I grew up in Hollywood, California, the middle of three sisters. I
did not discover books that I loved until the age of eight, when I
decided to become a writer. My father encouraged me and advised that I
keep my ears open; he said I’d find stories everywhere if I paid
attention. Where he was taciturn and shy socially, my mom was a live
wire and a born storyteller. They had a long and happy marriage.
I studied English literature in college but was not a stellar
student. I worried that I'd end up a teacher of kids who would be just
like me.
My husband, René, is a Frenchman whom I met when he came to Los
Angeles on a visit. When we got married I had just finished
college and he had just established his Rare Book Restoration business.
I was thinking about what to do next and how to earn a living. René
said, “The bravest, kindest, most interesting people I have met in
America are librarians." Hearing this was like trying on a skirt
that fit perfectly. I earned a Master's degree in Library and
Information Science.
Hired in 1972 as a children’s librarian at the Los Angeles Public
Library, I discovered children’s literature, learned how to tell
stories, found out what kids like to read, and taught preschoolers how
to make their fingers into eency weency spiders. My husband had been
right about librarians: they are brave, kind, and interesting people. I
loved my work, but I wanted to be a writer, too.
In the 1980's I promoted to Juvenile Materials Collection
Development Manager, joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and
Illustrators, became active in the American Library Association, and
began reviewing children's books for print journals. Beginning in 1989,
I wrote four picture books and a chapter book, Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe.
After a long, terrible period of writer's block I finished a story called The Higher Power of Lucky
(Simon & Schuster/Atheneum/A Richard Jackson Book, 2006). It was
awarded the 2007 Newbery Medal. Another story about Lucky is in the
works.
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