Moss, Miriam 1955-

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MOSS, Miriam 1955-

PERSONAL: Born February 19, 1955, in Aldershot, England; daughter of John Kennedy (a lecturer) and Myra (a teacher; maiden name, Hunt) Moss; married Stephen White-Thomson (a publisher), July 28, 1984; children: Imogen, Morwenna, Finn. Education: Oxford University, B.Ed., 1977. Religion: Church of England.

ADDRESSES: Home—Lewes, East Sussex, England. Agent—c/o Dial Publicity, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: King's School, Canterbury, Kent, England, teacher, 1977-82; Imani School, Thika, Kenya, teacher, 1982-83; Windlesham House School, Findon, Sussex, England, teacher, 1983-85; writer. Volunteer teacher of adult literacy; workshop leader.

MEMBER: Society of Authors (London, England), Amnesty International.

AWARDS, HONORS: Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, American Library Association, 1992, for Street Fashion and Fashion Design; Bistro Award and Norfolk Award shortlists, both for This Is the Tree; Sheffield Book Prize shortlist, and Experian Award, both for Wibble Wobble.

WRITINGS:

In the Pond, Macdonald (London, England), 1988.

The Fashion Industry, Wayland (London, England), 1989.

Women and Business, Wayland (London, England), 1989.

Eggs, photographs by Robert Pickett, A & C Black (London, England), 1990, Garrett Educational Corporation (Ada, OK), 1991.

Fruit, photographs by Robert Pickett, A & C Black (London, England), 1991, Garrett Educational Corporation (Ada, OK), 1991.

Forts and Castles, illustrated by Chris Forsey, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1993.

Castles, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

Henry's Kite, Hazar (London, England), 1995.

Vitamins in Food, Wayland (London, England), 1995.

Fibre in Food, Wayland (London, England), 1995.

Caramel & Vanille: Adventures Down Under, Hazar (London, England), 1996.

Caramel & Vanille: Adventures on Their Magic Carpet, Hazar (London, England), 1996.

Windswept, Hazar (London, England), 1997.

Jigsaw, illustrated by Tony Smith, Templar (Dorking, England), Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1997.

Kim and the Computer Mouse, Heinemann (London, England), 1997.

Kim and the Missing Paintpot, Heinemann (London, England), 1997.

Kim and the Shape Dragon, Heinemann (London, England), 1997.

Kim and the Bin Giant, Heinemann (London, England), 1997.

The Snoops, illustrated by Delphine Durand, Templar (Dorking, England), Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Arctic Song, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway, Frances Lincoln (London, England), Bridgewater Books (Mahwah, NJ), 1999.

Take a Walk on a Rainbow, Hodder (London, England), 1999.

Buzzin Bee's 123, Hodder (London, England), 1999.

What's That Shape, Hodder (London, England), 1999.

Am I a Cat?, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 1999.

The Sunshine Cat, Orchard (London, England), 1999.

Poetry In: Hello New!, Orchard (London, England), 2000.

This Is the Tree, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway, Frances Lincoln (London, England), Kane/Miller (New York, NY), 2000.

Can I Have Some?, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 2000.

One Day It Was Wet, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 2000.

The Snow Bear, illustrated by Maggie Kneen, Templar (London, England), 2000, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Wibble Wobble, illustrated by Joanna Mockler, Orchard (London, England), Tiger Tales (Wilton, CT), 2001.

Scritch Scratch, illustrated by Delphine Durand, Orchard (London, England, and New York, NY), 2001.

The Horse Girl, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2002.

Bad Hare Day, illustrated by Lynne Chapman, Bloomsbury Children's Books (London, England, and New York, NY), 2003.

The Best Dog in the World, illustrated by Jutta Bucker, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

I Forgot to Say I Love You, Macmillan (London, England), 2003, published as Don't Forget I Love You, Dial (New York, NY), 2003.

Come Back Soon, Hodder (London, England), 2003.

"HOW THEY LIVED" SERIES

A Slave in Ancient Greece, Wayland (London, England), 1986.

A Norman Baron, Wayland (London, England), 1987.

A Schoolchild in World War II, (London, England), Wayland, 1988.

"LIVING HISTORY" SERIES

The Victorians, illustrated by Gerry Wood, Wayland (London, England), 1986, Rourke (Vero Beach, FL), 1987.

The American West, illustrated by Gerry Wood, Wayland (London, England), 1986, Rourke (Vero Beach, FL), 1987.

Great Explorers, Wayland (London, England), 1986.

The Crusades, Wayland (London, England), 1986.

Ancient China, Wayland (London, England), 1987.

"TOPICS" SERIES

Language and Writing, edited by Janet Caulkins, Wayland (London, England), 1987, Grolier (Danbury, CT), 1988.

Fairs and Circuses, Wayland (London, England), 1987.

Zoos, Wayland (London, England), 1987.

"COSTUMES AND CLOTHES" SERIES

Uniforms, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Working Clothes, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Clothes in Hot Weather, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Clothes in Cold Weather, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Fashionable Clothes, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Children's Clothes, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Traditional Costumes, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

"MY SCHOOL" SERIES

The Schools' Librarian, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

Easter, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

The School Nurse, Wayland (London, England), 1988.

"FASHION WORLD" SERIES

Fashion Model, Wayland (London, England), 1990, Crestwood House, 1991.

Fashion Photographer, Wayland (London, England), 1990, Crestwood House, 1991.

Fashion Designer, Wayland (London, England), 1990, Crestwood House, 1991.

Street Fashion, Wayland (London, England), 1990, Crestwood House, 1991.

"STAYING HEALTHY" SERIES

Keep Fit, Wayland (London, England), 1992, Crestwood House (New York, NY), 1993.

Eat Well, Wayland (London, England), 1992, Crestwood House (New York, NY), 1993.

Be Positive, Wayland (London, England), 1992, Crestwood House (New York, NY), 1993.

"WEATHER WATCH!" SERIES

The Weather in Spring, Wayland (London, England), 1994.

The Weather in Summer, Wayland (London, England), 1994.

The Weather in Autumn, Wayland (London, England), 1994.

The Weather in Winter, Wayland (London, England), 1994.

"SMUDGE" SERIES

A New House for Smudge, illustrated by Lynne Chapman, Gullane Children's Books (London, England), 2001.

It's My Turn Smudge, illustrated by Lynne Chapman, Gullane Children's Books (London, England), 2001.

I'll Be Your Friend, Smudge, illustrated by Lynne Chapman, Gullane Children's Books (London, England), 2001.

Smudge's Grumpy Day, illustrated by Lynne Chapman, Gullane Children's Books (London, England), 2001.

Several of her works have been translated into other languages, including French, German, Danish, and Spanish.

SIDELIGHTS: Miriam Moss is the prolific author of nonfiction and fiction books for children, publishing books for preschoolers to adolescents. In a career that has spanned nearly two decades, she has written over a dozen stand-alone titles and has contributed to a handful of series about such far-flung topics as nature, health and nutrition, fashion, and history. Her picture books, too, show her wide-ranging talents, as she has written both informative nature books and humorous fictional treatments of everyday events.

Moss broke into children's books in the 1980s, writing nonfiction titles on a wide range of topics for younger readers. For example, in her A Schoolchild in World War II, which Books for Your Children critic A. Munro called "an excellent first book" about the war, she focused on the hardships experienced by British children. To the "Topics" series, she contributed Languages and Writing, an overview of verbal and nonverbal communication through history. And with such titles as Zoos and In the Pond, she explored the natural world. The first of these two information-packed books provides a short history of zoos and their roles today. The latter is "a stimulating family book" full of the basics on animals and plants, including activities for the whole family, noted P. Jenkins in Books for Your Children.

In addition to her "Costumes and Clothes" series, Moss wrote the "solid, informative" "Fashion World" series, to quote Lori A. Janick of School Library Journal. Targeting readers in grades five through seven, Moss employs a conversational tone, plentiful full-color photographs, and quotations in Fashion Designer, Fashion Model, Fashion Photographer, and Street Fashion, all of which provide readers an overview of the fashion business. In a review of the "Fashion World" series, Booklist's Ilene Cooper predicted "fashion-conscious kids will enjoy these overviews." Similarly, School Library Journal contributor Lori A. Janick, reviewing Fashion Designer, Fashion Model, and Fashion Photographer, described the books as "provid[ing] an interesting introduction to the world of fashion."

In the early 1990s, Moss added health titles to her list of credits with her contributions to the "Staying Healthy" and "Diet and Nutrition" series. Like many of her previous books, the short length of these thirty-two-page titles keeps the treatment of these topics suitable for younger readers. School Librarian critic Robin Barlow singled out Keep Fit for praise, noting particularly the sections on physical activity and diet. She went on to recommend the book for its "clear, informative text" and "attractive illustrations." In a review of Keep Fit, Eat Well, and Be Positive, Appraisal's Barbara J. Gastel also found the series noteworthy, deeming it overall to be "comprehensive, well illustrated, well designed, and well written." Fibre in Food and Vitamins in Food form Moss's contributions to the "Diet and Nutrition" series. School Librarian Audry Laski, remarking upon the "lively manner" in which the author presents useful information, judged Fibre in Food a "valuable resource."

After a decade of writing nonfiction works, Moss delved into fictional picture books, writing such titles as This Is a Tree, Arctic Song, The Snow Bear, and a quartet of toddler books about a mouse named Smudge. The picture book This Is a Tree takes readers to the African plains, where they learn about the magnificent baobab, which single-handedly provides a habitat for numerous animals, birds, and insects. Arctic Song and The Snow Bear take place in an altogether different climate. Both celebrations of animal life in the coldest regions of the Earth, these picture books each feature polar bear cubs. In the first, two cubs set out to hear a whale song, leaving their mother behind. As Peter Andrews noted in School Librarian, during their trek, the cubs show readers through the "balanced text and pictures" the beauty and uniqueness of their habitat. Quentin Blake of Books for Keeps also praised the work for its synergy of information and imagination that through words and illustrations "hold a satisfying balance." The cub featured in The Snow Bear also searches, yet he searches for his mother, receiving help from his friends—a musk ox, a snow goose, and a moose. Moss employs such literary devices as alliteration and sibilance to evoke the winter scene, and in the view of a Publishers Weekly critic, "It's ultimately the quiet power of Moss's . . . writing that compels attention." Eventually, in this "warm tribute to the love of a child for its mother," as a Kirkus Reviews contributor described it, the cub and mother reunite.

Moss's love of humor is especially evident in the "true-to-life" tales Wibble Wobble and Scritch Scratch. With its "comically lurid prose," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer, Wibble Wobble recounts how William finally loses his first tooth. Although Gay Lynn Van Vleck complained in School Library Journalabout a "bland" dialog and "uneven" pace, Booklist's Kathy Broderick deemed it successful, stating, "This colorful, energetic picture book captures the childhood anticipation" of losing a tooth. On the other hand, Scritch Scratch treats a less anticipated childhood event, the misfortune of getting head lice. Using what a Publishers Weekly writer called a "potent combination of comedy and candor," Moss describes what happens when a louse sneaks into Ms. Calypso's classroom. And while a Kirkus Reviews critic acknowledged that parents might not be amused by this tale, "it is a painless way to bring up an unpleasant topic."

If past production is any indicator, Moss will likely be busy for many years. In an interview at the Bloomsbury Magazine Web site, she explained that she receives ideas "from everywhere I go, every person I meet, and anything that happens to me." She added that some of her books "cook for years, others burst out in an afternoon, but all of them are sculpted over and over until they are right."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Appraisal, summer, 1988, Constance B. Rood, review of Zoos, p. 63; fall, 1993, Barbara J. Gastel, reviews of Keep Fit, Be Positive, and Eat Well, pp. 94-95.

Booklist, December 15, 1987, review of Zoos, p. 702; April 15, 1988, review of Language and Writing, pp. 1431-1432; May 15, 1991, Ilene Cooper, review of Fashion Designer, Fashion Model, Fashion Photographer, and Street Fashion, pp. 1790-1791; September 15, 1997, John Peters, review of Jigsaw, p. 243; February 1, 2002, Kathy Broderick, review of Wibble Wobble, p. 948.

Books for Keeps, July, 1989, Pat Thomson, review of In the Pond, p. 20; July, 1995, T. P., review of Vitamins in Food and Fibre in Food, p 17; May, 1999, Quentin Blake, review of Arctic Song, p. 6.

Books for Your Children, fall, 1988, A. Munro, review of A Schoolchild in World War II, p. 30; spring, 1989, P. Jenkins, review of In the Pond, p. 16.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1988, Betsy Hearne, review of Language and Writing, p. 185.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1997, review of Jigsaw, p. 1033; October 1, 2000, review of This Is the Tree, p. 1429; September 1, 2001, review of The Snow Bear, p. 1297; August 1, 2002, review of Scritch Scratch, p. 1138.

Magpies, May, 1991, Albert Brgoc, review of Women and Business, p. 36.

Nature, November 30, 2000, Sandra Knapp, review of This Is a Tree, pp. 518-519.

Publishers Weekly, June 8, 1998, review of The Snoops, p. 59; September 3, 2001, reviews of The Snow Bear and Wibble Wobble, p. 86; June 10, 2002, review of Scritch Scratch, pp. 59-60; March 24, 2003, review of Bad Hare Day, p. 75.

School Librarian, February, 1987, Margaret Meek, review of The Victorians, p. 54; February, 1988, Hilary Minns, p. 25; May, 1991, review of Fashion Model and Fashion Photographer, p. 77; February, 1993, Robin Barlow, review of Keep Fit, p. 34; August, 1995, Audrey Laski, review of Fibre in Food, p. 114; spring, 1999, Anne Rowe, review of The Snoops, p. 33; fall, 1999, Peter Andrews, review of Arctic Song, pp. 131-132; fall, 2000, Liz Baynton-Clarke, review of This Is the Tree, p. 132.

School Library Journal, October, 1987, George Gleason, review of The American West, p. 122; July, 1991, Lori A. Janick, review of Fashion Designer, Fashion Model, and Fashion Photographer, p. 84; August, 1993, Joyce Adams Burner, review of Be Positive, Eat Well, and Keep Fit, p. 199; December, 1997, Kathy Piehl, review of Jigsaw, p. 98; March, 2001, Susan Hepler, review of This Is the Tree, p. 238; October, 2001, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of The Snow Bear, p. 126; November, 2001, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of Wibble Wobble, p. 130; August, 2002, Anne Knickerbocker, review of I'll Be Your Friend, Smudge, p. 161; August, 2002, Roxanne Burg, review of It's My Turn, Smudge, pp. 161-162.