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Troon Harrison
Troon
Harrison’s ten picture books, two teen novels, and a junior chapter book
have been
published in seven countries and five languages.
Her picture books, Aaron’s Awful Allergies (Kids Can, 1996) and The Memory Horse (Tundra, 1999), were awarded Outstanding by the Parent’s Council. The Memory Horse was also named an Honor Title at the Storytelling World Awards and an Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians International.
The Dream Collector (Kids Can, 1999) was a finalist in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Ms. Harrison’s young adult novel, A Bushel of Light (Stoddart, 2000), was nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction.
Other recent books by Ms. Harrison include Poetry & Potatoes (Chrysalis Books, 2003), Wild Geese Flying in Pairs (Red Deer, 2002), and A Cat in the Stable (Augsberg, 2001).
More on Troon Harrison’s books
Connie Heckert
Ms.
Heckert has published more than 400 newspaper and magazine pieces in such
markets as the Chicago Daily News, the Des Moines Register,
Grit, JD Journal, and Modern Woodmen.
Her writing credits also include two picture books for children: Dribbles (Clarion, 1993) and Miss Rochelle and the Lost Bell (Quest Publishing, 1985).
Dribbles was selected as one of the top 100 books published for children in 1993 by the Bureau of Education and Research. “The story works nicely as a way to explain death to a child who has or will soon experience the loss of a loved one,” said the Long Beach, CA, Press-Telegram.
She is also the author of two books for teens and seven for adults; two titles are co-authored. Roots and Recipes: Six Generations of Heartland Cookery (Pelican Publishing, 1995) is both Depression-era history and recipes.
In 1997, the Women’s Encouragement Board presented her with the Leader Award/Julie Jensen McDonald Journalism Award. Ms. Heckert is a Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in Iowa, and she has been recognized for outstanding service to her SCBWI-Iowa region.
Ms. Heckert teaches adult education classes on writing for children, and she also teaches part-time at the college level.
More on Connie Heckert’s books
Renee Heiss
Renee
Heiss has demonstrated that it is possible to build a successful writing career
in only a few years.
Since graduating from the Institute of Children’s Literature in 2000, Ms. Heiss has written hundreds of magazine articles and short stories. Her article, “Kathman Do’s and Don’ts” (Crinkles, July/August 2003), received an honorable mention in the 2003 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Magazine Merit Competition.
Many of her articles, such as “Family Album Project,” in the January 2002 issue of Challenge, and “This Keyboard Fits Like a Glove,” in the May 2004 issue of Highlights for Children, help children understand that learning can be fun.
Ms. Heiss also has a nonfiction book to her credit, Feng Shui for the Classroom: 101 Easy-to-use Ideas (Zephyr Press, 2004), in which she combines her knowledge of children and interior design. “What ‘Imagineers’ created for Disneyland, Renee Heiss has done for educators,” begins Dr. Prent Klag’s foreword to the book, which helps educators to design a fun learning environment.
Ms. Heiss is also a contributing writer for Crinkles, which has published more than 30 of her nonfiction articles. Her second book with Zephyr Press, Helping Kids Help, will be available early in 2007.
“My instructor is supportive and inspiring. She encourages me and focuses on my writing strengths. She has very good suggestions about targeting and marketing my work and always projects a very positive tone in our correspondence. She’s a great coach!”
—Ruby Campos, Orange, CT
Patricia Hermes
Patricia
Hermes is the author of more than 40 books for children and teenagers, as well
as many magazine articles for adults.
Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Woman’s Day, American Baby, Life and Health, and most recently in Scholastic Scope.
Ms. Hermes’ young reader chapter books are built around familiar holidays and include Christmas Magic (1998), A Hoppy Easter (1998), Turkey Trouble (1997), My Secret Valentine (1996), and Something Scary (1997), all published by Scholastic.
For middle-grade readers, Ms. Hermes’ books include Kevin Corbett Eats Flies and its sequel, Heads I Win, both International Reading Association’s Children’s Choices; Cheat the Moon (Little, Brown, 1998); and Sweet By and By (HarperCollins, 2002).
Books for young adults by Patricia Hermes include A Time to Listen: Preventing Youth Suicide, honored as a Best Book by the New York Library Association, and Mama, Let’s Dance, a School Library Journal Best Book for 1992.
Ms. Hermes’ latest venture is historical novels, with the publication of Calling Me Home (Avon, 1998), a Children’s Choice winner. She also contributed six books to Scholastic’s historical fiction series, My America, including Our Strange New Land (2000), Westward to Home (2001), and The Starving Time (2001).
More on Patricia Hermes’s books
Marcia Hoehne
The
publication of Marcia Hoehne’s first book,
A
Place of My Own (Crossway Books, 1993), was an exciting achievement in itself, but even
more so when the publisher requested that the author produce
three more books for a series called the
Adventures
of Jenna V.
Additional titles about life in Jenna V’s large family are A Pocket in My Heart (1994), The Fairy Tale Friend (1994), and Sunflower Girl (1995).
Two Caroline Grade mysteries, The Music Box Test and The Paper Route Treasure (Lion/Chariot Victor, 1994), feature math and word puzzles. Stay Away from the Swamp (1996) is a suspenseful addition to Tommy Nelson’s Spine Chillers series, published under the pseudonym of Fred E. Katz.
The Journey of Emilie (1999) is Ms. Hoehne’s contribution to The Immigrants’ Chronicles, a popular series published by Chariot Victor Publishing.
Ms. Hoehne’s magazine work has appeared in Pockets, Turtle, and Sunday school publications.
Daphne Hogstrom
Daphne
Hogstrom’s 22 books were written for young readers and published by Golden
Press, Whitman Press, and Rand McNally.
Her writing credits include Noni, Old King Cole, My Big Book of Finger Plays, The Real Book of First Pictures, and Little Boy Blue.
Ms. Hogstrom’s 100 stories, poems, plays, and puzzles have appeared in Jack And Jill, Golden Magazine, Child Life, Ranger Rick, and Junior Catholic Messenger, as well as Accent Magazine, Instructor Magazine, The Teacher, and Growing, a preschool quarterly for church teachers.
Her editorial work includes contributions to the Sheldon Basic Series and Open Gates (Allyn & Bacon), and the “All About Me” section for The Children’s Encyclopedia (Field Enterprises). For four years she edited “The Toy Box,” the children’s section of Bucks County Life, as well as book manuscripts for New Hope Publishing Company.
More on Daphne Hogstrom’s books
“I cannot say enough positive things about my instructor. When I began this course, my confidence in my own ability was shaky at best. Through her gentle coaxing and honest, straightforward advice, I have seen my writing blossom and grow into something I am truly proud of.”
—Luanne Alcorn, Honeoye Falls, NY
Kristi Holl
Kristi
Holl is a special person at the Institute of Children’s Literature.
In February 1980, her first story was published while she was a student in our course. She now has over 180 short stories and articles and 25 books to her credit.
Ms. Holl’s stories and articles have appeared in Jack And Jill, Child Life, Children’s Playmate, Touch, The Writer, and other magazines. Her first book, Just Like a Real Family (Atheneum, 1983), was nominated for children’s book awards in five states. The sequel to that book, No Strings Attached, was published by Atheneum in 1988.
Ms. Holl’s other children’s books include The Rose Beyond the Wall (1985), Footprints Up My Back (1984), Patchwork Summer (1987), First Things First (1986), Perfect or Not, Here I Come (1986), and Hidden in the Fog (1989). Footprints Up My Back and Perfect or Not, Here I Come were chosen as Junior Literary Guild selections.
Seven of her books are whodunits: Mystery By Mail (1983); Cast a Single Shadow (1985); The Haunting of Cabin 13 (1986)—all from Atheneum; Danger at Hanging Rock (David C. Cook, 1989); and the Carousel Mystery series (A Spin Out of Control, Deadly Disguise, and Stage Fright in 1998 and 1999). The Haunting of Cabin 13 won the 1990 Maryland Children’s Book Award.
Ms. Holl has enjoyed writing several series. Standard Publishing released the Julie McGregor series: Two of a Kind, Trusting in the Dark, A Change of Heart, and A Tangled Web (1990 and 1991). She also wrote for Tommy Nelson’s TodaysGirl.com series: Tangled Web, Chat Freak, 4GIVE & 4GET, and Fun E-Farm (2000 and 2001).
Her most recently published books are No Boys Allowed (Zonderkidz Press, 2004) and Writer’s First Aid: Getting Organized, Getting Inspired, and Sticking to It (Writer’s Institute Publications, 2003).
Even more . . .
H. M. Hoover
Award-winning
science fiction author H. M. Hoover has been writing for more than 23 years.
While most of Ms. Hoover’s 19 books are science fiction for young adults, she has published a historical novel for children, The Lion’s Cub (Four Winds Press), and a mythological/historical novel, The Dawn Palace: The Story of Medea (E. P. Dutton), which was an American Library Association Best Book in 1988. It won the Parents Choice Media Award, and a Notable Award in the field of social studies in 1989.
Another Heaven, Another Earth (Viking, 1981) was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. It also won the Ohioana Award, and in 1994 the American Library Association included it in their list of “101 Best of the Best in Young Adult Literature in the Last 25 Years.”
Ms. Hoover’s science fiction novel, Winds of Mars (Dutton, 1995), was selected for a Parents Choice Award, as were Orvis, The Dawn Palace, and Only Child.
Even more . . .
Jacqueline Horsfall
Jacqueline Horsfall
is
equally comfortable writing juvenile
fiction and nonfiction.
Ms. Horsfall’s stories, articles, activities, and poems—more than 200 to date—have appeared in popular children’s magazines such as Highlights for Children, Jack And Jill, Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine, Children’s Playmate, Guideposts for Kids, Calliope, Cobblestone, Pockets, Turtle, Your Big Backyard, Child Life, Listen, and My Friend. For two years she also wrote environmental articles for Current Health 1, a Weekly Reader publication for grades 4–7.
Ms. Horsfall also has several books to her credit. Play Lightly on the Earth: Nature Activities for Children 3 to 9 Years Old (Dawn, 1997), won a Parent’s Guide to Children’s Media Award (1998) and was translated into Japanese and German.
Her joke-and-riddle books, all published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., include: Kids’ Silliest Jokes (2002) and Kids’ Silliest Riddles (2002), both Scholastic Book Club selections; Giggle Fit: Dinosaur Jokes (2003), Giggle Fit: Funny Riddles (2003), and Super Goofy Jokes (2004).
More on Jacqueline Horsfall’s books
“When I was assigned my instructor, she immediately told me my strengths and weaknesses. She encouraged me to work on my nonfiction writing, because she felt I was stronger in that area. Boy, was she right! I’m currently writing for my local paper.”
—Linda S. Dupie, 29 Palms, CA
Amy Houts
Amy Houts is the award-winning author of more than ten books for young people.
Her prize-winning books include Dora the Explorer: Safety (Learning Horizons, 2004), which was awarded Creative Child magazine’s “Seal of Excellence,” and Winifred Witch and Her Very Own Cat (Dalmatian Press, 2001), which won second place in the Best Juvenile Book category for the Missouri Writers’ Guild. Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids (instructors Unlimited, 2001) was winner of the Missouri Writers’ Guild Walter Williams Major Work Award.
Her most recent books are Dora the Explorer: Ready for School (Learning Horizons, 2006) and Cooking Around the Country with Kids: American Regional Food & Fun (instructors Unlimited, 2006).
Ms. Houts’s numerous short stories, nonfiction articles, poetry, and plays have appeared in Ladybug, Babybug, Lollipops, and Holidays and Seasonal Celebrations. She has also written adult nonfiction for Unity, VFW, and Rural Missouri.
More than 250 of her articles have appeared in her local newspaper, where Ms. Houts spent six years as a features writer/reporter.
Gail Jarrow
Gail
Jarrow began her publishing career by combining her love of science and writing.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from Duke University, Ms. Jarrow taught mathematics and science to grades four through eight for five years. Then she earned a master’s degree from Dartmouth College and took advanced courses in writing and editing at Cornell University. She took the final step in her preparation for publication when she enrolled in the Institute’s course, Writing for Children and Teenagers.
As a student, Ms. Jarrow sold children’s science magazine articles and a short story. Since then she has sold both fiction and nonfiction to magazines such as Highlights for Children, Child Life, Spider, Faces, and Cricket.
Science carried over to her books, as well. Naked Mole-Rats (Carolrhoda, 1996) and The Naked Mole-Rat Mystery: Scientific Sleuths at Work (Lerner, 1996) won national awards including the National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children. Her other nonfiction books are Animal Babysitters (Grolier/Watts, 2001); Animals Attack! Bears (2003); Animals Attack! Rhinos (2003); Chiggers (2003); Hookworms (2003); and A Medieval Castle (2004), all published by KidHaven Press.
Ms. Jarrow’s fiction titles include That Special Someone (Berkeley, 1985), The Two-Ton Secret (Avon, 1989), and If Phyllis Were Here (Houghton Mifflin, 1987), which was favorably reviewed by School Library Journal and Booklist. Beyond the Magic Sphere (Harcourt Brace, 1994) was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection.
More on Gail Jarrow’s books
Even more . . .
Kathryn Jensen
Kathryn
Jensen (who also writes as Nicole Davidson and K. M. Kimball) is the author of numerous articles
and more than 40 novels published by Avon, Silhouette, Macmillan, Scholastic,
Pocket, Simon & Schuster, and Ballantine.
She wrote her critically acclaimed novels, Sing To Me, Saigon (1994) and Couples (1995), for Pocket Books. Her romance titles for Silhouette Books, including Time and Again (1996), Angel’s Child (1997), The Twelve-Month Marriage (1997), I Married a Prince (1997), The Earl’s Secret (2001), and The Secret Prince (2002), have won her a devoted following.
Writing for younger readers, she has combined two popular genres—the historical and mystery novel—as an entertaining way of involving children in American history. The Star-Spangled Secret was published by Simon & Schuster in 2001, and The Secret of the Red Flame appeared in bookstores in 2002.
Ms. Jensen’s writing career began when she was a young mother of two with a correspondence course offered by the Writer’s Institute. That was over twenty years ago.
Since that time, Ms. Jensen has worn many literary hats: literary agent, coordinating editor for a ten-book fiction series, guest speaker, and dedicated literacy advocate. She frequently visits libraries, schools, and clubs to speak about the importance and joy of reading and writing.
Ms. Jensen is a member of the Author’s Guild, Mystery Writers of America, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Romance Writers of America.
More on Kathryn Jensen’s books
Books under K. M. Kimball pen name
Books under Nicole Davidson pen name
“From the start, my instructor…has commended my originality and appreciated my humor….Her letters to me have been encouraging, and her suggestions…show me she has tapped into my thinking.”
—Patricia W. Henard, Highlands, TX
Cheryl Fusco Johnson
Cheryl
Fusco Johnson has sold over 170 newspaper and magazine pieces.
Her fiction for children has been published in Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine, Pockets, The Friend, Wee Wisdom, Instructor, and other national magazines.
She’s made nonfiction sales to Cricket, Ranger Rick, Crayola Kids, and other children’s and adult publications.
Her picture book, Friends Together: The Calico Cat, was published by Random House in 1995, and Ms. Johnson has also successfully marketed material to educational publishers.
Her author profiles, reviews of children’s and young adult books, and how-to-write articles have appeared in many regional and national publications, including Writer’s Handbook, The Writer, and The Iowan.
Ms. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, where she served as Articles Editor of the Washington Law Review.
More on Cheryl Fusco Johnson’s books
Veda Boyd Jones
Veda
Boyd Jones is the author of 36 books and over 250 articles and stories.
Her children’s book credits include nine nonfiction books for Chelsea House, including biographies of Selena, Tara Lipinski, and Thomas Jefferson; a book on the totem pole Indians for Lucent; four historical novels in the American Adventure series for Barbour Books; a picture book on caves by Seedling Publications; and even a coloring book.
Ms. Jones’s work for children has appeared in Highlights for Children, Pockets, Hopscotch, Boys’ Quest, Cricket, Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine, and other national magazines. In 1993, she won the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition in the articles division for a children’s profile of Rachel Carson.
Her work has appeared in reference books and adult magazines, including The Writer, Country America, Woman’s World, and Harris’ Farmer’s Almanac.
More on Veda Boyd Jones’s books
Verla
Kay has seven historical fiction picture books to her credit, all published by
G. P. Putnam’s Sons. The secret to her success is her special brand of
“cryptic
rhyme”—short, descriptive phrases that paint vivid pictures. This unique method
of storytelling has earned her books many honors over the years.
Ms. Kay’s most recent titles are Orphan Train (2003) and Homespun Sarah (2003), nominated for both the 2006 Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award and the Virginia Reader’s Choice Award.
Broken Feather (2002) was named a Best Book of the Year by Bank Street College of Education in New York, and Tattered Sails (2001) was selected by the Children’s Book Council as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Her other picture book credits include Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails (2000), Iron Horses (1999), and Gold Fever (1999).
Ms. Kay is Regional Advisor for the Inland Empire (eastern Washington and northern Idaho) Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
“My instructor has been so helpful, kind, patient, witty, and a thousand other adjectives! Not once has he ever been unkind or sarcastic in his ‘suggestions.’ He has INSPIRED me to strive harder to achieve my goal. He is ‘friend’ as well as ‘teacher’ and, in my opinion, that is a rare quality.”
—Mae Lowry, Las Vegas, NV
Jane Kendall
Jane
Kendall’s first novel,
Miranda and the Movies (Crown, 1989) was published to rave reviews.
Publishers Weekly wrote, “With its excellent period detail, this novel makes a little-known part of cinema live again. Miranda sparkles, and the various personalities of [the American Moving Picture Company] shine realistically. Subplots and conflicts flesh out the story into a very satisfying novel.” The author, wrote Booklist, “does a marvelous job of integrating this particular period with the story of the rambunctious Miranda.”
Miranda and the Movies grew out of Ms. Kendall’s love of silent film history and her desire to share the freewheeling world of the film pioneers with a young audience. The critically acclaimed novel was a Junior Library Guild selection for advanced readers, and it was chosen as a Notable Social Studies book. In 1999, Harcourt Brace reissued Miranda and the Movies and published the sequel, Miranda Goes to Hollywood.
Ms. Kendall also did the text, illustration, and design for The Nutcracker: A Ballet Cut-Out Book (David R. Godine, 1985), which was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Christmas catalogue.
Ms. Kendall is a senior writer for Greenwich (CT) Magazine, and since 1993 has written more than 50 feature articles for the magazine. She has written on silent film history for the New York Times and she has been a fashion and social history columnist for the Brooks and Gannet newspaper chains.
More on Jane Kendall’s books
Even more . . .
Shirley Keran
Shirley
Keran’s educational software is used in classrooms throughout the United
States and Canada.
Her credits include Show Time, an award-winning software program on playwriting for the Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation; The Oregon Trail, a national bestseller dealing with the harrowing trip made by 19th-century pioneers; Writing a Character Sketch; Writing a Narrative; and writing programs for Humanities Software.
Ms. Keran’s complete list of published credits is long and varied, and includes her book, Underwater Specialists (Crestwood Books), articles, short stories, and poetry. She is a regular contributor to Prescription Learning’s magazine for young people.
As a writer for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich’s children’s encyclopedia, she has written on a wide range of topics.
Marylou Morano Kjelle
Marylou
Morano Kjelle’s first nonfiction book,
The Waco Siege (2002), was published by Chelsea House
Publishers. It was followed by Helping
Hands: A City and a Nation Lend Support at Ground Zero, also published
by Chelsea House (2003).
Biographical writing is Ms. Kjelle’s favorite type of nonfiction. For Raymond Damadian and the Story of MRI (Mitchell Lane, 2003), Ms. Kjelle interviewed her subject, Dr. Raymond Damadian, often called the “Father of Diagnostic Medicine” because of his invention of MRI.
To write a collective biography, Hitler’s Henchmen (Lucent, 2003), Ms. Kjelle researched the lives of five of Hitler’s deputies, often studying documents that were over 50 years old.
Ms. Kjelle also writes picture books. Hailed by educators for its fresh approach, Sometimes I Wish My Mom Was Two People (MoranoCo Publishing, 1996), Ms. Kjelle’s first picture book, was written for children to help them cope with the life transitions caused by divorce.
More on Marylou Morano Kjelle’s books
“I always feel great when I get an assignment back from my instructor and read her comments. I can tell she took the time to really consider what I was trying to accomplish in a story.”
—Angela Larson, Daytona Beach, FL
Christine Kohler
Christine
Kohler’s writing career is proof that an unknown writer can make it out of the
slush pile to publication.
In 1982, she submitted a children’s book to an editor at Concordia Publishing. The editor wrote and said he was interested in her picture storybook and had sent it to committee for consideration. So Ms. Kohler mailed him another children’s book she had written. Concordia not only bought both books, but requested Ms. Kohler write a fiction series. The Growing Up Christian series was published in 1985 with four titles: Jesus Makes Me Well; My Friend Is Moving; Help Me, I’m Lost; and I Help the Handicapped.
She has since had two more titles published: Teacher’s Guide & Video Game Book for Acts (BibleVision and Zondervan, 1988) and For a Better Life (Steck-Vaughn/Harcourt, 2003). For a Better Life, a high interest/low vocabulary nonfiction book for middle-grade students, includes some of Ms. Kohler’s own photographs.
Ms. Kohler has taught middle and high school English and journalism at three private schools in Florida and Texas. She also worked at daily newspapers as a reporter, photojournalist, and foreign correspondent covering the West Pacific for Gannett, and as an editor and copy editor for Hearst.
Christine Kohler is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Writers’ League of Texas.
More on Christine Kohler’s books
Barbara Kramer
Barbara
Kramer’s first three young adult biographies, all written for Enslow
Publishers, were about prominent novelists—Alice Walker, Amy Tan, and Toni
Morrison.
Alice Walker: Author of The Color Purple (1995) was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Amy Tan: Author of The Joy Luck Club (1996) made the same list in 1997. Toni Morrison: Nobel Prize-Winning Author (1996) was a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies in 1997.
Ken Griffey Junior: All-Around All-Star (Lerner, 1996), a book recommended for reluctant readers, and three books about astronauts followed: Neil Armstrong: The First Man on the Moon (1997), Sally Ride: A Space Biography (1998), and John Glenn: A Space Biography (1998). All were written for Enslow, as were her biographies of Ron Howard, Tipper Gore, Madeleine Albright, and Tom Hanks.
Ms. Kramer has written two collective biographies: Trailblazing American Women: First in Their Fields (2000) and The Founders of Famous Food Companies (2002).
She has also ventured into writing historical biographies: George Washington Carver: Scientist and Inventor (2002), and Mahalia Jackson: The Voice of Gospel and Civil Rights (2002). Meet the Famous Astronaut—Neil Armstrong (2003) is targeted for readers four to eight years of age.
More on Barbara Kramer’s books
Virginia Kroll
The
diversity of Virginia Kroll’s subjects is amply reflected in the more than 30
books and over 1,600 juvenile magazine items she has had published.
Among her many award-winning titles, Masai and I (Four Winds Press, 1992) was on Publishers Weekly’s list of the best 50 books of 1992, and Sweet Magnolia (Charlesbridge, 1995) was given the KIND award for the best book of 1996.
The Seasons and Someone (Harcourt Brace, 1994) was an American Booksellers Pick of the List (1994), and Butterfly Boy (Boyds Mills Press, 1997) was named Best Picture Book of 1997 by the Society of School Librarians International. Ms. Kroll’s most recent book is Equal Schmequal (Charlesbridge, 2005).
Ms. Kroll’s work has also appeared in over 60 publications including Highlights for Children, Cricket, Babybug, Spider, Ladybug, Wee Wisdom, and Story Friends.
More on Virginia Kroll’s books
“My instructor knew I was frightened at the beginning and put me at ease. She has never told me ‘what to do’ but has suggested a better way. I feel only encouraged, never put down. I really look forward to her comments on each assignment.”
—Joan Hill, Plymouth, IN
Elaine Landau
Elaine Landau is the author of more than 200 books.
Her most recent titles include Alzheimer’s Disease (Franklin Watts, 2005), which was called an “excellent overview” by School Library Journal and a “well-researched, clearly written presentation” by Booklist.
“Landau, who is known for her solid research, applies her considerable talents here . . .” noted Booklist in its review of her book Osama bin Laden: A War Against the West (21st Century Books, 2002). The book was named one of Booklist’s Top Ten Biographies for Youth and was selected for the NCSS/CBC list, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies. The title was also a Society of School Librarians International Book Award Honor Book.
Ms. Landau’s book Heroine of the Titanic: The Real Unsinkable Molly Brown (Clarion, 2001) received a starred review in School Library Journal. It was also placed on the following lists: VOYA Nonfiction Honor List; the 76th Annual Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended List; The New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age; and NCSS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books.
In comparing her book, The Statue of Liberty, to others on the subject, Newsweek magazine (June 4, 2004) described Ms. Landau’s book as a “standout for kids.”
Jane Landreth
Jane
Landreth has been writing for children for more than 25 years.
The latest of her over 600 fiction and nonfiction works have appeared in Primary Treasures, On the Line, Story Mates, Partners, Kidz Chat, Live Wire, Discovery Trails, Power Station, Counselor, and Our Little Friends.
Even though her first love is writing for children, Ms. Landreth also writes for teachers and parents. Some of the teacher magazines in which her work has been published include: Resource, Teacher Interaction, Parish Teacher, Christian Education Counselor, Shining Star, Bible Pathways, Religious Teachers Journal, and others.
Some of the parenting magazines in which her work has appeared include: Living with Preschoolers, Living with Children, Homelife, Christian Home, and The Family Digest.
For 10 years Ms. Landreth wrote a teacher learning center column for Church Educator, a magazine published by Educational Ministries, Inc. She also co-authored six books with this Christian educational publisher.
“I was a bit scared at first, but my instructor put me at ease right from the start. She asks questions about my writing interests and goals, and sets me in the right direction. Already, she’s got me sending for magazine samples. I can’t wait for my next lesson!”
—Ann Reynolds, Coral Springs, FL
Kirby Larson
It
would be 10 years before The Magic Kerchief, an original folktale
by Kirby Larson, was polished to her satisfaction.
Her hard work paid off: The book won, among other awards, the Oppenheim Platinum Award, the Story Teller World Award, and Bank Street College of Education Best Book; it was also nominated for the South Dakota Prairie Bud (Young Reader’s Choice) Award.
While she loves writing picture books, Ms. Larson’s passion is chapter books. Her two chapter books, Second Grade Pig Pals, a Seattle Times Best Book for first and second graders, and Cody and Quinn, Sitting in a Tree, nominated for the Show Me (Missouri Children’s Choice) Award, both published by Holiday House, continue to generate the most fan mail of any of her books. Ms. Larson also ghost wrote for the Sweet Valley Kids’ series.
For the last 20 years, Ms. Larson has been a frequent contributor of children’s devotional materials to Augsburg-Fortress Publishers.
She has had more than 150 articles, stories, and columns published in numerous periodicals for children and adults, including Cricket Magazine, The Lutheran, Pacific, Pacific Northwest Magazine, and Signposts.
Judith Logan Lehne
For
the past 15 years, Judith Logan Lehne has concentrated on children’s writing,
and her work has been published in Highlights
for Children (and given their Outstanding Author Award for
“The
Ragman’s Music”), Cricket,
Children’s
Playmate, Spider, Creative
Classroom, The
Friend, and Merlyn’s Pen.
Ms. Lehne’s books include Kangaroos for Kids (Gareth Stevens, 2000), Coyote Girl (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1995), When the Ragman Sings (HarperCollins, 1993), and The Never-Be-Bored Book (Sterling Publishing, 1992).
Her stories and articles have been anthologized in the Celebrate Reading series for teachers (Scott-Foresman, 1993, 1995, 2000), The Blue Darter (Boyds Mills Press, 1995), Jack’s Best Boots (Boyds Mills Press, 1993), and Sports: Prime Time Library (Essential Learning Products, 1992).
More on Judith Logan Lehne’s books
Suzanne Lieurance
Suzanne
Lieurance is a full-time freelance writer and the author of 12 books for
children.
Her books include Kidding Around Kansas City (John Muir Publications, 1997); Shoelaces (Grolier/ Children’s Press, 2000); and School Projects For Pennies (Publications International, 2000).
She is also the author of three books in Enslow’s In American History series: The Prohibition Era (2003); The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and Sweatshop Reform (2003); and The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (2001).
Although she’s now a full-time freelance writer, for many years Ms. Lieurance was a high school English and reading teacher, working at a variety of schools. No matter where she taught, Ms. Lieurance always tried to find time to write.
She managed to have short stories and articles published in magazines including The Friend, Instructor, New Moon, and Once Upon A Time. She was formerly a co-regional advisor for her local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a position which led to her first book, Kidding Around Kansas City, which she co-authored with Lisa Harkrader.
As a full-time freelancer she often works for educational publishers (like Harcourt and Flying Rhino), writing everything from assessment materials to complete resource books.
In addition to books, magazine articles, and short stories, Ms. Lieurance writes an online column for children’s writers at the Word Museum website. She is also a contributing editor for Tutor House Software.
More on Suzanne Lieurance’s books
“The words I would like to use to describe my instructor are: supportive, encouraging, professional, comfortable, and positive. I love the way she grasps what I’m trying to get across and never tries to limit my style.”
—Corrine Dolezal, Marshalltown, IA
Susan Ludwig
An
author, teacher, curriculum and education writer, and former national magazine
editor, Susan Ludwig knows exactly what it takes to launch a successful writing
career.
Her own writing credits include three books and two plays for children, among them Exam Cram ACT (Que Publishing, 2005) and the best-selling teacher’s resource, 24 Ready-to-Go Genre Book Reports (Scholastic Professional Books, 2002).
As a playwright, Ms. Ludwig is the author of Explore and Explain: A Play About Spanish Explorers and the New World (Discovery Enterprises, 2003) and This is Our New Country: A Play About Citizenship (Discovery Enterprises, 2003).
Her short articles have also been published in a wide range of magazines, including Today’s Parent, Wonder Years, and Teaching PreK-8. Ms. Ludwig is a contributing writer for Duke University’s quarterly Gifted newsletter, where she writes about education, schools, and curriculum issues. She is also the former editor of SWIM magazine (now USMS Swimmer).
Marcia Amidon Lüsted
Marcia
Amidon Lüsted
realized how challenging and how much fun writing
nonfiction could be when she wrote The Holy City of Jerusalem (Lucent
Books, 2002) for young readers.
While she was writing the book, she utilized many different sources in order to research nearly three thousand years of Jerusalem’s history and explain how the ancient city was continually built, destroyed, and rebuilt. The resulting bibliography, which she compiled for the book, was pronounced “excellent” by School Library Journal.
Ms. Lüsted has also written numerous other titles in the Lucent Books’ series Building History, including The National Mall (2005), The Chunnel (2005), A Nuclear Power Plant (2004), and The Canals of Venice (2003).
As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Ms. Lüsted has attended numerous conferences in Iowa and New England. She is also listed in a Gale Research publication, Something about the Author, which can be found in the reference section at most public libraries.
More on Marcia Amidon Lüsted’s books
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