Fine, Edith Hope

views updated

Fine, Edith Hope

PERSONAL: Born in MI; daughter of Lawrence F. (a mechanical engineer) and Gertrude W. (a librarian, community volunteer) Hope; children: Michael S., Gregory S. Education: Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A., 1965. Hobbies and other interests: Recycling, composting, reading, politics and international relations, swimming.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Enslow Publishers, Box 398, 40 Industrial Rd., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-0398.

CAREER: Teacher, 1965–95; writer, beginning 1980; San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, teacher, 1985–2003.

MEMBER: California Reading Association, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (San Diego chapter), American Association of University Women, California Association of Teachers of English, Voices of Women.

AWARDS, HONORS: EDPress Award for Excellence for Juvenile Feature; Smithsonian Notable Children's Book designation; Parents' Choice Silver Honor; Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People designation.

WRITINGS:

The Python and Anaconda, edited by Judy Lockwood, Crestwood House (Mankato, MN), 1988.

The Turtle and Tortoise, edited by Judy Lockwood, Crestwood House (Mankato, MN), 1988.

(With Pat Dorff and Judith A. Josephson) File—Don't Pile!: For People Who Write: Handling the Paper Flow in the Workplace or Home Office, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Barbara McClintock: Nobel Prize Geneticist, Enslow Publishers (Springfield, NJ), 1998.

(With Judith P. Josephson) Nitty-Gritty Grammar: A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication, Ten Speed Press (Berkeley, CA), 1998.

Under the Lemon Moon, illustrated by René King Moreno, Lee & Low Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Gary Paulsen: Author and Wilderness Adventurer, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

Snapshots, Bebop Books (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Judith P. Josephson) More Nitty-Gritty Grammar: Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication, Ten Speed Press (Berkeley, CA), 2001.

CryptoMania!: Teleporting into Greek and Latin with the CryptoKids, illustrated by Kim Doner, Tricycle Press (Berkeley, CA), 2004.

Rosa Parks: Meet a Civil-Rights Hero, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Cricket at the Manger, illustrated by Winslow Pels, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2005.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Champion of Civil Rights, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2006.

WORK IN PROGRESS: "Three books, one set in Mexico, coauthored with Judith P. Josephson, for Lee & Low; one set during the Yukon gold rush; and one about early automotive history, plus hundreds others waiting backstage."

SIDELIGHTS: Edith Hope Fine once commented: "I'm crazy about books! I grew up reading, starting with comic books like Little Lulu and Scrooge McDuck. I wrote a zany dictionary with I was twelve—inventing words and making up definitions. My mother, who also loved words, typed it for me. She put the pages into a small notebook, which showed me that words are cool and that she valued my ideas. Today I still read everything I can get my hands on: kids' books, young-adult books, novels, mysteries, newspapers, billboards, cereal boxes….

"Some books are meant to be savored. I read them slowly. Their rhythmic, wondrous sentences beg to be read over and over. Out loud. And sometimes a book is so funny or poignant or moving or ethical that the minute I finish, I'll go right back to the beginning and start again, this time watching for clues as to how the writer swept me into the story.

"After years of teaching, I started writing seriously in 1980—for newspapers and magazines (both for adults and children). I wrote a weekly newspaper column for thirteen years—that cured me of writer's block, for sure. Since 1989, I've written thirteen books, three of them with colleague Judith P. Josephson. My book club meets monthly and my writing group has met every other Wednesday since 1989. My Cryptomania!: Teleporting into Greek and Latin with the CryptoKids has evolved into the CryptoKids Decoder Program, now in use across the country, helping young readers teleport into Greek and Latin roots.

"I speak often at conferences and do author visits at schools and libraries. I salute teachers and librarians—they forge on, never knowing the full impact of their important work.

"When I'm not writing or reading, you'll find me at the swimming pool or walking, making soup (I love soup) or baking, watching old-time movies, doing Sudokus or jigsaw puzzles, knitting, having fun with friends, family, and four grands, e-mailing pals around the country, and composting and recycling (I've been dubbed the 'Recycling Queen'). I pay attention to what's going on in the world and believe we can all work together for fairness and justice on this small blue marble we call home.

"My advice to new writers? Start now—today! This minute! And persist. Be original. Believe in yourself."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of Barbara McClintock: Nobel Prize Geneticist, p. 848; Mary 15, 1999, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 1702; February 15, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Rosa Parks: Meet a Civil-Rights Hero, p. 1073; September 1, 2005, Julie Cummins, review of Cricket at the Manger, p. 144.

Instructor, October, 2001, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 18.

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2005, review of Cricket at the Manger, p. 1193.

Library Journal, June 1, 1998, Lisa J. Cihlar, review of Nitty-Gritty Grammar: A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication, p. 108.

Parents, June, 2002, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 126.

Plays, October, 1999, review of Nitty-Gritty Grammar, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, Mary 4, 1998, review of Nitty-Gritty Grammar, p. 200; April 19, 1999, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 72.

School Education, May, 2000, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 14.

School Library Journal, March, 1989, Karey Wehner, review of The Python and Anaconda, p. 190; March, 1999, Ann G. Brouse, review of Barbara McClintock, p. 220; April, 1999, Ann Welton, review of Under the Lemon Moon, p. 94; September, 2000, Carol Faziolo, review of Gary Paulsen: Author and Wilderness Adventurer, p. 244; November, 2004, Lynda Ritterman, review of CryptoMania!: Teleporting into Greek and Latin with the CryptoKids, p. 143.

Writer, August, 1999, review of Nitty-Gritty Grammar, p. 47.