About the Authors

Author of Oh, the Places You'll Go and Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss was born, Theodor Geisel on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Ted Geisel, as he was called, attended Dartmouth College for his undergraduate and later attended Oxford University in England to become a professor.  While there, he met Helen Palmer who encouraged him to become an artist rather than a professor.  The two were later wed.  Dr. Seuss is one of the most well known authors of all time.  His stories, illustrations, and imagination have been enjoyed for generations.  For more information on Dr. Seuss, visit The Cat In the Hat website.

Barbara Cooney

Barbara Cooney is the author/illustrator of Miss Rumphius and Island Boy, which she said was her "hymn to Maine" (Cooney Biography).    Barbara Cooney was born on August 6, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York along with her twin brother.  She never felt the love for the city that she felt for Maine, which was where she spent her summers as a child.  She later attended Smith College where she studied art history and received her degree in 1938.  In 1959, she was awarded the Caldecott Medal for her adaptation of Chaucer's "The Nun Priest's Tale." Cooney died in 2000 at her home in Damariscotta, Maine.  She was 82 years old. 

Alice McLerran

Barbara Cooney worked with author Alice McLerran to create the images to the nonfiction children's book called Roxaboxen.  McLerran earned her Ph.D in anthropology from U.C. Berkeley as well as an M.P.H. and M.S. from the Harvard School of Public Health.  She has been writing and sharing what she has wrote ever since she can remember.  Her first book was published in 1985.  The following is a list of titles by McLerran; Roxaboxen, Secrets, The Year of the Ranch, I Want to Go Home, Dreamsong, The Legacy of Roxaboxen; A Collection of Voices, and Dragonfly.  If you are interested in the life and work of Alice McLerran then visit her website at http://alicemclerran.us/Other_Titles.html.

Judi Barrett

Judi Barrett is the author of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  Her husband was the illustrator. She is also the author of Pickles to Pittsburgh, Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing, and Things That Are Most in the World.  She currently teaches art to kindergarten students at a school in Brooklyn, New York.  

Daisy Corning Stone Spedden

Margaretta Corning Stone, known to others as "Daisy," was born in 1872, in Morristown, New Jersey.  She lived with her husband Frederic and son Douglas at Wee Wah Lodge in Tuxedo Park, New York.  Spedden and her family boarded the Titanic on April 10, 1912, in Cherbourg, France.  She was on the ship when it struck an iceberg four days later.  Polar the Titanic Bear is the story about the events on the Titanic told from the point of view of her son's teddy bear.  In 1915, her son was killed by an automobile, marking his death as the first automobile fatality in the state of Maine.  Spedden eventually died in her home on February 2, 1950, at her home in New York.  Learn more by visiting http://www.polarthetitanicbear.com/genepage.html. 

Author/Illustrator Jan Brett

Jan Brett is a well known author and illustrator with over 37 million books in print and author/illustrator of The Mitten.  As a child, she loved to draw and spent hours doing so.  She followed her passion for art and attended the Boston Museum School.  Other titles by Brett include The Hat, Christmas Trolls, Annie and the Wild Animals, Gingerbread Babies, The Easter Egg, and many more.  Brett currently lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts and spends summers at their home in the Berkshires.  Learn more about Brett at her homepage.

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, and died on August 4, 1875.  He has been dead for over a century, but is still an extremely recognizable figure in the literary world.  He was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories and memorable characters.  Some of his titles include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Ugly Ducking," and "The Little Match Girl," which has been adapted by many authors.  The version illustrated by Rachel Isadora is the one that I was familiar with as a child.  

Rafe Martin

Rafe was born in New York City in 1946.  Martin became the first student to graduate with Highest Honors in English from Harpur College (now Binghamton University), for his thesis on Moby Dick.  Aside from having a M.A in English Literature he is also a trained literary critic.  His first book was published in 1984 and twenty more have followed.  The Rough-Face Girl is one of his well known titles.  A. Levine is the editor and publisher of the Harry Potter books.  He wrote in a review that "Rafe Martin is an amazing performer and storyteller...he is magical in the way he tells books" (RafeMartin.com).  

Jeanne Martinet

Jeanne Martinet compiled the facts for 1987: The Year You Were Born and is also the author of seven books, including the recently published Life is Friends and the widely acclaimed The Art of Mingling, which has sold more than 150,000 copies in the United States alone. Her books have been published in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Poland.  Her books are directed towards an older audience of readers.  Read more about her at JeanneMartinet.com.

Chris Van Allsbur

Chris Van Allsburg is a very well known author of children's book.  One of his more popular stories is The Polar Express, which has also been made into a major motion picture.  Van Allsburg was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 18th, 1949.  As a child, Van Allsburg moved around with his family.  One of the houses that they lived in was an old brick Tudor Style house in East Grand Rapids. It was a street that looked like the street on the cover of The Polar Express. He attended the University of Michigan for Art and Design and later earned his master's degree in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design.  For more information on Chris Van Allsburg visit his user-friendly and interactive website at http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/home.html.

Christine Maxfield's story called Christmas in Water Village was published in 1989.

E.B White

Elwyn Brooks White was born on July 11, 1899.  Known to the world as E.B White, he is the author of Charlotte's Web and other beloved classics such as Stuart Little.  White was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity during his college years.  He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923.  He wrote for The Seattle Times and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.  He also worked in an advertising agency before returning to New York City in 1924.  In 1963, White was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1978, he won an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his work as a whole.  White died in 1985, in Brooklin, Maine.  

Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Allan Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930.  He is an author, illustrator, cartoonist, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and screenwriter.  Perhaps he is most known for his children's poems; all of which are clever, serious, and silly.  Some titles that you may recognize are The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, and Everything On It. His books have been translated into twenty languages and sold over 20 million copies.  This talented man died in May of 1999.  Visit his website at ShelSilverstein.com.

Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst is the author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Other books in the "Alexander" series include Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday published in 1978, and  Alexander, Who's Not (Do Your Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move published in 1995.  Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1931, Viorst is the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction, for children as well as adults.  She attended Rutgers University. 

Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny.  Even though she died over 55 years ago, many of her books are still in print.  A lover of animals, Brown, or "Brownie" as her friends called her, would dream of children's stories and would have to write them down when she woke up.  She died suddenly of an embolism at the age of 42.  For more information about the author, her books, and lesson ideas visit MargaretWiseBrown.com. 

 

Roald Dahl

 

Roald Dahl is the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.  Both are well loved children's classics and both have been made into motion picture films.  He was born in Llandoff, Wales on September 13, 1916, to Norwegian parents.  As a child he kept a secret diary in which he would record the events of the day.  In an interview he stated that he would hide the diary in a tree so that his sisters would not be able to get it and read it.  Please, anyone who is a teacher or practicing teacher should visit the Roald Dahl website.  It is informative and interactive; great for students and ideas for teaching with his books. * RoaldDahl.com *

Don Freeman

Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908, and grew up in Chula Visais.  He is known by many people as the author of Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and other children's book.  However, Freeman was also graphic artist, painter, and lithographer. For more facts about DonFreeman.info.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in a log cabin near Pepin, Wisconsin, on February 7, 1867.  Her parents possessed a pionnering spirit that urged them ever westward.  Much of their family travels are recorded in Laura's books. Little House in the Big Woods takes place in Pepin, Wisconsin, Little House on the Prairie takes place in Independence, Kansas.  On the Banks of Plum Creek takes place in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.  By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years take place in DeSmet, South Dakota.  For more information about the author, her family, and her books, please visit this website.

Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka is the author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.  He was born in Flint, Michigan on September 8, 1954.  He is of Polish ancestry on his father's side of the family.  He attended the Culver Military Academy for high school and became a lieutenant.  Scieszka thought about being a doctor and studied both Science and English at Albion College in Albion, Michigan.  He graduated in 1976, lived in Detroit, then moved to Brooklyn, NY, write instead.  He later earned his MFA in Fiction from Columbia University in 1980.  Visit Scieszka at his website.

Clement Clarke Moore

Clement Clarke Moore was born on July 15, 1779 in New York, New York.  He was an only child and his early education was conducted at home.  He later graduated from Columbia University in 1798.  He is usually known for Twas the Night Before Christmas, which he wrote for his children.  He also wrote many other works, including a political pamphlet and a textbook. 

Audrey Wood

Audrey Wood is the author of The Napping House, which was illustrated by her husband.  The two have been a team on many children's books.  Wood was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and currently lives in Santa Barbara, California.  As a child, her younger sisters were Wood's audience for her stories.  As you can see from her picture, Wood is a lover of animals.  She has several pets, most of which appear in her stories.  Wood says that writing and illustrating is a demanding, but rewarding experience.  Information about the author was gathered from Scholastic.com.

Arnold Lobel

Arnold Lobel is the author and illustrator of the Frog and Toad series.  Lobel grew up in Schenectady, New York, where he lived with his grandparents.  When he graduated from art school, he married Anita Kempler who is also a children's book author and illustrator.  The two moved to New York and had two children. When he first started coming up with ideas for children's books, his illustrations were based on characters from cartoons that his children watched.  In 1980, he won a Caldecott Medal for Fables (Scholastic.com).  

Else Holmelund Minarik

Else Holmelund Minarik was born in Denmark in 1920.  After she graduated from Queens College, City University of New York, she became a journalist for the Rome Daily Centennial and taught first grade during WWII.  Minarik introduced readers to Little Bear.  The character quickly became a timeless character and was later made into a successful children's show.  Publication of this book, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak, launched the I Can Read series.

Arlene Mosel

Arlene Mosel was born Arlene Tichy on August 27, 1921.  She attended Ohio Wesleyan University where she earned her B.A in 1942.  She later attended Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University) where she graduated with a M.S in Library Science in 1959.  Mosel was an American author of children's literature who was best known for her illustrated books Tikki Tikki Tembo and the award winning The Funny Little Woman, which was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1973. 

Marjorie Flack

Marjorie Flack was born in Greenport, Long Island on October 22,1897. She met and married the artist Karl Larsson and had a daughter named Hilma. Their daughter later married artist and illustrator Jay Hyde Barnum. The four of them collaborated on illustrations for some of Marjorie's books.  In 1941, Marjorie married poet William Rose Benet.  In 1947, Flack received the Caldecott Honor for her book, The Boat on the River.  Her most well known book is The Story About Ping.  Learn more about the author and get teaching ideas to go along with her books at MarjorieFlack.com.