell left her job at the library in order to devote more time to writing and illustrating books. She was happy finally to have the opportunity to tell the adventures of one of the mysterious, gentle creatures who entered her imagination more than ten years ago. Before Stellaluna was even a thought, Janell was creating series of elaborate, detailed drawings of what she calls Fuzzheads. In Trupp: A Fuzzhead Tale (Harcourt Brace, April, 1995), she has created the first of many stories about these intelligent animals as they explore the world of humans. Janell Cannon has ideas for many more books about Fuzzheads and "animals that make people uncomfortable." She works from her home/studio in southern California, which she shares with a cat and a parrot.

Major Works:

Crickwing

Publication Date: 2005

Little Yao

Publication Date: September, 2002

Pinduli

Publication Date: 2004

Awards: ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award Honor Book Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Verdi

Publication Date: 1997

Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Award (1999)

Trupp

Publication Date: April, 1998

Stellaluna

ABBY Award

California Young Reader Medal [California]

Keystone to Reading Book Award [Pennsylvania]

Reading Rainbow Feature Book

Southern California Council on Literature for Young People Award [California]

Synopsis: Stellaluna is a book about a baby bat who is separated from her mother. Stellaluna finds herself living with Mama Bird and her three baby birds. At first Stellaluna is accepted but hates eating the bugs that the baby birds eat. One day when Mama Bird leaves the nest Stellaluna resumes in some of her bat ways. The baby birds try some of the bat behaviors. When Mama Bird returns Stellaluna is scolded and told to act like a bird if she wants to stay. One day Stellaluna finds herself with another group of bats. In the midst of meeting the other bats Stellaluna finds her mother! Stellaluna is happy to act like a bat once again. She brings her bird friends to meet her bat friends. At the end of the book, Stellaluna and her bird friends learn to accept

each other’s differences while still being friends. This story teaches children that it is not only okay to be different, but that it is important to preserve our sense of self and our culture. It also teaches that we can have friends who live and act differently than us, because we are in many ways similar.

Genre: Adventure

Sources:

http://www.amazon.com/Janell-Cannon/e/B001H6OEY4

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bookwizard/books-by/janell-cannon

http://www.bookfinder.com/author/janell-cannon/

http://adoption.about.com/od/guidereviews/fr/stellalunarev.htm

Mo Willems

Mo Willems was raised in New Orleans; he graduated from Trinity Episcopal School, and the Isidore Newman School. He then went to the New York University School Tisch School of Arts. Mo Willems after graduating college traveled around the world while doing so, he drew a cartoon every day, which all of the cartoons have been published in the

book “ You can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons”. After traveling around the world he returned to New York where his career as a writer and animator kicked off for Sesame Street. He was New York’s Times bestselling author and illustrator. Mo Willems’ has had children’s books in animation, television, theater, and bubble gum card painting.

Awards

He earned 6 Emmy Awards for writing during his time at Sesame Street during 1993-to January of 2002

He has had 3 Caldecott Honors which include: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2004), Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale ( 2005), and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity (2008)

Elephant and Piggie won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal in 2008, and 2009 and also the Geisel Honors in 2011, 2012, 2013

Major Works

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! – Caldecott Honor publication date April 1 (2003) The Duckling Gets a Cookie? Publication date April 3(2012) Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale- Caldecott Honor- 2005- July 12 (2004) publication date Knuffle Bunny Too: A case of Mistaken Identity- Caldecott Honor-2008 publication date Sept(2007) Elephant and Piggie series- Today I Will Fly! Publication date ( March 13, 2007)

My Featuring BookTitle- Are You Ready to Play Outside

Summary- Will Piggie and Gerald get to play outside? Or will the nasty rainstorm keep them from getting to play? You should definitely read this book to find out. The only thing I can tell you it’s one of the warmest, care giving, fun, vibrant, children’s book I have read yet. I can’t tell you to much but Piggie and Gerald find a way to play

Sources

http://www.jacketflap.com/mo-willems/113736

mowillemsfaq.blogspot.com/.../q-can-you-give-me-your-biography....

Sarah Meier

TEDU 386

March 25, 2013

Author Study

Name: Madonna Ciccone

Biographical Information: Madonna was born in Michigan in 1958. In 1977, at age 19, she moved to New York City to become a dancer, but ended up becoming one of the most well known entertainers of our generation. In the midst of a very successful career in entertainment, Madonna signed a contract with Callaway Arts and Entertainment to author a series of five children’s books, the English Roses. Madonna says that though her books are for children of all ages, they’re for grown up ones too.

Awards: -None to date

Pictures from: http://www.theage.com.au/ and http://www.madonna.com/

Fun Facts:

-Madonna claims to use the wisdom that she has collected from studying Kabbalah, her religion,as the inspiration for her books’ story lines.

-There are dolls based on the book series, The English Roses.

- She also claims to write the books to guide her own children.

-Madonna is allegedly very afraid of thunder.

-She initially wanted to be a ballet dancer.

-Madonna only drinks specially blessed Kabbalah water, and spends $10,000 a month on it.

A Few Major Works:

-Mr. Peabody's Apples, 2003

-Lotsa de Casha, 2005

-English Roses, Too Good to be True, 2007

My Book of Choice:

Title: The English Roses (written by Madonna and illustrated by Jeffrey Fulrimari), 2003

Synopsis: This book is the first of a series about a group of girl friends (called the English Roses) that are inseparable. Though the English Roses are all nice girls, they are not very nice to Binah, another girl who goes to their school whom they’re all jealous of for various reasons. A fairy godmother appears and shows the girls that Binah is lonely and needs friends, so they then befriend her and decide she’s awesome. Binah then joins the English Roses for the rest of their coming-of-age adventures.

Connection: Children would enjoy this book because it teaches them that you can’t judge a book by its cover. A lot of people believe that the grass is greener on the other side, but this book shows that it’s important to appreciate what they have. Also, the characters are honest and relatable.

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Sources:

The English Roses Series’ Website

http://www.englishrosescollection.com/

Madonna’s Website

http://www.madonna.com/

Picture of Madonna

http://www.theage.com.au/

Rita Williams-Garcia

Rita Williams-Garcia was born in Queens, New York on April 11, 1957. Her father had a career in the military so her family moved to Arizona and California where she and her siblings grew up. She graduated from Hofstra University in 1980 where she majored in Liberal Arts. After taking a Fiction workshop, she began writing for teens because she amazed by the lack of relevant young adult novels and couldn't find the right book for an invisible teen audience. Her young-adult novels depict black men and women living and coping with life’s difficulties. She married Peter Garcia and had two daughters, Stephanie and Michelle. She lives in Jamaica, New York, is on the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children & Young Adults Program.

AWARDS: 2011 Newbery Honor Award, Coretta Scott King Award, and Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for her book, One Crazy Summer. She also won the PEN/Norma Klein Award

INTERESTING FACTS: She taught herself to read at age two by learning to associate letters with their sounds from billboards. P.S. Be Eleven, the sequel to One Crazy Summer, will be released on May 21, 2013.

MAJOR WORKS:

Blue Tights, 1988 Fast Talk on a Slow Track, 1991; ALA Best Books for Young Adults Like Sisters on the Homefront, 1995; Coretta Scott King Honor BookEvery Time a Rainbow Die, 2001; Publishers Weekly Best Children's BookNo Laughter Here, 2004 Jumped, 2009; National Book Award finalist One Crazy Summer,2010; 2011 Newbery Honor; Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award finalist, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and a New York Times bestseller

Like Sisters on the Home Front

This story is about a 14 year old smart-tongued, old street wise girl, Gayle, from New York City who is headed down the wrong path. Already a mother of a 7 month old son, Jose, Gayle gets pregnant again. Her mother forces her to have an abortion and ships her off to live with her religious relatives in Columbus, GA. Hating the decision her mother has made for her, she is miserable until she connects with her great-grandmother who teaches her about life and the unconditional love of a family.

This story is best suited for teenagers. The content and language Williams-Garcia uses is urban street language that today’s youth could appreciate and relate to. The genre is young adult fiction.

Sources Cited:

http://www.answers.com/topic/rita-williams-garcia

https://www.harpercollinschildren.com/Kids/Author

http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/HCLAS/hclas_infocus_williams-garcia.html

Mary AllinAuthor’s Name:Roald Dahl

Biographical Information:Dahl’s parents are from Norway, but he was born and educated in England. His father and eldest sister died when he was three years old. His father thought English schools provided the best education, so he was sent to boarding schools from an early age. His family vacationed in Norway during the summers to visit family. He had five sisters. He traveled while working for Shell and flying in the Royal Air Force during WWII. He married twice and has five children. He was born in 1916 and passed away in 1990 at age 74.

Awards:

Three Edgar Allen Poe Awards

Interesting Facts:

The grandmother in the book The Witches is based on his real mother. He wrote a letter to his mother once a week until she passed away. This tradition started when he

first left home for boarding school. He kept a diary hidden from his sisters by tying it to a top branch of a tree in the garden. His father’s arm was amputated after a drunken doctor misdiagnosed a broken arm for a

dislocated shoulder. A Cadbury chocolate factory used the boys at one of his boarding schools to test new products.

Major Works:James and the Giant Peach (1961)Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970)Matilda (1988)The BFG (1982)The Enormous Crocodile (1978)

Featured Book:

In The Witches (1983), a young boy is orphaned and sent to live with his Grandmother in Norway. He parents had been living in England, and their will requested him to be raised in England by the grandmother.

The grandmother is very knowledgeable about witches, and she passes the secrets of witches on to the boy to protect him.

This book has been challenged frequently. A Warner Bros. film was created in 1990 with a different ending.

Works Cited:

A+E Networks. (2013). Roald Dahl Biography: Facts, Birthday, Life Story. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/roald-dahl-9264648

Dahl, R. (1984). Boy: Tales of childhood. Ney York, NY: Macmillan.

Roald Dahl Nominee Limited / Quentin Blake. (2013). The Official Website for Roald Dahl. Retrieved from: Roald Dahl.comTheodor Seuss Geisel

Biography: Theodor was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated at Dartmouth College and then carried on to Oxford University to acquire a Doctorate degree in literature. But he received a Ph.D. while dropping out of graduate school. While in Oxford University he met Helen who he married. While on vacation he came up with

“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” while listening to the rhythm of the ships engine. He was then rejected by 43 publishers and in 1937 a friend of his published his book.

Awards: His honors include; 2 Academy Awards (“Gerald McBoing-Boing” for best cartoon), 2 Emmy Awards (“Halloween is Grinch Night” and “The Grinch Grinches the Cat”), a Peabody Award (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” and “Horton Hears a Who”), Pulitzer Price (Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature), and several Caldecott Awards (“McElligot’s Pool”, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”). “If I Ran the Zoo” won a Caldecott Award and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award.

Interesting Facts: In 1954, there was a published article by Life concerning children’s literacy, Dr. Seuss publisher contacted Seuss and gave him a list of words and ask him to use 250 of them to help the establish a first graders vocabulary. After just nine months wrote Cat in the Hat and the book contained 220 of the words and published in 1957.

Major Works: “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” published in 1937. “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” published in 1938. “McElligot’s Pool” published in 1947 and won his first Caldecott. “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” published in 1949 and won him a Caldecott. “If I Ran the Zoo” published in 1950 and won him his third and final Caldecott. “The Cat in The Hat” published in 1957. In 1960 published “Green Eggs and Ham”.

My Book: “Hop on Pop” Hop on Pop doesn’t tell a story it helps with learning words and repeating them. It also has rhyme pattern to also help you recognize what words rhyme. It is a beginner’s book and is great for children. This book will help them read by their self. This book was my favorite when I was younger, it was on the first books I could read alone, and I feel as if other children will have the same experience. “Hop on Pop” is a fiction book.

Sources:

http://www.seussville.com/#/author

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61105.Dr_Seuss

http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

William Joyce

*BIOGRAPHICAL INFO:

-Born on December 11, 1957 in Shreveport, Louisiana

-Still lives in Shreveport with his wife Elizabeth and their family

-Is the creator of the Rollie Pollie Ollie books and show on Disney Junior

-Worked as producer and production designer for the movies Robots and Meet the Robinsons (based off of his book)

*AWARDS:

-3 Emmy’s for his work on Rollie Pollie Ollie

*INTERESTING FACT:

-Created the character concepts for the Pixar movies Toy Story and A Bug’s Life

*MAJOR WORKS:

1. A Day With Wilbur Robinson (published in 1990)

-Awards- none listed

2. Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (published in 1988)

-Awards- none listed

3. Santa Calls (published in 1993)

Awards- none listed

4. Bently and Egg (published in 1992)

-Awards- none listed

5. The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (published in 1996)

-Awards- none listed

*FEATURED BOOK:

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (Genre: Fantasy)

After many years of imprisonment the evil Pitch as escaped. With the aid of his Fearlings, Pitch resumes his search for the happy dreams of children so as to turn them into nightmares. To protect them the Man in the Moon chooses Nicholas St. North, a widely known outlaw and swordsman, to be their guardian. Along with his friends Ombric the wizard and brave young Katherine, North’s battle against Pitch begins to unfold.

Children will connect with this book because it tells the story of how Santa Claus became the person he is known as today. They will find it interesting to see what kind of person Santa was when he was younger and how he came to be St. Nick.

*WORKS CITEDJoyce, William. “Author: William Joyce.” The Guardians of Childhood Books. Atheneum Books for Young

Readers, 2011. Web. 22 March 2013. www.theguardiansofchildhoodbooks.com/author.php.

Joyce, William. “Biography: William Joyce.” Simon and Schuster Books. SimonandSchuster.net, 2009. Web.

22 March 2013. <authors.simonandschuster.com/William-Joyce/81797654/biography>.

Joyce, William. “William Joyce: Books.” Simon and Schuster Books. SimonandSchuster.net, 2009. Web.

22 March 2013. <authors.simonandschuster.com/William-Joyce/81797654/books>.