Sommer, Carl 1930–

PERSONAL: Born October 17, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Karl (a butcher) and Elise (a homemaker) Sommer; married May 7, 1955; wife's name Hildegard (a finance manager); children: Paul, Esther, Steven, John, Philip. Education: Attended Oswego State University, City College of New York, and New York University. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, fishing.

ADDRESSES: Home—Houston, TX. Office—Advance Publishing, Inc., 6950 Fulton St., Houston, TX 77022. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Educator, entrepreneur, and writer. New York City High School, New York, NY, former teacher; Advance Publishing, Inc., Houston, TX, founder and president; founder of Digital Cornerstone and Reliable EDM (precision machining shop). Military service: U.S. Marine Corps; served during Korean War.

AWARDS, HONORS: Teachers' Choice Award, Mom's Choice Award, ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Award, Benjamin Franklin Award, Communicator Award, Family Review Center Gold Award, iParenting Media Award, and Family Choice Award, all for readalongs and "Another Sommer-Time Story" series; Librarian Award for Best Children's Picture Book, Today, 2000, for Mayor for a Day; Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Children's Picture Book, 2000, for The Ugly Caterpillar; Children's Choice Award, 2003, for It's Not Fair!

WRITINGS:

"ANOTHER SOMMER-TIME STORY" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN

Can You Help Me Find My Smile?, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1997.

If Only I Were …, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1997.

No One Will Ever Know, illustrated by Dick Westbrook, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1997.

Tied up in Knots, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1997.

The Great Royal Race, illustrated by Dick Westbrook, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1997.

No Longer a Dilly Dally, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1998.

Future Trek, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1999.

George Washington Carver: Making Much from Little (nonfiction), Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1999.

I Am a Lion!, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Mayor for a Day, illustrated by Dick Westbrook, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

King of the Pond, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

The Time Remote, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

The Ugly Caterpillar, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Proud Rooster and Little Hen, illustrated by Greg Bud-wine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

You Move, You Lose, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

The Little Red Train, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

The Sly Fox and the Chicks, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Your Job Is Easy, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Three Little Pigs, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Light Your Candle, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Noise! Noise! Noise!, illustrated by Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2003.

It's Not Fair!, illustrated by Greg Budwine, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2003.

Miserable Millie, illustrated by Enrique Vignolo, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2005.

Dare to Dream, illustrated by Jorge Martinzez, Greg Budwine, and Kennon James, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2007.

Spike the Rebel, illustrated by Enrique Vignolo, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2007.

Author's works have been translated in to Chinese, Arabic, and Korean.

OTHER

Schools in Crisis: Training for Success or Failure?, Ca-hill Publishing (Houston, TX), 1984.

Handwriting Success for Adults: Learning Manuscript and Cursive Writing, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1999.

(With son, Steve Sommer) Wire EDM Handbook, Technical Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 1992, 4th edition, 2000.

Non-Traditional Machining Handbook, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2000.

Complete EDM Handbook, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2005.

Character under Attack, and What You Can Do about It, revised edition, Advance Publishing (Houston, TX), 2006.

Creator of Number Success: The Practical Math Program from Addition to Trigonometry (DVDs and workbooks) and Reading Adventure: A Children's Phonics Literature-based Reading Program (workbooks), both 2006, and Reading Adventure.

SIDELIGHTS: Before founding Advance Publishing, Carl Sommer worked as a teacher at a New York City high school. During his time as an educator, he became dismayed by the quality of education offered, as well as by the apparent laxity with which basic values were instilled in his students by their parents. "I saw kids who had not even been taught basic hygiene," the writer and publisher recalled to ForeWord online interviewer Cymbre Foster. Sommer's concerns inspired him to become a writer; when mainstream publishers would not accept his first book, he founded a publishing company. The author of over twenty books and counting, Sommer had over 340,000 copies of his books in print by 2007. His "Another Sommer-Time Story" books have also been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Arabic.

One of the central objections to Sommer's books that has been cited by mainstream publishers—as well as some reviewers—has been the didactic quality of his work; It's Not Fair!, for example, clearly emphasizes the meaning of leadership and cooperation in a simple storyline. "My agenda or objective was to write books to teach children the basic principles of success," Sommer explained to Foster. "Principles like the need to listen to your teachers, work hard, be honest, take care of your body. What makes them unique is that my stories tell a lesson," he added, noting that in his texts he avoids being "preachy." His "Another Sommer-Time Story" books span a wealth of value-related topics and focus on self-acceptance, respect for others, and other values that, based on the awards the books have received, many parents and educators also share.

In It's Not Fair! Sommer focuses on leadership and the importance of working together. Buzzy the bee does not understand why the worker bees have to do all the work, and decides that he and some of his friends should start their own hive nearby. As Buzzy and company begin to build their new hive, chaos quickly ensues when each bee decides the best way any one thing should be done. The group eventually returns to their original hive with a newfound appreciation for the leadership role of their Queen. In School Library Journal reviewer Sandra Kitain dubbed Sommer's text "didactic," but also noted that his focus is clearly evident.

Sommer once commented: "My purpose in writing children's books is to teach children by means of exciting stories the virtues that lead to successful living. I am glad to report that the books have received many enthusiastic endorsements. All books have been selected as finalists for the Teachers' Choice Awards given by Learning magazine. For best children's picture book, The Ugly Caterpillar received the Benjamin Franklin Award, and Mayor for a Day received a Today's Librarian award.

In addition to picture books, Sommer has created several educational series, including Reading Success, Reading Adventure: A Children's Phonics Literature-based Reading Program, and Number Success: The Practical Math Program from Addition to Trigonometry. Sommer noted that these self-directed tutorials "provide material for student enrichment and to help adults lacking skills in reading, writing, or math to become literate." Reading Success uses audio, while Number Success includes DVDs and workbooks. "I am the practical math teacher who demonstrates math at various sites, such as department and hardware stores, construction sites, NASA, industrial sites, and numerous other places," Sommer explained of Number Success. "Four teachers who have won the prestigious National Science Foundation award for Excellence in mathematics for their states teach the lessons. Now anyone who lacks literacy skills can use these self-directed materials and become literate."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Children's Bookwatch, March, 2004, Diane C. Donovan, review of No Longer a Dilly Dally, p. 7; March, 2004, Diane C. Donovan, review of The Sly Fox and the Chicks, p. 7; March, 2004, Diane C. Donovan, review of Your Job Is Easy, p. 7.

School Library Journal, July, 1997, Martha Topol, review of Tied up in Knots, Christy Norris, review of Can You Help Me Find My Smile?, Susan Pine, review of No Longer a Dilly Dally, and Dawn Amsberry, review of No One Will Ever Know, p. 75; August, 2003, Sandra Kitain, review of It's Not Fair!, p. 143; December, 2003, Karen Ostergard, review of "Another Sommer-Time Story" series, review of I Am a Lion, and review of The Little Red Train, p. 72.

Washington Times, October 13, 2004, interview with Sommer, p. A2.

ONLINE

Advance Publishing Web site, http://www.advancepublishing.com/ (December 20, 2006).

ForeWord Online, http://www.forewordmagazine.com/online/ (August 24, 2005), Cymbre Foster, "Advance Publishing's Award-Winning Author Imparts Values."