Horowitz, Dave 1973(?)-

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Horowitz, Dave 1973(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1973, in Smithtown, NY.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Rosedale, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, G.P. Putnam, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Worked as a guide with Eastern Mountain Sports, NY climbing school.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Book, for A Monkey among Us.

WRITINGS:

(With S. Peter Lewis) Selected Climbs in the Northeast: Rock, Alpine, and Ice Routes from the Gunks to Acadia (for adults), Mountaineers Books (Seattle, WA), 2003.

SELF ILLUSTRATED

A Monkey among Us, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 2004.

Soon, Baboon, Soon, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

The Ugly Pumpkin, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

Beware of Tigers, Putnam (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Before Dave Horowitz began writing and illustrating picture books, he played drums, worked in an office in New York City, and climbed rocks, professionally. "Then I got too old for that," he explained on his home page. Horowitz's titles feature rhyming monkeys, primate percussion sections, and even a pumpkin version of Hans Christian Andersen's well-known tale "The Ugly Duckling."

A Monkey among Us, Horowitz's first picture book, features four short tales describing animal antics ranging from mischievous monkeys to humorous hippos. "This foray into monkey business will elicit a large share of laughter," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor, who considered the work a "charming picture book debut." A critic for Kirkus Reviews called A Monkey among Us "a brief but engaging showcase," while Booklist reviewer Jennifer Mattson found Horowitz's "word collections … as hilarious to hear and say as their representations are to see."

An impatient triangle player is the hero of Soon Baboon Soon. Baboon desperately wants to play his triangle in the band, but all his bandmates tell him to wait. Finally, in the finale, he has his moment to shine. Horowitz brings his own drumming experience to the title, while the book's illustrations feature monkeys and apes playing various percussion instruments. According to a Kirkus Reviews contributor, Horowitz "captures the exuberant vibe with a … blend of wild typography and supple, stylized figures." A Publishers Weekly critic noted that Horowitz begins his self-illustrated story in drawings on the book's front papers and extends his conclusion beyond the text onto the endpapers. The critic also called the tale a "rollicking read," while Julie Roach wrote in School Library Journal that "reading this work aloud is the next best thing to hearing a live concert."

Horowitz's third title, The Ugly Pumpkin, is a Thanksgiving spin on "The Ugly Duckling," featuring a strangely shaped, ugly pumpkin as the star of the tale. No one wants an ugly pumpkin at Halloween, so it is not until Thanksgiving rolls around that the pumpkin discovers he is actually a beautiful squash. Susan Weitz, writing in School Library Journal, considered the tale "a charming book … with a happy and surprising ending," while a Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that there is "plenty of visual flash" to draw readers in. A Publishers Weekly critic pointed out that Horowitz's "expressive hand-lettered pages convey strong emotion."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2004, Jennifer Mattson, review of A Monkey among Us, p. 1742.

Book World, October 16, 2003, Elizabeth Ward, review of The Ugly Pumpkin, p. 11.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 2005, Elizabeth Bush, review of The Ugly Pumpkin, p. 19.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2004, review of A Monkey among Us, p. 442; January 15, 2005, review of Soon, Baboon, Soon, p. 121; July 1, 2005, review of The Ugly Pumpkin, p. 736.

Publishers Weekly, April 26, 2004, review of A Monkey among Us, p. 64; March 21, 2005, review of Soon, Baboon, Soon, p. 50; August 1, 2005, review of The Ugly Pumpkin, p. 63.

School Library Journal, July, 2004, Robyn Walker, review of A Monkey among Us, p. 78; April, 2005, Julie Roach, review of Soon, Baboon, Soon, p. 99; August, 2005, Susan Weitz, review of The Ugly Pumpkin, p. 97.