I had the idea for a series of true unsolved mysteries from history in picture book form because of my daughter Heidi’s interest in criminal justice. (She’s been both a probation officer and a private detective.) We began with
House, House
We live in a small New England town in western Massachusetts. When we moved in, the Town Clerk gave us an old black and white photo of our house from the 1910s. It was by the Howes Brothers, turn of the century
Letter from Phoenix Farm, A
The editor at Owens, a small educational publisher, asked me if I’d like to write a picture book autobiography for a newly created line of photo books. I said only if my son Jason, a professional photographer, could do the photos. She agreed readily, loved his work, and so Jason’s first book was published.
Guide to Writing for Children
Originally published as Writing Books for Children, and revised and updated twice, this book is now–alas–out of print. But I still think that some of the essays–notably on writing with joy, folk tales, fantasy, and children’s poetry stand the test of time.
Touch Magic
Subtitled “Fantasy, Faerie, and Folklore in the Literature of Childhood,” this small book of essays was first my position papers for the EdD I never quite got. Originally published in hardcover by Philomel and then brought out a few years later in a trade paperback, this book of essays has become well
Simple Gifts: The Story of the Shakers
Editor Linda Zuckerman was on a trip through New England and came across several Shaker sites. On the way home, she stopped for tea and asked me if I’d be interested in doing a non-fiction book on the Shakers. As I’d always been fascinated by them, I readily agreed, and after a year’s worth
Ring Out: A Book of Bells
A book about the history and mystery of bells, bell ringing, and bell making. As I say in the book: “Where men and their civilizations have flourished, bells flourished, their voices touching all fields of human endeavor.” Well, it was the 1970s and I wasn’t sufficiently smart enough to include women in
Wizard Islands, The
A study of islands that have mysteries or ghost stories attached to them, and a section on disappearing or appearing islands, like Surtsey which is a volcanic island. Quackenbush used old maps and charts as well as drawings to illustrate the book. This was long a favorite of my son, Adam.
Writing Books for Children
See “Guide to Writing for Children.”
Friend: The Story of George Fox and the Quakers
A biography–warts and all–of the charismatic founder of the Society of Friends aka the Quakers. George Fox was a man who believed that God was within every human being, and such was his conviction, he managed to offend a good portion of the English clergy and the powers that be. He was