Sherlock, Patti

views updated

SHERLOCK, Patti

PERSONAL: Born in Golden, CO; married; children: two sons, one daughter.

ADDRESSES: Home—ID. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Group, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Eastern Idaho Technical College, Idaho Falls, creative-writing instructor; Jackson Hole Writers' Conference, faculty member. Sheep rancher.

MEMBER: Toastmasters International.

WRITINGS:

Alone on the Mountain: Sheepherding in the American West, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1979.

Four of a Kind, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1991.

Some Fine Dog, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1992.

Taking Back Our Lives: Reflections for Survivors of Child Abuse, ACTA Publications (Chicago, IL), 2003.

Letters from Wolfie, Viking (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: A children's book author, Patti Sherlock is particularly noted for incorporating animals into her stories, often in surprising ways. In Four of a Kind, young Andy is given the chance to take care of his neighbors' draft horses. As he struggles to deal with these large animals, he also gains insights about his divorced parents and his own hidden strength. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found that Sherlock "combines a love for an all-but-lost sport and way of life with straightforward storytelling." In Some Fine Dog, taking in a collie helps a young boy from a poor family discover his own strengths and the importance of helping others, even in difficult circumstances. Letters from Wolfie goes even deeper. "A full-fledged civics lesson is embodied in this touching story of 13-year-old Mark, his beloved dog, Wolfie, and the effect of the Vietnam War," according to Booklist reviewer Cindy Welch. When young Mark, whose older brother is serving in the Vietnam War, finds out that the U.S. Army uses dogs to protect soldiers, he volunteers his own dog, Wolfie, for the service. Wolfie is assigned to Tucker, who winds up writing letters to Mark as if they were from the dog. Eventually, Mark regrets his decision, but getting his dog out of the Army proves a lot more difficult than getting him in, and Wolfie is left to observe the horrors of war. School Library Journal contributor Mary R. Hofmann predicted that "this story will stay with readers long after the final page is turned."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2004, Cindy Welch, review of Letters from Wolfie, p. 1835.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2004, review of Letters from Wolfie, p. 400.

Library Journal, April 1, 2004, Barbara Korper McConnell, review of The Cambridge Guide to the Solar System, p. 86.

Publishers Weekly, October 11, 1991, review of Four of a Kind, p. 63; April 13, 1992, review of Some Fine Dog, p. 58; July 5, 2004, review of Letters from Wolfie, p. 56.

School Library Journal, July, 2004, Mary R. Hofmann, review of Letters from Wolfie, p. 150.