SITARZ, Paula (Gaj) 1955-

PERSONAL: Born May 25, 1955, in New Bedford, MA; daughter of Stanley (a business executive) and Pauline (a secretary; maiden name, Rocha) Gaj; married Michael James Sitarz (a business executive), August 26, 1978; children: Andrew Michael, Kate Elizabeth. Education: Smith College, B.A. (cum laude), 1977; Simmons College, M.S., 1978.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—25 Stratford Dr., North Dartmouth, MA 02747.

CAREER: Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, MA, children's librarian and producer of weekly children's programs for local cable television channel, 1978-84; freelance writer, 1984—; storyteller, 1984-97; North Dartmouth Library, librarian, 1998—. Director of Reader's Theater Workshop at Thomas Crane Public Library, summer, 1985; workshops on children and reading, 1997.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Beta Phi Mu.

WRITINGS:

Picture Book Story Hours: From Birthdays to Bears, Libraries Unlimited (Littleton, CO), 1987.

More Picture Book Story Hours, Libraries Unlimited (Littleton, CO), 1990.

The Curtain Rises, Players Press (Studio City, CA), Volume 1: A History of Theater from Its Origins in Greece and Rome through the English Restoration, 1991, Volume 2: A History of European Theater from the Eighteenth Century to the Present, 1993.

Story Time Sampler: Read Alouds, Booktalks, and Activities for Children, Libraries Unlimited (Littleton, CO), 1997.

The Curtain Rises: A History of the American Theater, Players Press (Studio City, CA), in press.

Reporter for Dartmouth Chronicle, summer, 1976. Columnist on children's books for Bristol County Baby Journal, First Teacher, and South Shore Baby Journal. Contributor of articles to Cobblestone, Seventeen and Turtle.

SIDELIGHTS: Paula Sitarz told CA: "I started writing when I was twelve years old and have always enjoyed nonfiction. Early breaks with Seventeen and Alive!, a stint as news editor of the Smith College newspaper, The Sophian, and a summer internship for a local newspaper spurred my efforts as a writer. My books, Picture Book Story Hours, More Picture Book Story Hours, and Story Time Sampler were based on my work as a children's librarian. I wanted to provide other children's librarians and educators with literaturebased program plans. The Curtain Rises, my three-volume history of the theater for ages ten to adult was sparked by my love of the theater and my degree in theater history. The series was ten years in the making. Now, I am selecting a female subject for a biography geared to middle schoolers."