Category: Children’s Author Trivia

We didn’t have any guesses this week, but I bet you will recognize the mystery illustrators/authors now.

1. Our mystery illustrator has won many awards for her illustrations of incredibly realistic nature in children’s picture books. Her work is so fine, the books she illustrates could easily be used a coffee table art books. She also has illustrated some books with a Southwest theme, and is particularly interested in Native American culture (I actually met her because she lives in the same state as I do, Arizona.) The first children’s book she illustrated was about ten little rabbits. Topics of more recent ones include eggs, seeds and butterflies.

Sylvia Long is our featured children’s picture book illustrator. Her lovely illustrations have graced such critically-acclaimed and award-winning books as An Egg is Quiet, A Seed is Sleepy, and A Butterfly is Patient.

Have you ever read any of Sylvia Long’s books?

2. Our second author grew up in central New York, (which is also where I grew up). He decided he wanted to become a writer at the tender age of 17, but had to take a number of different jobs before his career really took off. Now he has over 200 books published, most of which are for upper elementary-aged children. He has written one book with his best friend, Jane Yolen, and one about a teacher who is an alien.

The book that Bruce Coville wrote with Jane Yolen is Armageddon Summer. He is a prolific writer who thinks reading should be fun.

Do you have a favorite book by Bruce Coville?

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If you are in the mood to play more Children’s Author Trivia, simply click on the icon below for a list of previous questions (or you can click on the “Children’s Author Trivia Questions” category in the left sidebar).

Enjoy!

Heather answered both the questions correctly last week. Kudos!

Both our mystery authors today started out as artists and both struggled in school, but eventually became successful writing children’s books.

1. This year marks the centennial of our mystery author’s birth. He started out as an artist/cartoonist, selling his first cartoon to the New Yorker at 17. Later he combined his drawing with his storytelling ability and published a series of popular children’s books with animal characters such as dinosaurs, seals and hens. Do you know who we are celebrating this year?

Children’s author and cartoonist Syd Hoff is going to be the subject of an exhibit at the Miami Beach Regional Library in commemoration of the centennial of his birth.

Here’s information about the exhibit from curator Dina Weinstein:

Syd Hoff: Finding Home
Curated and organized by Dina Weinstein
June 14 – October 1, 2012
Miami Beach Regional Library
227 22nd St. • 305-535-4219

Beloved children’s book author and illustrator Syd Hoff made Miami Beach his home and there created his best-loved characters like Danny and the Dinosaur (1958) and Sammy the Seal (1959). The Syd Hoff: Finding Home exhibition is organized for the humorist’s 2012 centennial and curated by Miami-based journalist Dina Weinstein. The exhibition traces the life, achievement and influences of the prolific cartoonist and author through the curator’s visual aids and research. It consists of a series of creative “storyboards” composed of research notes, fact-finding footnotes, and humorous commentaries collected and written by Weinstein. Along with photographic reproductions, text panels, books, and video, the materials will trace Hoff’s early career and development. Sections will include Hoff’s work with the Lyrical Left in the 1930s, his New Yorker cartoons focusing on outer-borough tenement dwellers, his syndicated comics and cartoons, and the made-in-Miami/Cold War/Baby Boom children’s literature for which he is best known. Exhibition-goers will see the connection between Hoff’s storybook characters’ search for belonging to his earlier political and gag cartoons.

2. Our second author also began her career as an artist. Although she could always draw well, she reveals that she didn’t read very well as a child. In fact, she didn’t really take off reading until she was fourteen. After getting a PhD in Art History, she started writing children’s books. She says her troubles with reading did not interfere with her ability to listen to and tell stories. Some of this author/illustrator’s favorite characters are goats. She also wrote a story about how she overcame her fear of thunderstorms by baking a cake. Do you recognize this storytelling artist?

Heather recognized Patricia Polacco’s book Thunder Cake. Her website (linked to her name) has a biography and interesting tidbits about her books.

I enjoyed the photographs of the author with goats for her book G is for Goat (click to enlarge.)

Here are some of Patricia Polacco’s books:

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If you are in the mood to play more Children’s Author Trivia, simply click on the icon below for a list of previous questions (or you can click on the “Children’s Author Trivia Questions” category in the left sidebar).

Enjoy!