Author of over 400 Books for Children and Adults
This original fairy tale, about a young woman who becomes a dragon has many aspects of an old fairy tale–a wicked stepmother, an enchantment, a handsome prince who breaks the spell. But as it was written in the end of the 20th century, the young woman is as much rescuer as rescued. Both hero and dragon
Songs and lap games, many of which I played with my own children when they were babies and toddlers, with musical arrangements by my son Adam who is a professional musician. Now I play “Trot, trot to Boston” and “This is the way the farmer rides” and others with my grandbabies. The Tomes art is delicious.
The third Piggins book to be published. I wrote the books about Piggins because I love mystery stories and am also a great fan of the Masterpiece Theater series called “Upstairs, Downstairs.” I also wrote them especially for Jane Dyer who showed me her amazing drawings and won me over with her delicious
The second Piggins book to be published. I wrote the books about Piggins because I love mystery stories and am also a great fan of the Masterpiece Theater series called “Upstairs, Downstairs.” I also wrote them especially for Jane Dyer who showed me her amazing drawings and won me over with her delicious
This gentle tone poem about a father taking his daughter (yes–it’s a girl!) out owling one cold wintry night is arguably my best book. Certainly it’s my best known book. The 1988 Caldecott Medal winner for John Schoenherr’s beautiful, frosty, tender, exacting pictures, the book has been translated into nine languages, been
The first Piggins book to be published. I wrote the books about Piggins because I love mystery stories and am also a great fan of the Masterpiece Theater series called “Upstairs, Downstairs.” I also wrote them especially for Jane Dyer who showed me her amazing drawings and won me over with
When I first saw Jane Dyer’s wonderful artwork–in a portfolio at a workshop I was running–I fell in love with her animals in clothing. I wrote “Piggins” esepcially for her, but I always remembered a picture from her portfolio of the three bears eating breakfast. When I started writing the
I was invited to do this book by Wendy Wolf who was the great editor of the Pantheon Folklore series. It turned out to be a wonderful start to my serious study of folk tales. The book–with well over 150 stories–has become a core book for storytellers and storytelling courses. The long essay about stories
Adam was fifteen, already a fine musician, when we sold this book. These were mostly old lullabies I had sung to the children (including one I composed) so it was a gift to be sending them on in such a lovely package. The pictures by Mikolaycak are gorgeous–warm, loving, beautifully composed. (Aha–a musical pun!)
Four linked poems about the seasons from the point of view of four different animals: winter is the weasel, who wears the season on his hide; spring is the spring peeper, a frog who believes he causes the season to appear by singing; summer is the dragonfly with wings like stained glass;