THOMPSON, Kathleen 1918–

PERSONAL: Born 1918.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, W. W. Norton, 500 5th Ave., New York, NY 10110.

CAREER: Writer.

WRITINGS:

"AMERICAN FOLK HEROES" SERIES; WITH JAN GLEITER

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1984.

Daniel Boone, Torstar Books (New York, NY), 1985.

Pocahontas, illustrated by Deborah L. Chabrian, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Sacagawea, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Christopher Columbus, illustrated by Rick Whipple, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Kit Carson, illustrated by Rick Whipple, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Paul Revere, illustrated by Francis Balistreri, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Annie Oakley, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Molly Pitcher, illustrated by Charles Shaw, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Casey Jones, illustrated by Francis Balistreri, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Johnny Appleseed, illustrated by Harry Quinn, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Jack London, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Sam Houston, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Jane Addams, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Booker T. Washington, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

David Farragut, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

John James Audubon, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Sequoya, illustrated by Tom Redman, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Matthew Henson, illustrated by Francis Balistreri, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Diego Rivera, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Jose Marti, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Junipero Serra, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Hernando de Soto, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Luis Munoz Marin, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

Simon Bolivar, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

"PORTRAIT OF AMERICA" SERIES; WITH JAN GLEITER

Louisiana, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Maine, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Maryland, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Massachusetts, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Oregon, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Virginia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1985.

Arizona, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Connecticut, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Florida, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Georgia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Idaho, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Indiana, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Iowa, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Missouri, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Nevada, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

New Jersey, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

New Mexico, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

North Dakota, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Pennsylvania, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Puerto Rico, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Tennessee, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Texas, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Utah, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Wisconsin, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1986.

Delaware, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Hawaii, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Illinois, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Kentucky, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

North Carolina, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Ohio, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Oklahoma, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Rhode Island, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

South Carolina, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

South Dakota, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Vermont, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Washington, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Washington, DC, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

Alaska, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Alabama, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Arkansas, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

California, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Colorado, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Kansas, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Michigan, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Minnesota, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Mississippi, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Montana, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Nebraska, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

New Hampshire, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

New York, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

West Virginia, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Wyoming, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1988.

Pacific Islands, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1996.

"HISPANIC" SERIES

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, illustrated by Rick Karpinksi, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1990.

Pedro Menendez de Aviles, illustrated by Charles Shaw, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1990.

(With Christine Sumption) Carlos Finlay, illustrated by Les Didier, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1990.

OTHER

My Book of Christmas Recipes, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

My Book of Christmas Stories, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

My Book of Christmas Games, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1987.

(Editor, with Jan Gleiter) Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

(Editor) Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, illustrated by Yoshi Miyake, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

(Editor, with Michael Nowak) William Shakespeare, Hamlet, illustrated by Fran Balistreri, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1989.

(With Darlene Clark Hine) Facts on File Encyclopedia of Black Women in America, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1997.

(With Darlene Clark Hine) A Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 1998.

(Editor, with Hilary Mac Austin) The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 1999.

(Editor, with Hilary Mac Austin) Children of the Depression, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 2001.

(Editor, with Hilary Mac Austin) America's Children: Picturing Childhood from Early America to the Present, Norton (New York, NY), 2003.

Also author of Against Rape, 1974, and Feeding on Dreams, 1994, both with Diane Epstein.

SIDELIGHTS: Kathleen Thompson is a prolific author whose books are primarily written for school-age children. In 1996, she and Jan Gleiter coauthored a series of books on each of the fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. The books, aimed at students in the fourth grade and up, are based on the "Portrait of America" television series produced by the Turner Broadcasting Network. Each is about forty-eight pages in length, and includes four parts: history, economy, culture, and the future. Also included are a timeline, an almanac, and pictures of the state symbols. Librarian Mary Ann Bursk, writing for School Library Journal, noted that the books are "written in a clear and engaging style"; however, Pamela M. Greene, also reviewing for School Library Journal, criticized them for a "distracting format," poor quality photographs, and inadequate geographical data. Phillis Wilson of Booklist felt that the books had "a potpourri effect" that would appeal to readers from individual states.

Thompson and Gleiter also wrote a series of books for grade-school readers that tell the life stories of Hispanic, Native-American, African-American, and American folk heroes. Booklist critic Denise Wilms praised the "Hispanic" series, commenting that "all the books feature straightforward texts that eschew fictionalization." Wilms faulted the "brief" and "simplistic" content, but commented that the books "will be a boon to bilingual programs." Of the same series, the School Library Journal reviewer noted that "the easy reading level and profusely illustrated format with English and Spanish texts on each page make these books accessible to many readers." School Library Journal reviewer Zenata W. Pierre called the American folk hero books "good additions to the primary grades biography shelves."

The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present presents photographs and readings about the life of African-American women throughout the country's history. The book is outstanding for its depth, and very successful at portraying a sense of "beauty" that goes far beyond traditional definitions of attractiveness, according to NWSA Journal reviewer Constance Ulmer. She remarked that the many "faces of hope" shown are what make the book "so captivating."

In another book, Thompson and coeditor Hilary Mac Austin gave a similar treatment to the subject of children. America's Children: Picturing Childhood from Early America to the Present presents more than three hundred images showing a broad cross-section of children throughout the history of America, accompanied by memoirs, letters, and diary entries. It offers "a unique perspective on the upheavals and opportunities that families have found in the U.S.," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer; and Vanessa Bush in Booklist also commended the volume as "stunning."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, November, 1999, review of The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present, p. 61.

Booklist, May 15, 1988, pp. 1612-1613; February 1, 1990, p. 1088; October 1, 2002, Vanessa Bush, review of America's Children: Picturing Childhood from Early America to the Present, p. 283.

Bookwatch, December, 1990, p. 12.

Horn Book, July-December, 1989, p. 134; January-June, 1996, p. 389.

Journal of Communication, March, 2001, review of The Face of Our Past, p. 196.

NWSA Journal, summer, 2001, Constance Ulmer, review of The Face of Our Past, p. 196.

Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2002, review of America's Children, p. 56.

Reading Teacher, December, 1988, p. 246.

School Library Journal, May, 1987, p. 84; September, 1987, pp. 174, 193; October, 1987, p. 132; September, 1988, pp. 176-177; August, 1990, p. 173; August, 1996, p. 161; October, 1998, p. 153.