Parsons, Alexandra 1947–

PERSONAL: Born January 10, 1947, in London, England; daughter of Frederic H. (a head teacher) and Margaret (a homemaker) Towle; married Iain R.D. Parsons (a publisher), 1981; children: Chloe; two other children. Politics: Liberal. Religion: "None." Hobbies and other interests: Sculpture, travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Hearst Books, 888 7th Ave., 13th Fl., New York, NY 10106.

CAREER: Mitchell Beazley, England, senior executive editor, 1978–83; The Watermark Press, Australia, cofounder, 1983–88; writer, 1988–.

AWARDS, HONORS: Best nonfiction book, Yorkshire Post, 1983, for editing Music in Time; award for best jacket design, American Book Publishers Association, 1987, for Tony Bilson's Recipe Book; Science Writing Award, American Institute of Physics, 1994, for "Make It Work Science" series.

WRITINGS:

"EYEWITNESS JUNIORS" SERIES (APPEARED IN ENGLAND AS "AMAZING WORLDS" SERIES); PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERRY YOUNG

Amazing Birds, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

Amazing Mammals, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

Amazing Snakes, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

Amazing Spiders, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

Amazing Cats, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

Amazing Poisonous Animals, Dorling Kindersley/Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.

"WHAT'S INSIDE?" SERIES

Toys, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1991.

Shells, illustrated by Richard Manning, 1991.

Small Animals, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1991.

Baby, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Boats, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Everyday Things, illustrated by Paul Cooper and Jon Sayer, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Trucks, illustrated by Richard Manning and Ed Stuart, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Plants, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Insects, illustrated by Richard Manning, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Spacecraft, illustrated by Richard Ward, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Great Inventions, illustrated by Ray Hutchens, Barry Robson, and Steve Weston, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

Sea Creatures, illustrated by Barry Robson, Steve Weston, and Stuart Lafford, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

Cars, illustrated by Barry Robson, Ray Hutchens, Ron Ballard, Icon Design, and Pete Sarjeant, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

Animal Homes, illustrated by Stuart Lafford and Michelle Ross, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

"MAKE-IT-WORK SCIENCE" SERIES

Earth, photographs by Jon Barnes, Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1992, reprinted as Earth: A Creative Hands-on Approach to Science, Aladdin (New York, NY), 1993.

Electricity, photographs by Jon Barnes, Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1992, published as Electricity: A Creative Hands-on Approach to Science, Aladdin (New York, NY), 1993.

Sound, photographs by Jon Barnes, Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1992, published as Sound: A Creative Hands-on Approach to Science, Aladdin (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Claire Watts) Plants: A Creative Hands-on Approach to Science, Aladdin (New York, NY), 1993.

"MAKE-IT-WORK HISTORY" SERIES; WITH ANDREW HASLAM

Ancient Egypt, Thomson Learning (New York, NY)/Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1995.

Arctic Peoples, Thomson Learning (New York, NY)/Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1995.

North American Indians, Thomson Learning (New York, NY)/Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1995.

(With Claire Watts) Plants, photography by Jon Barnes, World Book/Two-Can (Chicago, IL), 1998.

"MICKEY WONDERS WHY?" SERIES; ILLUSTRATED BY THE ALVIN WHITE STUDIOS AND RICHARD MANNING

Can You Really Fry an Egg on a Stone?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

How Far Is It to the Moon?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

How Do Birds Fly?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Were Dinosaurs Smart?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

What Is Toothpaste Made Of?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Where Do Rainbows End?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Boomerangs Come Back?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Camels Have Humps?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Puppies Chew Slippers?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Some Kids Have Freckles?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Do Whales Sing?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Why Is the Grass Green?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1992.

Are Jellyfish Made of Jelly?, Disney Books by Mail (Burbank, CA), 1993.

"LIFE EDUCATION" SERIES

An Amazing Machine, illustrated by John Shackell, Stuart Harrison, and Paul Banville, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1996.

Being Me, illustrated by Harrison and Teri Gower, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1996.

Fit for Life, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1996.

Me and My World, illustrated by Teri Gower and Stuart Harrison, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1996.

I'm Happy, I'm Healthy, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1997.

I Am Special, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1997.

My Wonderful Body, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1997.

You're Special, Too, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1997.

OTHER

(Editor) Music in Time, c. 1983.

Facts and Phalluses: A Collection of Bizarre and Intriguing Truths, Legends, and Measurements (adult nonfiction), illustrated by Jennifer Black, Souvenir Press, 1989, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1990.

A Proper Breakfast (cookbook), illustrated by Evie Safarewicz, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Araminta Goes Shopping (children's fiction), Heinemann, 1991.

(With husband, Iain Parsons) Making It from 12 to 20: How to Survive Your Teens (nonfiction for teenagers), Piatkus, 1991.

(With Stephanie Hoppen) Stephanie Hoppen's Decorating with Style: Elegant Details and Creative Solutions for Transforming Your Home, photographs by Violet Fraser, Clarkson Potter (New York, NY), 2002.

The Perfect Kitchen, Hearst Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Victoria Romantic Window Style, Hearst Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Also author of Mothers and Fathers, both literary anthologies, published in the United States by Simon and Schuster. Author of screenplays and television scripts, including "Maggie Goes to Hollywood" and "Working the Tweedle." Associated with Tony Bilson's Recipe Book, c. 1987. Parsons' works have been translated into Spanish.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novelization of the television film Mountain of Adventure, based on Enid Blyton's story for children; books and television scripts for a children's television series called The Movie Brats.

SIDELIGHTS: Writer and editor Alexandra Parsons has to her credit a long list of published children's books and an award from the American Institute of Physics for a science series. If Parsons's works of nonfiction help children understand complicated subjects and make learning fun, it is due to her own efforts to understand the subjects she explores in her books. Parsons began her career as an editor at Mitchell Beazley in England. She has asserted that it was there that she was involved in publishing projects in the cookery and design fields. In 1983, Parsons moved to Australia and co-founded a publishing company, The Watermark Press. During this time in Australia, she noted a dearth of books explaining life issues and growing up for her teenage stepsons, which led her to write books on her own for this purpose. In 1988, Parsons returned to England, and she began to write for a number of series, including "What's Inside?," "Mickey Wonders Why?," "Make-It-Work Science," "Make-It-Work History," and "Life Education."

Another nonfiction series to which Parsons has contributed, the "Eyewitness Juniors" series, has garnered attention from critics. The books in this series introduce animals and insects to young readers. Each book begins by explaining what each animal is before moving on to discuss various species. As critics have noted, readers of these books are both entertained and informed. A contributor to Publishers Weekly, reviewing Amazing Birds and other series books in the "Eyewitness Junior," called attention to the "absolute clarity of text" and the absence of "potentially intimidating blocks of text." The reviewer called these books, including Amazing Birds, Amazing Spiders, Amazing Mammals, and Amazing Snakes, "extraordinary voyages into the natural world." In a School Library Journal review of Amazing Poisonous Animals and Amazing Lizards, Ruth M. McConnell commented that the books make "terrific choices for reluctant and even remedial readers."

In her contributions to the "Make-It-Work Science" series, Parsons covers plants, the earth, and electricity. "Each title is jammed with science projects," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In Make-It-Work: Plants, for example, budding botanists are presented an experiment in which they put food coloring in water and then a white carnation into the colored water. As the flower absorbs the dyed water, the petals change color to match the color of the dye. In Make-It-Work: Electricity young scientists are encouraged to explore how electricity works by constructing a model electric train. The Publishers Weekly critic noted that most of the experiments and projects assume the assistance of a willing adult, and that some of the activities are too complex or potentially too dangerous to undertake without adult supervision. However, the reviewer reacted generally favorably toward the books in the series.

Parsons is also the author of a number of nonfiction and home decorating and renovation books. Victoria Romantic Window Style, for one, offers "a wealth of ideas for window decorating," reported Gayle Williamson in the Library Journal. The author provides full-color photographs and detailed descriptions of a variety of different types of window treatments, ranging from formal to simple. Parsons also offers decorating advice, including how to make the best of selected window treatments, and how to use style, accessories, and fabrics to achieve the desired look and effect.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, September 15, 2004, Gayle Williamson, review of Victoria Romantic Window Style, p. 56.

Publishers Weekly, June 8, 1990, Richard Donahue and Diane Roback, reviews of Amazing Snakes, Amazing Birds, Amazing Mammals, and Amazing Spiders, p. 57; January 25, 1993, reviews of Make It Work: Plants, Make It Work: Electricity, and Make It Work: Earth, p. 87.

School Library Journal, February, 1991, Ruth M. McConnell, review of Amazing Poisonous Animals, p. 86; August, 1992, Cynthia M. Sturgis, review of Baby, p. 153.