Author of over 400 Books for Children and Adults
To say I am astonished that this book is finally coming out is an understatement. It literally took years to find the right editor and when it did, she (Heidi Kilgras of Random House) became so lovingly invested in the story and in finding the right artist for it, my own investment was returned
My daughter Heidi and I wrote this little rhymed book for Little Simon, which is the novelty imprint of S&S. A novelty book has other features than just words and pictures. This is an enlarged board book with a soft cover. We wrote and rewrote it till the two of us were happy enough, sent it to
The publisher says, “Creep, gurgle, crawl, tumble! Meet two young monsters who are far from scary—they’re too busy having fun. They go to school, play outside with their friends, and eat after-school snacks. But they also have a bedtime, whether or not they’re ready for it! Young children and
This is what is called a novelty book, and it has lots of dino-stickers to add to each double page along with one of my silly dino rhymes. Or the dino stickers can go on a child’s shirt. Or a classroom GOOD WORK page, etc.
My dear friend and neighbor (well, two towns away) illustrator Ruth Sanderson called me up. We had done a number of books together including SLEEPING BEAUTY and WHERE HAVE THE UNICORNS GONE. She draws gorgeous horses. Owns at least one horse these days. “I want to do a horse lullabye,” she said
I don’t actually remember how this book started. Either the editor suggested it or Andy Fusek Peters did. The only thing I know is that we all wanted a companion book to HERE’S A LITTLE POEM which had gotten sterling reviews, won some awards, and looked to become a minor childhood classic.
After my picture book on Hans Christian Andersen came out (The Perfect Wizard), editor Steve Meltzer and I cast about for a follow-up. I suggested J. M. Barrie, Mark Twain, L. Frank Baum, Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, Louisa May Alcott. As you can see, we settled on Barrie. I collected about
I was in the doctor’s office years ago, waiting for him to come into the room, and reading the Smithsonian Magazine. In it was a story about East Coast women who moved west to live to the Nebraska territory. Often these women went crazy because there were no identifiable sounds there. It was
I was visiting Simon & Schuster and just saying goodbye to my wonderful editor, Alexandra Cooper after a long and thoughtful meeting. Standing at the door, ready to leave, I said, “Is there anything you would love to see, a book you’d always wanted to have.”
The idea for this book began with illustrator Jim Burke. We had done several books together and he was a big fan of Wagner’s. I had been a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan in my youth, and later on a Boston Red Sox fan when we moved to Massachusetts. But around the