RINARD, Judith E(llen) 1947-

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced "Rine-ard"; born August 15, 1947, in Mason City, IA; daughter of Park (an administrative assistant in politics) and Phyllis (Palmer) Rinard. Education: Attended Drake University, 1965-66; University of Toronto, B.A., 1969. Religion: Unitarian. Hobbies and other interests: Drawing and painting, travel, camping.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Firefly Books, 3680 Victoria Park Ave., Toronto, Ontario M2H 3K1, Canada.

CAREER: Nature writer. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, staff writer for National Geographic, beginning 1972. Freelance writer, 1970—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children selection, Children's Book Council/National Science Teachers Association, 1976, for Wonders of the Desert World.

WRITINGS:

"YOUNG EXPLORER" SERIES

Wonders of the Desert World, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1976.

Creatures of the Night, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1977.

Zoos without Cages, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1981.

Puppies, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1982.

What Happens at the Zoo, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1984.

Helping Our Animals Friends, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1985.

The World beneath Your Feet, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1985.

Dolphins, Our Friends in the Sea: Dolphins and Other Toothed Whales, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1986.

Wildlife: Making a Comeback: How Humans Are Helping, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1987.

Animals of the High Mountains, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1989.

Along a Rocky Shore, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1990.

Whales: Mighty Giants of the Sea, illustrated by Rosalie Seidler, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1990.

Deer Growing Up in the Wild, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1991.

OTHER

Amazing Monkeys, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1985.

At the Zoo (pop-up book), illustrated by Warren Cutler, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1992.

The Book of Flight: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Firefly (Toronto, Canada), 2001, portions adapted as The Story of Flight: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 2002.

Also contributor to Powers of Nature, edited by Robert L. Breeden and Ron Fisher, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1978; Mysteries of the Ancient World, edited by Robert L. Breeden and William R. Gray, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1979; and Wilderness Challenge (juvenile), edited by Ralph Gray, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1980. Contributor to periodicals, including National Geographic.

The author's work has been translated into Spanish.

SIDELIGHTS: Judith E. Rinard specializes in introducing young readers to the world of nature. Through her long career at the National Geographic Society, she has been affiliated with a number of book projects, including the Society's "Books for Young Explorers" series, and has written such heavily illustrated volumes as Wonders of the Desert World, Wildlife: Making a Comeback, and Zoos without Cages, each designed for novice armchair explorers.

Rinard's books divide their focus between animal and environmental subjects. Books that open young eyes to the many varieties of plants and types of landscape of the planet Earth include The World beneath Your Feet, which covers the forest environment, and Alonga Rocky Shore, which introduces readers to the coastline. Calling The World beneath Your Feet "an appealing, enjoyable volume," Marvin Druger added in his Science Books and Films review that the book also gained points for involving "the reader's active participation by posing questions." In Wonders of the Desert World, the beauties of the stark desert environment are similarly explored by Rinard through colorful photographs and a text that was commended by Appraisal critic Herbert J. Stolze for being "clear, simple, and easy to understand."

In Helping Our Animal Friends, Rinard discusses the responsibilities and joys of pet ownership, while in Wildlife: Making a Comeback, she shows what men and women around the world are doing to care for wild and endangered creatures. Calling the latter "a well-done book on an important . . . topic" in her Appraisal review, Nancy R. Spence also praised Rinard for including activities that would allow young people to participate in the effort to nurture the planet's wildlife.

Most young readers probably receive their only inperson experience of animals from other lands by walking through a zoo, and Rinard helps them to better understand the zoo environment through several titles. Her 1985 book What Happens at the Zoo explains the daily tasks of zookeepers and others who feed and care for zoo animals, using what a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books critic characterized as "direct and simple prose." A related title, At the Zoo, combines Rinard's clear text with pop-up illustrations, making it an "intriguing book, very well written and illustrated," according to Science Books and Films contributor Eleanor Wenger. Zoos without Cages provides readers with a look at the more forward-thinking zoos first created in Germany in 1907. Rinard's study of open-enclosure zoos is enhanced by her "direct . . . authoritative" text remarked a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books reviewer. In Booklist, Denise M. Wilms dubbed Zoos without Cages a "prime pick" for young researchers, and Science Books and Films critic Benjamin Barnhart hailed it as a "superior educational offering" due to its many photographs, activity suggestions, and "informative stories."

In a departure from her usual subject matter, Rinard has also authored The Book of Flight: The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which, against the backdrop of the collection housed at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., follows the history of man's efforts to take to the air. The book's "fast-moving text" encompasses both civilian and military aircraft, and ends with a discussion of the U.S. program of space exploration, explained Todd Morning in Booklist. Claire Rosser added in Kliatt that the volume serves both as a good way "to prepare a student for a trip" to the Smithsonian and as "a substitute experience" for children unable to travel to the U.S. capital city. In 2002, The Book of Flight was adapted for younger readers as The Story of Flight.

Rinard once noted: "I have always enjoyed learning about nature, about plants and animals that live in many different parts of the world, about the sea, about mountains, forests, and wilderness areas where I have camped. I also enjoy learning about people and cultures different from my own, such as those of Spanish-speaking Latin Americans and North American Indians. I find that these subjects are my favorites when writing for children, and that children seem to enjoy reading and learning about these things as much as I do."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Appraisal, fall, 1977, Herbert J. Stolze, review of Wonders of the Desert World, p. 35; fall, 1986, review of The World beneath Your Feet, p. 100; fall, 1988, Nancy R. Spence, review of Wildlife: Making a Comeback, pp. 43-44; autumn, 1991, review of Along a Rocky Shore, p. 68.

Booklist, October 1, 1981, Denise M. Wilms, review of Zoos without Cages, p. 239; March 1, 1987, review of Dolphins: Our Friends in the Sea, p. 1056; November 1, 2001, review of The Book of Flight: The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, p. 473; December 15, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Story of Flight: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, p. 758.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1981, review of Zoos without Cages, p. 14; April, 1985, review of What Happens at the Zoo, p. 154; May, 1988, review of Wildlife, p. 113.

Kliatt, November, 2001, Claire Rosser, review of The Book of Flight, p. 35.

Publishers Weekly, September 16, 2002, review of The Story of Flight, p. 71.

School Library Journal, April, 1985, review of What Happens at the Zoo, p. 73; September, 1973, review of Dolphins, p. 192; December, 2001, John Peters, review of The Book of Flight, p. 161.

Science Books and Film, December, 1977, Helen J. Stern, review of Wonders of the Desert World, p. 161; March, 1982, Benjamin Barnhart, review of Zoos without Cages, p. 216; November, 1986, Marvin Druger, review of The World beneath Your Feet, p. 119; September, 1987, Johnes S. Moore, review of Dolphins, p. 45; November, 1990, Patricia Wang-Iverson, review of Animals of the High Mountains, p. 129; November, 1993, Eleanor Wenger, review of At the Zoo, p. 242; December, 2002, Eldon Younce, review of The Story of Flight, p. 168.*