Krull, Kathleen 1952–

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Krull, Kathleen 1952–

(Kathleen Cowles, Kathryn Kenny, Kevin Kenny)

PERSONAL:

Born July 29, 1952, in Fort Leonard Wood, MO; daughter of Kenneth (an artists' representative) and Helen (a counselor) Krull; married (marriage ended); married Paul W. Brewer (an artist and writer), October 31, 1989; stepchildren: Jacqui, Melanie. Education: Lawrence University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1974. Hobbies and other interests: Music, gardening, quilting, travel.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Diego, CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Author. Harper & Row Publishers, Evanston, IL, editorial assistant, 1973-74; Western Publishing, Racine, WI, associate editor, 1974-79; Raintree Publishers, Milwaukee, WI, managing editor, 1979-82; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, San Diego, CA, senior editor, 1982-84; freelance writer, 1984—. Speaker at writer's and librarian conferences and workshops; former teacher at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.

MEMBER:

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, Children's Book Council (CBC)/National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), 1980, for Sometimes My Mom Drinks Too Much; Chicago Book Clinic Award, 1980, for Beginning to Learn about Colors; New York Art Directors Club Award, 1980, for Beginning to Learn about Shapes; Notable Book designation, American Library Association (ALA), for I Hear America Singing; ALA Best Books for Young Adults selection, for The Book of Rock Stars; Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, for V Is for Victory; Jane Addams Picture Book Award, Jane Addams Peace Association, ALA Notable Book designation, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, New York Public Library, and Parents' Choice Award, all for Wilma Unlimited; Golden Kite Honor Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, ALA Notable Book designation, PEN West Children's Literature Award, and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award, 1993, all for Lives of the Musicians; ALA Best Books for Young Adults selection, Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts designation, and International Reading Association (IRA) Teacher's Choice citation, all for Lives of the Writers; IRA Teacher's Choice citation, and 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, New York Public Library, both for Lives of the Artists; IRA Teacher's Choice citation, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, New York Public Library, and Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, CBC/NCSS, all for Lives of the Athletes; Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, 1998, for Lives of the Presidents; Jane Addams Picture Book Award, ALA Notable Book designation, Carter G. Woodson Honor Book Award, and NCSS, Americas Award Honor designation, all 2003, and Christopher Award, 2004, all for Harvesting Hope; CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, New York Public Library, both for A Woman for President; ALA Notable Book designation, and CBC/NCSS Outstanding Science Book of the Year honor, both 2006, both for Leonardo da Vinci; ALA Notable Book designation, 2006, for Isaac Newton; ALA Notable Book designation, CBC/NCSS Outstanding Science Book of the Year designation, and Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, all 2006, all for Sigmund Freud.

WRITINGS:

FICTION; FOR CHILDREN

(Under house pseudonym Kathryn Kenny) Trixie Belden and the Hudson River Mystery, Western Publishing (Racine, WI), 1979.

(Under pseudonym Kevin Kenny; with mother, Helen Krull) Sometimes My Mom Drinks Too Much, illustrated by Helen Cogancherry, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Alex Fitzgerald's Cure for Nightmares, illustrated by Irene Trivas, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1990, revised edition, illustrated by Wendy Edelson, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1998.

Alex Fitzgerald, TV Star, illustrated by Irene Trivas, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991, revised edition, illustrated by Wendy Edelson, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1998.

Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead, illustrated by Enrique Sanchez, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Clip, Clip, Clip: Three Stories about Hair, illustrated by Paul Brewer, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2002.

(Compiler and adapter) A Pot o' Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of Course) Blarney, illustrated by David McPhail, Hyperion Books (New York, NY), 2004.

How to Trick or Treat in Outer Space, illustrated by Paul Brewer, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2004.

"BEGINNING TO LEARN ABOUT" SERIES; WITH RICHARD L. ALLINGTON

Colors, illustrated by Noel Spangler, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1979.

Shapes, illustrated by Lois Ehlert, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1979.

Numbers, illustrated by Tom Garcia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1979.

Opposites, illustrated by Eulala Conner, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1979.

Hearing, illustrated by Wayne Dober, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Looking, illustrated by Bill Bober, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Tasting, illustrated by Noel Spangler, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Smelling, illustrated by Lee Gatzke, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Feelings, illustrated by Brian Cody, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Touching, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Thinking, illustrated by Tom Garcia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Writing, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Reading, illustrated by Joel Naprstek, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Talking, illustrated by Rick Thrun, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Spring, illustrated by Lynn Uhde, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1981.

Summer, illustrated by Dennis Hockerman, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1981.

Winter, illustrated by John Wallner, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1981.

Autumn, illustrated by Bruce Bond, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1981.

Letters, illustrated by Tom Garcia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

Words, illustrated by Ray Cruz, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

Stories, illustrated by Helen Cogancherry, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

Science, illustrated by James Teason, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

Time, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

Measuring, illustrated by Noel Spangler, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1983.

NONFICTION; FOR CHILDREN

(Piano arranger) The Christmas Carol Sampler, illustrated by Margaret Cusack, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1983.

(Piano arranger and editor) Songs of Praise, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1989.

Gonna Sing My Head Off! American Folk Songs for Children, illustrated by Allen Garns, Knopf (New York, NY), 1992, republished, with compact disc, as I Hear America Singing: Folk Songs for American Families, Knopf (New York, NY), 2003.

It's My Earth, Too: How I Can Help the Earth Stay Alive, illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992.

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1993.

Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

V Is for Victory: America Remembers World War II, Knopf (New York, NY), 1995.

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph became the World's Fastest Woman, illustrated by David Diaz, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Wish You Were Here: Emily's Guide to the Fifty States, illustrated by Amy Schwartz, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1997.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

They Saw the Future: Psychics, Oracles, Scientists, Inventors, and Pretty Good Guessers, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1999.

A Kid's Guide to America's Bill of Rights: Curfews, Censorship, and the 100-Pound Giant, illustrated by Anna DiVito, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought), illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Supermarket, illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2001.

M Is for Music, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2003.

What Really Happened in Roswell?: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) about UFOs and Aliens, illustrated by Chris Santoro, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, illustrated by Yuli Morales, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

The Book of Rock Stars: Twenty-four Musical Icons That Shine through History, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2003.

The Night the Martians Landed: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) about Invaders from Mars, illustrated by Christopher Santoro, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Random House (New York, NY), 2004.

A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Walker & Company (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Anne Elizabeth Rector) Anne Elizabeth's Diary: A Young Artist's True Story, illustrated by Anne Elizabeth Rector, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2004.

Houdini: World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King, illustrated by Eric Velasquez, Walker & Company (New York, NY), 2005.

Pocahontas: Princess of the New World, illustrated by David Diaz, Walker & Company (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Far Away Places, Viking (New York, NY), 2003.

"WORLD OF MY OWN" NONFICTION SERIES

City within a City: How Kids Live in New York's Chinatown, with photographs by David Hautzig, Lodestar (New York, NY), 1994.

The Other Side: How Kids Live in a California Latino Neighborhood, with photographs by David Hautzig, Lodestar (New York, NY), 1994.

Bridges to Change: How Kids Live on a South Carolina Sea Island, with photographs by David Hautzig, Lodestar (New York, NY), 1995.

One Nation, Many Tribes: How Kids Live in Milwaukee's Indian Community, with photographs by David Hautzig, Lodestar (New York, NY), 1995.

"GIANTS OF SCIENCE" SERIES

Leonardo da Vinci, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Viking (New York, NY), 2005.

Isaac Newton, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Sigmund Freud, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Marie Curie, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Viking (New York, NY), 2008.

FOR CHILDREN; UNDER PSEUDONYM KATHLEEN COWLES

The Bugs Bunny Book, Western Publishing (Racine, WI), 1975.

The Seven Wishes, Western Publishing (Racine, WI), 1976.

Golden Everything Workbook Series, Western Publishing (Racine, WI), 1979.

What Will I Be? A Wish Book, Western Publishing (Racine, WI), 1979.

OTHER

Twelve Keys to Writing Books That Sell (for adults), Writer's Digest (Cincinnati, OH), 1989.

Presenting Paula Danziger, Twayne (New York, NY), 1995.

Author of additional text in Anne Elizabeth's Diary: A Young Artist's True Story, written and illustrated by Anne Elizabeth Rector, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2004. Regular children's book reviewer for United Parenting Publications. Contributor to periodicals, including New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, and Chicago Tribune.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kathleen Krull has made a career of educating and entertaining children and young adults. The author of critically acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction, including the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor title Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought), Krull "is a fixture in the children's literature world," noted Deborah Stevenson in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Online. Krull is perhaps best known for Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, Houdini: World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King, and other biographies that combine "her signature blend of spicy gossip and intriguing information," according to Stevenson.

Krull was a self-proclaimed "book addict" from the time she could read; as she later recalled, "reading a lot is the main job requirement for being a writer." Encouraged by several of the nuns who taught her in Catholic school, she quickly began writing. Her earliest works, as Krull recalled, included "A Garden Book (second grade) and Hair-Dos and People I Know (fifth)." By the time she graduated from college, she was certain she wanted to be a writer, but to make a living while she developed her craft, she entered the publishing business. "It was a way to work with real writers, learn from them, participate in a highly creative world, and get a paycheck all at the same time," Krull commented. Over a decade, through a series of jobs with various publishers, she rose from editorial assistant to senior editor and moved from the Midwest to San Diego, California. Editing hundreds of books, she worked with such authors as Tomie dePaola, Eve Bunting, Patricia Hermes, Anne Lindbergh, Jane Yolen, Charles Mikolaycak, Arnold Adoff, Amy Schwartz, Judy Delton, and Lael Littke.

Krull's first published works were issued by companies that employed her. Then, in 1984, with her solid credentials in writing and publishing, she made the break to full-time writer. Since then she has produced books covering a wide range of interests and age groups, and is especially well regarded by critics for her contributions to children's music appreciation. Krull's extensive background in music—she played several instruments as a child and minored in music during college—has made her "passionate about helping to ensure that music remains important in the lives of children."

Inspired by Krull's eight years serving as a church organist (which began at age twelve), Songs of Praise collects fifteen hymns accompanied by historical notes, alternative verses, piano scores, and guitar chords. Praised as a "stylish collection" by a Publishers Weekly contributor, Songs of Praise features hymns from England, Germany, Holland, and North America, among them "Amazing Grace," "Jesus Loves Me," and the Doxology. Phillis Wilson concluded in Booklist that Krull's work, which is paired with illustrations by Kathryn Hewitt, creates a "veritable feast for the ears, the eyes, and the heart."

Gonna Sing My Head Off! American Folk Songs for Children, a comprehensive collection of sixty-two American songs, grew out of a love for the folk music Krull learned from her parents, from her guitar study, and from her "fear that traditional music was losing its place in the lives of children." From "I've Been Working on the Railroad," "Take Me out to the Ball Game," and "Oh, Susanna" to "What Have They Done to the Rain?," this "superbly edited" collection, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor, provides readers with "an invigorating musical tour of American history and American regions." As Oscar Brand wrote in the New York Times Book Review, the keys of the arrangements "are eminently singable, the chords easily playable," making the collection "totally enjoyable." A Kirkus Reviews critic praised the "scrupulous" care Krull takes in relating the origins of the songs, and Hazel Rochman stated in Booklist that the headnotes "express the sense of connection with ordinary people's lives that is at the heart of this collection." School Library Journal reviewer Ann Stell concluded that Gonna Sing My Head Off! contains "so many outstanding selections that no one will be disappointed." Krull's book made a reappearance in 2003 under the title I Hear America Singing: Folk Songs for American Families, complete with a compact disc containing twenty-three of the sixty-two songs featured in the book.

Lives of the Musicians reveals Krull's passion for music and her use of research to unearth quirky facts. This work, which grew out of a lunchtime conversation, profiles the lives of twenty composers and provides information about them that, as Malcolm Jones wrote in Newsweek, "unstuffs a host of shirts and delivers wonderful musical trivia." Classical composers J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Vivaldi, operetta composers Gilbert and Sullivan, ragtime composer Scott Joplin, and even folk singer Woody Guthrie are all featured here in humorous detail. A Publishers Weekly critic praised Krull's editorial work, writing that the author "masterfully distills the essentials of each musician's life into snappy prose." "Even those only remotely interested in music will be hooked," concluded the critic in a reaffirmation of Krull's intent. "If this book brings readers close (or closer) to the music, and to thinking about music as a career or hobby, that would be my ultimate goal," the author once noted; "But in the meantime, eccentric people make for fascinating reading."

Another musically inspired offering from Krull is M Is for Music, an eclectic, largely pictorial introduction to the world of song. "The range of words explored [in M Is for Music] is almost as vast as the world of music itself," commented School Library Journal contributor Jane Marino. For example, on the "B is for Beatles" page, three "bees" labeled with the names of classical composers—Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms—fly around the modern British rock band. Performers from jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong to rock musician Frank Zappa, instruments from accordion to zither, and musical styles from a cappella to zydeco are also included. "I wanted to do M Is for Music as a unique, all-encompassing, eclectic tribute to the power of music in our lives," Krull told an interviewer on the Harcourt Books Web site. "It's meant as a springboard to musical activities and discussion of all kinds." The "Musical Notes from A to Z" appendix provides explanations for the terms listed in the text, but not for the numerous items that artist Stacy Innerst incorporates into the complex, collage-like illustrations she contributes to the book. "Best for those ready to explore an interest in music, M Is for Music … will also appeal to those just learning the alphabet," remarked a Kirkus Reviews critic.

It's My Earth, Too: How I Can Help the Earth Stay Alive provides a good example of Krull's contribution of other nonfiction subjects to children's literature. The volume received attention as the first children's book to be printed on recycled paper with environmentally-friendly soybean inks and water-soluble glue, thus reinforcing the book's message. Throughout the book, Krull reminds children that judicious use of technology is best, and provides twelve suggestions for children that generally emphasize changing habits, thinking about one's actions, and trying to avoid greediness. With its list of suggestions, the book "could be very useful as an idea starter or discussion book in classrooms," Tina Smith Entwistle remarked in a School Library Journal review, while Kay Weisman of Booklist found that the "simple, rhythmic text" would be "particularly appropriate for this age level."

Krull also investigates individual American communities such as New York City's Chinatown and California's Latino neighborhoods in her "World of My Own" series. The purpose of the series, as she once explained, "is to explore, from a child's point of view, various American communities that for one reason or another not many people know about. We may eat in the restaurants of these comparatively unassimilated neighborhoods or read about them when there are problems, but most people in fact know very little about life there." In conducting her research, Krull added, "interviews with actual children and families in these neighborhoods allowed me to do one of my favorite things, which is to ask nosy questions." Reviewing the first two books, City within a City: How Kids Live in New York's Chinatown and The Other Side: How Kids Live in a California Latino Neighborhood, Rochman noted in Booklist that Krull's "lively photo-essays" are written in "an informal, chatty style, weaving together information about family, friends, school, [and] religion," among other things. Krull uses quotations to allow her subjects to speak for themselves; as a result, as Roger Sutton remarked in the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, "in many ways, these books are a model for the genre." Reviewing all of the books in the series, Leigh Fenly similarly concluded in the San Diego Union-Tribune that while multicultural books have become a "hot market," Krull "refreshingly takes the genre into the reality zone."

Describing Krull's Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought), a Kirkus Reviews critic called the work "another colorful, enthralling excursion into our cultural heritage." With entertaining details about authors from Hans Christian Andersen to Jack London, the author "knows exactly how to captivate her audience," combining historical particulars with "amusing anecdotes that put flesh and blood on dry literary bones," according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Nevertheless, "the glimpses she provides are respectful of their times and influences without being dull," School Library Journal contributor Sally Margolis noted, which should be "enough to whet readers' appetites for more biography and for the writers' actual works," as Mary Harris Veeder concluded in Booklist. Krull ventures into the world of painting, sculpture, and other fine arts in her intriguing companion volume, Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought).

As Krull once commented, her "what the neighbors thought" approach allowed her to create "warts and all" portraits that are both "lively and humanizing." In her opinion, being a successful biographer requires not only "having good research skills," but "being a good listener" with a taste for gossip. "Gossip is underrated as a motive for studying history," Krull commented. "As JFK once said about or to J. Edgar Hoover, ‘All history is gossip.’" For example, her book Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the NeighborsThought) features both political and personal details about each U.S. chief executive, including hints of scandals such as President Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs. This, like the rest of the series, Lives of the Presidents displays Krull's "proven knack for delivering generous dollops of covert asides along with fun facts and pertinent information," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Outside the "Lives of" series but in a similar vein is They Saw the Future: Psychics, Oracles, Scientists, Inventors, and Pretty Good Guessers, which profiles a dozen people, including Nostradamus, Marshall McLuhan, and Jeane Dixon, who made detailed predictions about the world with varying degrees of success. This volume has a "healthily skeptical" tone, encouraging readers to scrutinize even apparently accurate projections, while also providing extensive information about the times and cultures in which her subject lived, reported a Publishers Weekly contributor.

Krull likes to show how famous people overcame adversity. Many of the men and women she has written about have had to surmount major obstacles, and she has found that reading about this appeals to children. An example comes from Wilma Rudolph, the subject of Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph became the World's Fastest Woman. After contracting polio as a child, Rudolph was told she was unlikely to regain the ability to walk. However, she managed not only to walk but to run, and she eventually became an Olympic champion. Krull originally set out to write about Rudolph in Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought), but decided Rudolph's story was so fascinating that it merited an entire book. "My interest in biography as a literary form comes from curiosity about the details of others' lives," Krull stated on her home page. "To put it in a simple way, I'm nosy." The author continued, "More intellectually, I'm intrigued by the shape and structure of a person's life—the arc, the story of it. As stories, biographies are some of the very best—people have definite beginnings, middles, and demises. I'm motivated by the challenge of trying to write about a life in a pithy, meaningful way—sculpting with words a portrait that conveys the essence of a person—accurately yet dramatically."

Cesar Chavez, another courageous American who battled against adversity, is profiled in Harvesting Hope. Although this biography, aimed at elementary school children, gives the details of the activist's childhood and discusses Chavez's early efforts to organize migrant farm workers in California, the majority of Harvesting Hope deals with the National Farm Workers Association's 1965 strike. "Focusing on one event makes the story appealing to younger readers," maintained School Library Journal contributor Sue Morgan. Because of that limited focus, Krull was able to provide gripping details of the strike and the accompanying three-hundred-mile protest march, including the fact that the marchers' feet blistered so badly that they bled. For readers who are interested in what happened to Chavez after 1965, Krull provides an author's note outlining the activists' later life. Overall, as Susan Dove Lempke concluded in Horn Book, Harvesting Hope "is a powerfully moving tribute to an important person in U.S. history."

In A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull Krull shares the little-known story of the first woman to run for the presidency of the United States. Woodhull, a fortune-teller, financial whiz, and suffragist, was the candidate of the Equal Rights Party in 1872. "Krull's writing style is lively and engaging," observed School Library Journal contributor Ann Welton in a review of A Woman for President. Houdini, a "perceptive and dramatic tribute," according to a critic in Kirkus Reviews, examines the life of famed escape artist Harry Houdini, who mesmerized audiences with his feats of derring-do in the early twentieth century. "The author's crisp narrative style and careful choice of detail are evident here," wrote Heide Piehler in a review of Krull's biography for School Library Journal. Krull looks at an important figure in America's colonial history in Pocahontas: Princess of the New World, "an accessible portrait of the Native American girl who helped maintain a fragile peace between her tribe and English colonists," according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. A critic in Kirkus Reviews noted that Krull's "narrative economically continues the intertwined stories of Pocahontas's maturation and the travails of the white settlers," including John Smith, the English captain who owed his life to the Powhatan girl, and John Rolfe, the tobacco farmer who married her.

In 2005 Krull introduced her "Giants of Science" biography series, illustrated by Boris Kulikov. The works "show how scientific discovery is never a revelation arriving in a single, mind-blowing flash," Krull wrote in a Book Links essay. In Leonardo da Vinci, Krull focuses on the great artist's scientific achievements and describes life in the Middle Ages. "Readers will come away from this accessible volume with an understand- ing of who Leonardo was," remarked School Library Journal reviewer Laura Younkin, and Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan described the work as a "very readable, vivid portrait set against the backdrop of remarkable times." In Isaac Newton, Krull profiles the seventeenth-century British scientist who invented calculus and discerned the basic principles of physics. The author's "conversational tone … lends a lively voice to a biography chock-full of information," Betty Carter wrote in Horn Book. Krull looks at the father of psychoanalysis in Sigmund Freud, a "lucid and thoughtful examination of Freud's life, work and legacy," a contributor in Kirkus Reviews stated. Booklist reviewer GraceAnne A. DeCandido praised the author for her "breezy, forthright, and intelligent approach" to her subject.

Krull has also written fictional tales for children, some of which feature the character Alexandra Fitzgerald. In Alex Fitzgerald's Cure for Nightmares, the nine year old attempts to cope with the nightmares she has been having since she began to live with her father in California. Alexandra is worried that the other children in school will find out about her nightmares, but when she finally tells a friend about her problem, she is given some worry dolls and the nightmares finally stop. Krull once commented, "The inspiration for this book combined my stepdaughter's insomnia (and her resulting obsession with worry dolls) with my own experiences as a California transplant." Booklist critic Wilson found the story "a sensitive and upbeat handling of a problem" that is "presented within an engaging school-activities plot."

Alexandra returns in Alex Fitzgerald, TV Star, which was inspired by an article about a girl "chosen to play the part of the young Madonna in a Pepsi commercial," as Krull once noted. "I got to wondering how sudden fame would affect an ordinary kid. Also, with hours of my childhood spent at the piano, I've had my own visions of fame and stardom." In this story, fourth grader Alex is invited to audition for a music video. Excited about the celebrity status she imagines, she forgets to buy her father a Christmas present, asks him to spend more money than he has, and annoys her friends. Krull's "pleasant, entertaining story," according to Stephanie Zvirin of Booklist, is "wrapped around an important lesson." A Kirkus Reviews writer praised the author's "good ear for dialogue," while Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books critic Ruth Ann Smith concluded that readers will "sympathize with Alex's dreams of stardom, especially since they don't materialize."

Explaining her eclectic writing credits, Krull once observed: "I seem to write several different kinds of books, and I hope to do even more in the future. My passions include music, humor, gardening, food, health, history, travel, and people—neighbors and others. I aim for making my books as fresh as I can—using ideas and combinations of words only I would use. I try to be clear and funny and relevant to what is going on in children's lives, as well as true to my own memories of childhood. My ‘hidden agenda’ is always to create books that will mean as much to readers as books have meant to me."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Graham, Paula, editor, Speaking of Journals: Children's Book Writers Talk about Their Diaries, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1999.

Krull, Kathleen, M Is for Music, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Book Links, November, 2005, Kathleen Krull, "The ‘Anti-Eureka’ Series," p. 46.

Booklist, November 15, 1988, Phillis Wilson, review of Songs of Praise, p. 586; June 15, 1990, Phillis Wilson, review of Alex Fitzgerald's Cure for Nightmares, p. 1986; March 1, 1991, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Alex Fitzgerald, TV Star, p. 1388; July, 1992, Kay Weisman, review of It's My Earth, Too: How I Can Help the Earth Stay Alive, p. 1941; October 15, 1992, Hazel Rochman, review of Gonna Sing My Head Off! American Folk Songs for Children, p. 424; April 15, 1994, Hazel Rochman, reviews of City within a City: How Kids Live in New York's Chinatown and The Other Side: How Kids Live in a California Latino Neighborhood; September 15, 1994, Mary Harris Veeder, review of Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought); October 15, 1994, p. 436; March 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought), p. 1147; June 1, 2003, Traci Todd, review of Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, pp. 1795-1796; August 1, 2003, review of M Is for Music, p. 1019; March 1, 2005, Jennifer Mattson, review of Houdini: World'sGreatest Mystery Man and Escape King, p. 1200; September 1, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Houdini, p. 126; April 1, 2006, Kay Weisman, review of Isaac Newton, p. 38; December 1, 2006, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Sigmund Freud, p. 36.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1991, Ruth Ann Smith, review of Alex Fitzgerald, TV Star, pp. 221-222; May, 1994, Roger Sutton, reviews of City within a City and The Other Side.

Children's Digest, September-October, 2003, review of I Hear America Singing!: Folk Songs for American Families, p. 28.

Christian Science Monitor, August 23, 2001, review of Lives of Extraordinary Women, p. 21.

Constitutional Commentary, summer, 2002, Luke Paulsen, review of A Kid's Guide to America's Bill of Rights, pp. 291-295.

Horn Book, July-August, 2003, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Harvesting Hope, pp. 480-481; January-February, 2004, Joanna Rudge Long, review of The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss, p. 103; September-October, 2005, Betty Carter, review of Leonardo da Vinci, p. 345; May-June, 2006, Betty Carter, review of Isaac Newton, p. 345; September-October, 2006, Betty Carter, review of Sigmund Freud, p. 607.

Instructor, October, 1997, Judy Freeman, review of Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought), p. 24.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 1991, review of Alex Fitzgerald, TV Star, p. 730; October 1, 1992, review of Gonna Sing My Head Off!, p. 1257; September 15, 1994, review of Lives of the Writers; January 15, 2002, review of Clip Clip Clip: Three Stories about Hair, p. 106; May 15, 2003, review of What Really Happened in Roswell?: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) about UFOs and Aliens, p. 753; July 1, 2003, review of Harvesting Hope, p. 911; August 1, 2003, review of M Is for Music, p. 1019; September 15, 2003, review of The Book of Rock Stars: Twenty-four Musical Icons That Shine through History, p. 1177; March 1, 2005, review of Houdini, p. 289; June 15, 2005, review of Leonardo da Vinci, p. 685; March 1, 2006, review of Isaac Newton, p. 233; September 1, 2006, review of Sigmund Freud, p. 906; April 1, 2007, review of Pocahontas: Princess of the New World.

Newsweek, November 22, 1993, Malcolm Jones, review of Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought).

New York Times Book Review, November 8, 1992, Oscar Brand, "These Songs Were Made for You and Me," review of Gonna Sing My Head Off!, p. 44; October 3, 1993, p. 31; October 23, 1994, p. 30; April 23, 1995, p. 27; September 10, 1995, p. 35; November 16, 2003, Paul O. Zelinsky, review of M Is for Music, p. 37.

Publishers Weekly, November 8, 1987; October 5, 1992, review of Gonna Sing My Head Off!, p. 72; January 25, 1993, review of Songs of Praise, p. 88; February 22, 1993, review of Lives of the Musicians, pp. 96-97; May 30, 1994, p. 58; August 1, 1994, review of Lives of the Writers, p. 79; May 15, 1995, review of V Is for Victory: America Remembers World War II, p. 75; April 29, 1996, review of Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, p. 73; June 8, 1998, review of Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought), p. 60; June 7, 1999, review of They Saw the Future: Psychics, Oracles, Scientists, Inventors, and Pretty Good Guessers, p. 84; February 25, 2002, review of Clip Clip Clip, p. 66; June 3, 2002, review of V Is for Victory, p. 91; May 5, 2003, review of Harvesting Hope, p. 221; July 7, 2003, review of What Really Happened in Roswell?, p. 73; September 8, 2003, review of M Is for Music, p. 74; December 22, 2003, The Book of Rock Stars, p. 62; January 12, 2004, review of The Boy on Fairfield Street, p. 54; April 4, 2005, review of Houdini, p. 59; April 16, 2007, review of Pocahontas, p. 51.

San Diego Union-Tribune, August 7, 1994, Leigh Fenly, review of "World of My Own" series.

School Library Journal, May, 1991, p. 80; July, 1992, Tina Smith Entwistle, review of It's My Earth, Too, p. 70; October, 1992, Ann Stell, review of Gonna Sing My Head Off!, p. 105; May, 1993, p. 117; July, 1994, p. 111; October, 1994, Sally Margolis, review of Lives of the Writers, pp. 134-135; December, 1994, p. 77; October, 1995, p. 164; June, 1996, p. 116; March, 2002, Jody McCoy, review of Clip Clip Clip, p. 192; February, 2003, Lee Bock, review of Wilma Unlimited, p. 97; June, 2003, Sue Morgan, review of Harvesting Hope, pp. 129-130; September, 2003, Jane Marino, review of M Is for Music, pp. 200-201; October, 2003, Jeffrey Hastings, review of The Night the Martians Landed, pp. 193-194, Ann G. Brouse, review of What Really Happened in Roswell?, p. 194, and review of Harvesting Hope, p. S39; January, 2004, Anne Chapman Callaghan, review of The Boy on Fairfield Street, p. 119; November, 2004, Catherine Threadgill, review of How to Trick or Treat in Outer Space, p. 110; September, 2004, Ann Welton, review of A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull, p. 189; December, 2004, Ginny Gustin, review of Lives of the Musicians, p. 60; April, 2005, Heide Piehler, review of Houdini, p. 124; October, 2005, Laura Younkin, review of Leonardo da Vinci, p. 190; March, 2006, Rick Margolis, "Big Newton," p. 55, John Peters, review of A Woman for President, p. 90, and John Peters, review of Isaac Newton, p. 243; December, 2006, Nancy Silverrod, review of Sigmund Freud, p. 164; April, 2007, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of Pocahontas, p. 123.