Tulloch, Shirley

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Tulloch, Shirley

PERSONAL: Born in United Kingdom; married Jonathan Tulloch (a writer), 1977 (divorced, 1997); children: Aidan. Education: Bachelor's degree (education). Politics: "Green." Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Rosemary Canter, P.F.D., 34-43 Russell St., London WC2B 5HA, England.

CAREER: Writer and editor. Volunteer in Zimbabwe and South Africa, c. 1990–92, 1997; community worker and educator.

WRITINGS:

Who Made Me?, illustrated by Cathie Felstead, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MS), 2000.

(With husband, Jonathan Tulloch) I Am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere (novel), Egmont (London, England), 2007.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Another picture book.

SIDELIGHTS: An author and editor, Shirley Tulloch published her first picture book, Who Made Me?, in 2000. Released in both Tulloch's native England and the United States, Who Made Me? is a creation story that takes place in a small African village. One night, while staring up at the moon, young Zanele ponders the question "Who made me?" She asks this question of seven of her animal friends, including a lion, giraffe, zebra, eagle, and baboon, and each time the girl receives a different answer. Praising the "rich, multitextured illustrations" by Cathie Felstead, School Library Journal critic Patricia Pearl Dole cited Tulloch's text as "conversational, varied, and expressive," adding that it "reads aloud especially well." A Publishers Weekly critic also enjoyed Tulloch's debut, calling Who Made Me? "welcoming and insightful," while in Booklist Hazel Rochman deemed it a "gentle fable" in which a "child feels closely connected to the animals in a wide universe."

Tulloch commented: "Stuck in the African bush with no electricity, no 24-hour water supply, and a broken-down truck to boot … anyone would begin writing. But that was 1990–1992 and it wasn't until 2000 that Who Made Me? was published. What often might seem short in terms of word count actually draws on the whole life of a writer. I Am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere is co-written with my husband, award-winning writer Jonathan Tulloch, and this is also inspired by my voluntary work in southern Africa; two years in rural Zimbabwe (where I met two Roman Catholic priests from Ohio who introduced me to the subtleties of American geography starting with Ohio being the Buckeye state) and one year in Johannesburg.

"I have also worked with young people (in and out of school); the homeless; travelers; and prisoners and their families. There is nothing like a story. It is the inheritance of every child in our world."