Tripp, Valerie 1951-

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TRIPP, Valerie 1951-

PERSONAL: Born September 12, 1951, in Mount Kisco, NY; daughter of Granger (an advertising executive) and Kathleen (a teacher; maiden name, Martin) Tripp; married Michael Petty (a teacher), June 25, 1983; children: Katherine. Education: Yale University, B.A. (with honors), 1973; Harvard University, M.Ed., 1981. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, hiking, conversation.

ADDRESSES: Home—1007 McCeney Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20901.

CAREER: Little, Brown, Boston, MA, staff member, 1973; Addison-Wesley, Menlo Park, CA, writer in language arts program, 1974-80; freelance writer, 1981—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Children's Choice Award, International Reading Association, 1987, for Meet Molly: An American Girl.

WRITINGS:

"american girls collection" series

Meet Molly: An American Girl, illustrated by C. F. Payne, vignettes by Keith Skeen and Renee Graef, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1986.

Molly Learns a Lesson: A School Story, illustrated by C. F. Payne, vignettes by Keith Skeen and Renee Graef, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1986.

Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story, illustrated by C. F. Payne, vignettes by Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1986.

Happy Birthday, Molly!: A Springtime Story, illustrated by Nick Backes, vignettes by Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1987.

Happy Birthday, Samantha!: A Springtime Story, illustrated by Robert Grace and Nancy Niles, vignettes by Jana Fothergill, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1987.

Changes for Samantha: A Winter Story, illustrated by Luann Roberts, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1988.

Changes for Molly: A Winter Story, illustrated by Nick Backes, vignettes by Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1988.

Molly Saves the Day: A Summer Story, illustrated by Nick Backes, vignettes by Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1988.

Samantha Saves the Day: A Summer Story, illustrated by Robert Grace and Niles, vignettes by Luann Roberts, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1988.

Felicity's Surprise: A Christmas Story, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1991.

Felicity Learns a Lesson: A School Story, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1991.

Meet Felicity: An American Girl, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1991.

Changes for Felicity: A Winter Story, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1992.

Felicity Saves the Day: A Summer Story, illustrations by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1992.

Happy Birthday, Felicity!: A Springtime Story, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, vignettes by Luann Roberts and Keith Skeen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1992.

War on the Home Front: A Play about Molly, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Addy's Theater Kit: A Play about Addy for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Kirsten's Theater Kit: A Play about Kirsten for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Molly's Theater Kit: A Play about Molly for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Felicity's Theater Kit: A Play about Felicity for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Samantha's Theater Kit: A Play about Samantha for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: A Play about Samantha, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1994.

Five Plays for Girls and Boys to Perform: Teacher's Guide and Scripts, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1995.

Josefina Learns a Lesson: A School Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1997.

Meet Josefina, An American Girl, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1997.

Josefina's Surprise: A Christmas Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1997.

Josefina's Theater Kit: A Play about Josefina for You and Your Friends, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Josefina Saves the Day: A Summer Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Happy Birthday, Josefina! A Springtime Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Changes for Josefina: A Winter Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Changes for Samantha: A Winter Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Six Plays for Girls and Boys to Perform: Teacher's Guide and Scripts, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1998.

Felicity's New Sister, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1999.

Molly Takes Flight, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1999.

A Reward for Josefina, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1999.

Samantha's Winter Party, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1999.

Kit's Surprise: A Christmas Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Kit Learns a Lesson: A School Story, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Again, Josefina! Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Felicity's Dancing Shoes, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Meet Kit, An American Girl, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Molly and the Movie Star, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Samantha Saves the Wedding, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2000.

Molly Marches On, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Felicity Takes a Dare, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Happy Birthday, Kit! A Springtime Story, 1934, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Josefina's Song, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Samantha and the Missing Pearls, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

(With Susan S. Adler and MaxineRose Schur) Samantha's Story Collection, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Felicity's Story Collection, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Kit's Story Collection, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Molly's Story Collection, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Changes for Kit!: A Winter Story, 1934, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2001.

Felicity Discovers a Secret, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2002.

Just Josefina, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2002.

Kit's Home Run, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2002.

Molly's A+ Partner, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2002.

Samantha's Blue Bicycle, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2002.

Kit's Tree House, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

Molly's Puppy Tale, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

Thanks to Josefina, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

Bright, Shiny Skylar, illustrated by Joy Allen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

Hallie's Horrible Handwriting, illustrated by Joy Allen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

Thank You Again, Logan, illustrated by Joy Allen, Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 2003.

"just one more stories" series

The Singing Dog, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1986.

Baby Koala Finds a Home, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1987.

The Penguins Paint, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1987.

Squirrel's Thanksgiving Surprise, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Sillyhen's Big Surprise, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

Happy, Happy Mother's Day!, illustrated by Sandra Kalthoff Martin, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

other

An Introduction to Williamsburg (nonfiction), Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1985.

Home Is Where the Heart Is (play), Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1990.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words (play), Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1990.

War on the Homefront (play), Pleasant Co. (Middleton, WI), 1990.

Baby Koala Finds a Home has been translated into Spanish.

SIDELIGHTS: Valerie Tripp has written a number of books in the popular "American Girls Collection," published by the Pleasant Company. These books feature girls living in different periods of American history and realistically depict the day-to-day activities, problems, and pastimes of the era. Each book also includes a section of factual information about the time period of the story.

Tripp grew up in a large family, sandwiched between two older sisters and one younger sister and brother. The Tripp children were a close-knit group, spending their free time playing games, riding bikes, and, when winter came, sledding and ice skating. "We were a noisy, rambunctious, rag-taggle bunch," she explained in a publicity brochure issued by one of her publishers, the Pleasant Company. But their favorite activity was reading. Tripp learned to read while playing school with her older sisters, and she, in turn, taught her younger siblings. Tripp's parents encouraged the family's love of books.

Tripp has vivid and mostly fond memories of school: "I liked school, especially reading. I was like [my character] Molly in that I loved the teachers and always wanted to be the star of the school play….Also, unfortunately, just like Molly, I was terrible at multiplication."

Tripp was one of the first women to be admitted to Yale University; she graduated with honors in 1973. After college, she worked in publishing, first at Little, Brown, and Co., and later at Addison-Wesley, where she wrote educational materials, such as songs, stories, and skills exercises for the language arts division.

In 1981, she received her Masters of Education degree from Harvard University. Since then, she has developed educational programs for such companies as Houghton Mifflin, Macmillan, and Harcourt. While working on the editorial staff of the Addison-Wesley publishing company, Tripp befriended Pleasant Rowland. The two women shared a belief that young girls were rushed out of childhood. Just when they reach the age when they can read independently, and can fantasize themselves acting in a variety of situations and settings, girls are too often discouraged from reading. Tripp and Rowland wanted to create a series of books for girls set in historical settings of the American past. Darci Glass-Royal, in an article for the Washington Parent Magazine Web site, explained that "Pleasant Company was created to portray history from the perspective of a young heroine the same age as their readers."

Pleasant Company's "American Girls" books focus on young women growing up during different periods in American History. Carolyn Phelan in Booklist noted that the series books are "short, fast-moving, and involving stories." Among the girls Tripp has written about are Molly, a nine-year-old whose father serves in England during World War II; Samantha, an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle in turn-of-the-century New York City; Felicity, who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, during colonial times, and whose life changes drastically during the outbreak of the American Revolution; and Kit, who lives in Cincinnati during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Tripp draws on events from her own childhood experiences when writing. Samantha's adventures in New York City are based on Tripp's own visits to the city. "Sometimes my whole family would go into the city to see a Broadway show, or go to a museum or a concert or the ballet," she remarked. "When I was writingHappy Birthday, Samantha!, I remembered the feeling of exhilaration of being in the busy, fast-moving, enormous city. I knew just how Samantha felt."

Felicity's adventures reflect Tripp's fascination with colonial history. When the author was ten, she visited Williamsburg with her family. She uses her experience of attending a concert at the Governor's Palace as the basis for Felicity's night of dance at the same facility. For both writer and character, their respective evenings are among their most memorable ones.

Speaking in an interview posted at the Children's Literature Web site, Tripp discussed her books concerning Depression-era Kit: "Kit's story is about one family, a family that used its energy, creativity, ingenuity, resilience, and love for one another to not only survive the Depression but to learn and grow. During the course of her story, because of the Depression, Kit's circle of concern widens from herself, to her family, to her friends, to her community, to the world at large. I'd like young readers to widen their circles of concern, too, and realize that they are part of a world community and that they have a responsibility beyond their own happiness and comfort."

"Asked to choose a favorite among her characters," Glass-Royal recounted, "[Tripp] responded diplomatically. 'I am like a mother with many daughters,' she replied. 'They are all different and, at times, difficult, but I love them all.'" Tripp, according to Glass-Royal, "maintains a low public profile. She prefers to be known through her books and through the correspondence she maintains with the hundreds of girls who write to her every year and whose letters never go unanswered."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, November 1, 1991, p. 523; April 15, 1992, Candace Smith, "Meet Valerie Tripp: An American Girls Author," p. 1544; May 1, 1992, Carolyn Phelan, reviews of Changes for Felicity: A Winter Story, Felicity Saves the Day: A Summer Story, and Happy Birthday, Felicity! A Springtime Story, p. 1603; October 1, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, reviews of Meet Josefina: An American Girl and Josefina Learns a Lesson, p. 333; August, 1998, Carolyn Phelan, reviews of Happy Birthday, Josefina! A Springtime Story and Josefina Saves the Day: A Summer Story, p. 2009; September 1, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, reviews of Meet Kit: An American Girl and Kit Learns a Lesson: A School Story, p. 119; August, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of Kit Saves the Day, p. 2122; December 1, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of Changes for Kit: A Winter Story, p. 644; July, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Thank You Again, Logan and Hallie's Horrible Handwriting, p. 1903.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October, 1991, p. 51.

Publishers Weekly, February 14, 2000, "More Pleasant Than Ever," p. 203; October 13, 2003, review of Bright, Shiny Skylar, p. 80.

School Library Journal, January, 1992, p. 116; February, 1992, p. 90; December, 1997, Ann Welton, reviews of Meet Josefina: An American Girl and Josefina Learns a Lesson, p. 102; December, 2000, Debbie Feulner, reviews of Meet Kit: An American Girl and Kit Learns a Lesson: A School Story, p. 126.