Viorst, Judith 1931–

PERSONAL:

Surname pronounced "vee-orst"; born February 2, 1931, in Newark, NJ; daughter of Martin Leonard (an accountant) and Ruth June Stahl; married Milton Viorst (a writer), January 30, 1960; children: Anthony Jacob, Nicholas Nathan, Alexander Noah. Education: Rutgers University, B.A. (with honors), 1952; Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, graduated, 1981. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Washington, DC. Agent—Robert Lescher, Lescher & Lescher, 346 E. 84th St., Ground Fl., New York, NY 10028.

CAREER:

Poet, journalist, and writer of books for adults and children. True Confessions, New York, NY, secretary, 1953-55; Women's Wear Daily, New York, NY, secretary, 1955-57; William Morrow (publisher), New York, NY, children's book editor, 1957-60; Science Service, Washington, DC, science book editor and writer, 1960-63.

MEMBER:

American Psychoanalytic Association, Phi Beta Kappa.

AWARDS, HONORS:

New Jersey Institute of Technology awards, 1969, for Sunday Morning, and 1970, for I'll Fix Anthony; Emmy Award (with others) for writing for a comedy, variety, or music program, 1970, for Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man; Best Books of the Year citation, School Library Journal, 1972, and Georgia Picture Book Award, 1977, both for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Silver Pencil Award, 1973, for The Tenth Good Thing about Barney; Penney-Missouri Award, 1974, for article in Redbook; Albert Einstein College of Medicine Award, 1975; American Academy of Pediatrics Award, 1977, for article in Redbook; American Association of University Women Award, 1980, for article in Redbook; Christopher Award, 1988, for The Good-bye Book.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN

Sunday Morning, illustrated by Hilary Knight, Harper (New York, NY), 1968.

I'll Fix Anthony, illustrated by Arnold Lobel, Harper (New York, NY), 1969.

Try It Again, Sam: Safety When You Walk, illustrated by Paul Galdone, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1970.

The Tenth Good Thing about Barney, illustrated by Erik Blegvad, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1971.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (also see below), illustrated by Ray Cruz, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1972.

My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things, illustrated by Kay Chorao, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1973.

Rosie and Michael, illustrated by Lorna Tomei, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1974.

Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday (also see below), illustrated by Ray Cruz, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1978.

If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and Their Parents, illustrated by Lynne Cherry, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1981.

The Good-bye Book, illustrated by Kay Chorao, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1988.

Earrings!, illustrated by Nola Langner Malone, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1990.

The Alphabet from Z to A: With Much Confusion on the Way, illustrated by Richard Hull, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move (also see below), illustrated by Robin Preiss-Glasser, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1995.

Sad Underwear, and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents, illustrated by Richard Hull, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1995.

Absolutely Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories (includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, and Alexander, Who's Not [Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!] Going to Move), illustrated by Ray Cruz and Robin Preiss-Glasser, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, illustrated by Robin Preiss-Glasser, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2000.

Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Caine Bluthenthal, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Nobody Here but Me, pictures by Christine Davenier, Farrar Straus Giroux (New York, NY), 2008.

Author of lyrics and book for musicals based on both Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, VeryBad Day and Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, both with music by Shelly Markham, both produced in Washington, DC. Viorst's work has been translated into several languages, including Dutch, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.

NONFICTION; FOR CHILDREN

(Editor, with Shirley Moore) Wonderful World of Science, illustrated by Don Trawin, Bantam (New York, NY), 1961.

Projects: Space, Washington Square Press (New York, NY), 1962.

One Hundred and Fifty Science Experiments, Step-by-Step, illustrated by Dennis Telesford, Bantam (New York, NY), 1963.

The Natural World: A Guide to North American Wildlife, Bantam (New York, NY), 1965.

The Changing Earth, illustrated by Feodor Rimsky, Bantam (New York, NY), 1967.

FOR ADULTS

The Village Square (poems), illustrated by Tom Ballenger, Coward (New York, NY), 1965.

It's Hard to Be Hip over Thirty, and Other Tragedies of Married Life (poems), illustrated by John Alcorn, World (New York, NY), 1968.

(With husband, Milton Viorst) The Washington, DC, Underground Gourmet, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1970.

(With others) Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man (television special), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1970.

People and Other Aggravations (poems), illustrated by John Alcorn, World (New York, NY), 1971.

Yes, Married: A Saga of Love and Complaint (essays), Saturday Review Press (New York, NY), 1972.

How Did I Get to Be Forty … and Other Atrocities (poems), illustrated by John Alcorn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1976.

A Visit from St. Nicholas (to a Liberated Household): From the Original Written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1976.

Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life, Etc., illustrated by John Alcorn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1979.

Necessary Losses, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

When Did I Stop Being Twenty, and Other Injustices: Selected Poems from Single to Mid-Life, illustrated by John Alcorn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1987, reprinted, 2007.

Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life (musical play; also produced as Love and Shrimp), music by Shelly Markham, produced in Pasadena, CA, 1989.

Forever Fifty, and Other Negotiations (poems), illustrated by John Alcorn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1989.

Murdering Mr. Monti: A Merry Little Tale of Sex and Violence (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggle with Power and Surrender, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

You're Officially a Grown-up; The Graduate's Guide to Freedom, Responsibility, Happiness, and Personal Hygiene, illustrated by Robin Preiss-Glasser, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Suddenly Sixty, and Other Shocks of Later Life (poems), illustrated by Laurie Rosenwald, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Grown-up Marriage: What We Know, Wish We Had Known, and Still Need to Know about Being Married, Free Press (New York, NY), 2003.

I'm Too Young to Be Seventy, and Other Delusions, illustrated by Laura Gibson, Free Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days: An Almost Completely Honest Account of What Happened to Our Family When Our Youngest Son, His Wife, Their Baby, Their Toddler, and Their Five-year-old Came to Live with Us for Three Months, illustrated by Laura Gibson, Free Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Author of regular column for Redbook, 1968-96, and of syndicated column for Washington Star Syndicate, 1970-72. Author of poetic monologues for television. Work represented in anthologies Don't Bet on the Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and England, edited by Jack Zipes, Methuen, 1986, and Turning Points: When Everything Changes, Troll, 1996. Contributor of poems and articles to periodicals, including Holiday, New York, New York Times, Venture, Washingtonian, and Writer.

ADAPTATIONS:

How Did I Get to Be Forty … and Other Atrocities was recorded on audiocassette by Caedmon, 1978; Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Other Stories was adapted as an audiocassette narrated by Blythe Danner for Harper Audio, 1996.

SIDELIGHTS:

Poet and fiction author Judith Viorst blends humor and deft self-analysis to create entertaining and revealing books for readers of all ages. Best known for her humorous books based on her own family life, Viorst "has shown herself to be a writer of talent and insight who has successfully combined entertainment and enrichment in her creations for the child audience," wrote a contributor to the Dictionary of Literary Biography. She deals with children's naughtiness as well as their serious concerns, writing about everyday subjects such as sibling rivalry, the death of a pet, or a messy little sister with energetic wit as well as insight. As Tracy Cochran noted of the author's children's books in Publishers Weekly, "Viorst demonstrates her sensitivity to the sometimes hard truths of childhood" in titles such as I'll Fix Anthony, Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, and her award-winning Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1931, Viorst knew from the second grade that she wanted to be a writer. "I like to take all my feelings and thoughts and put them down in different ways on paper," she told an interviewer for the Bookreporter.com Web site. "I liked having other people read them, too. So I wrote them down, and I sent them out, hoping to have them published." Despite these early efforts to get into print, many years passed before Viorst became a published writer. Her first real break came when she was working in Washington, DC, for Science Service and was offered the job of writing a science book on NASA's space program after another writer backed out of the project. This led to her first published book, Projects: Space. A few science books later, Viorst, by now married to writer Milton Viorst, began submitting poems to magazines and getting them published.

Viorst's big break came in the mid-1960s when her first collection of poems, The Village Square, led to a promotional appearance on a television show. The show was seen by noted children's book editor Charlotte Zolotow, who thought the budding poet would be a natural as a children's author. While Viorst's success with young readers has proven Zolotow's judgment sound, the author has also continued to write for adults, her works including a series of tongue-in-cheek poetry collections that deal with the vicissitudes of getting older: It's Hard to Be Hip over Thirty, and Other Tragedies of Married Life, How Did I Get to Be Forty … and Other Atrocities, Forever Fifty, and Other Negotiations, Suddenly Sixty, and Other Shocks of Later Life, and I'm Too Young to Be Seventy, and Other Delusions. "These iconoclastic works demonstrate the author's refusal to be depressed by, and her ability to work around, the domestic responsibilities that have done in many women hankering after their own careers," wrote a contributor to the Encyclopedia of American Literature. Until 1996, Viorst also wrote an award-winning column for Redbook magazine that broadened her loyal readership. Her nonfiction books for adults, such as Necessary Losses and Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggle with Power and Surrender, have also been widely praised.

Viorst's writing for children exhibits the same skills she employs in her adult work. She portrays her young protagonists realistically, faults and all, instead of as the paragons of childish virtue that appear in some children's stories. Her first picture book, Sunday Morning, describes the predawn mischief of a pair of young brothers, Anthony and Nick (named after Viorst's older sons), whose parents are trying to sleep in after a late night out. Reviewing this debut title in School Library Journal, Elinor S. Cullen wrote that "most parents will find the book very funny indeed, and sophisticated children may enjoy seeing themselves as others hear them." In I'll Fix Anthony, young Nick vows that, when he is older, he will get revenge on his older brother for all the mean things his sibling has visited upon him.

After penning several lighthearted books, Viorst turned to a more subdued topic in The Tenth Good Thing about Barney. Written to help Viorst's sons deal with death, a young narrator opens the story by stating that his cat, Barney, died recently. When the boy's mother asks him to list ten good things about Barney for the pet's funeral, the boy can only come up with nine. Later, after the family has buried Barney and the boy helps his father begin planting a garden, father and son talk about a tenth good thing: that Barney's death and burial will give new life to the grass and flowers. By the end of the book, the boy has adopted his father's view that helping the flowers grow is "a pretty nice job for a cat." Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Sheila R. Cole noted that Viorst "diffuses the strong emotions surrounding death with a gentle, bittersweet humor." Cole further commented that the book, while "charming and sympathetic," is perhaps best suited for a child "for whom death's sorrow is quite distant." Horn Book contributor Sheryl B. Andrews maintained that in the book Viorst "succinctly and honestly handles both the emotions stemming from the loss of a beloved pet and the questions about the finality of death."

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has been considered by many reviewers as Viorst's most popular book. From the moment he wakes up with chewing gum stuck in his hair, Alexander—younger brother to Nick and Anthony from Sunday Morning—has a day filled with misfortune. By bedtime so much has gone wrong that he wants to move to Australia, but as his mother sympathetically yet astutely notes, bad days are not bound by geography. Viorst has won lasting popularity for the book, which a Times Literary Supplement writer dubbed "funny but not heartless." The same reviewer observed that, as a writer, Viorst "can enter imaginatively into a child's difficulties without being either tactless or disablingly sympathetic." First published in 1972, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has since sold over four million copies and in the 1990s was adapted as a stage musical produced at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

Alexander returns in Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday and Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. In the former book, the boy has ambitious plans for the dollar given him by his grandparents, but by week's end the money has trickled away due to a series of impulsive purchases. In the latter volume, Alexander refuses to budge when his father announces the family is moving because his new job is 1,000 miles away. When the boy refuses to pack or lift a finger to help out, his brothers give him a hard time; still, he refuses to help with the move until his father bribes him with a new dog. "Kids will laugh at the wild exaggeration even as they recognize [Alexander's] heartfelt grief," wrote Hazel Rochman in a Booklist review. Reviewing the omnibus volume, Absolutely Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories, a contributor for Publishers Weekly commented that Viorst successfully "captures the vocal cadences and stubborn, sometimes cranky viewpoint of a young boy."

Other popular picture books by Viorst include My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things and the more compactly titled Rosie and Michael. The first book deals with the sometimes unreliable statements of mothers, while the second focuses on two best friends and the times when a good friend comes in handiest. Reviewing My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things for School Library Journal, Alice H. Yucht reported that the author "presents a marvelous catalogue of monsters that could terrorize an imaginative child as well as a compendium of all the mistakes that mamas make." A Publishers Weekly contributor claimed that Viorst and illustrator Lorna Tomei "could make Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun recognize the value of friendship" with their "droll, pointed book."

The Good-bye Book describes a little boy's various attempts to prevent his parents from going out for the evening and leaving him home with a babysitter. While persuasion, guilt, feigned illness, and even anger have little effect, the outcome is a positive one: time with the baby-sitter turns out to be more fun than the boy had anticipated. In Just in Case, another young boy attempts to forestall destiny, this time by trying to be prepared for anything. From being caught in a surprise rain shower inside the house to discovering a lion in his backyard, Charlie's preparedness becomes increasingly absurd and humorous in a book that a Publishers Weekly contributor dubbed a "jaunty tale" and a Kirkus Reviews contributor described as "a worthy addition" to the popular "Alexander" stories. Viorst's humorous treatment of a common childhood worry in The Good-bye Book "will help children and parents alike trying to work through the complex issue of separation," asserted Frances Wells Burck in the New York Times Book Review.

With Earrings!, "Viorst proves once and for all that she understands little girls as thoroughly as she fathoms the Anthonys and Alexanders of the world," observed Nancy Vasilakis in Horn Book. In this story a young girl uses various arguments to convince her parents to let her have her ears pierced. Jane Saliers, writing in School Library Journal, noted that while the book does not showcase "Viorst at her best," the author's simple story "does capture the immediacy of young demands." According to Vasilakis, "Viorst homes in on minor childhood crises with the perfect blend of humor and insight." Another female protagonist is presented in Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, in which Olivia, who is a neatnik and perfectionist, despairs at little sister Sophie who is a complete mess-maker in whatever she does. Sophie, it soon becomes apparent, is, in addition to being messy, also creative, smart, and funny. "It's all pure fun," wrote Susan Hepler in a School Library Journal review, adding that the story contains "with an undertone of acceptance that's positively reassuring." Booklist contributor GraceAnne DiCandido characterized the book as a "comical, if oddly distant, character portrait," while a reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted that the girl's "antics will surely elicit grins—and perhaps even giggles—from young readers."

Viorst shares her gift for verse with young readers in If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and Their Parents, which touches on such common teen dilemmas as the difficulties of having a girlfriend who is much taller than oneself, the need for "healthier hamsters" and lower basketball hoops, and a strategy to countermand a parent's decision not to allow a dog into the family. She includes adaptations of several traditional fairy tales as well; in her version of "Cinderella," for example, the prince seems less appealing after the glamorous evening has passed, so Cinderella pretends the glass slipper he brings does not fit her after all. Reviewers found the collection amusing and perceptive. Another book of poetry geared for both parents and kids is the silly Sad Underwear, and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents. Reviewing that collection, Horn Book contributor Nancy Vasilakis noted that the poems "take the same pleasure in the ridiculous that makes the children's poetry of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky so popular." Vasilakis noted that the collection "is clearly meant to be chuckled over." Booklist critic Mary Harris Veeder declared that "children will … like the snap and clarity of the poems and have fun with the language."

Asked by World Literature Review contributor Sara Ann Beach to name her greatest accomplishment as a children's book author, Viorst responded: "If I could pick one reason why I want to be a writer, it would be connection. In all kinds of ways, I like to be individual and distinct; but when I write, I want to be writing about things that connect me to the people for whom I write. To the extent that I can do that, I feel very satisfied that I've achieved what I want to achieve. From the letters that I get from kids, … I feel that I have achieved that with my children's books."

Alexander returns once again in Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days: An Almost Completely Honest Account of What Happened to Our Family When Our Youngest Son, His Wife, Their Baby, Their Toddler, and Their Five-year-old Came to Live with Us for Three Months. Katherine Wyrick, writing for the BookPage Web site, noted that the author asked her son if he would approve of her writing about their living arrangements, just as she had sought his approval for her earlier books featuring Alexander. "Fortunately for readers, Alexander once again answered in the affirmative, and the result is, as Viorst so aptly and tenderly describes it, ‘a love song to the family.’"

Illustrated by Laura Gibson, this memoir tells the story of her youngest son, with family in tow, moving back in with Viorst and her husband. The arrangement is for ninety days as her son's house is renovated. The author describes both her delight and reservations, as well as the ensuing chaos. Gillian Engberg, writing in Booklist, noted that the author offers "messy, heartaching views of a loving family's rare, intergenerational closeness." Library Journal contributor Erica L. Foley wrote: "Readers will simply be entertained by sharing in the family's antics."

In her children's book Nobody Here but Me, with pictures by Christine Davenier, the author tells the story in verse of a young boy who constantly vies for attention in a family he feels is neglecting him. The boy's ploys are of no avail until a twist at the end of the story. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author "empathetically and accurately mirrors [the young readers'] feelings so they can savor the injustice while understanding that it, too, will pass."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 3, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1978.

Contemporary Popular Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1997.

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 52: American Writers for Children since 1960: Fiction, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1986.

Encyclopedia of American Literature, edited by Steven R. Serafin, Continuum (New York, NY), 1999.

Viorst, Judith, The Tenth Good Thing about Barney, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1971.

Viorst, Judith, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1972.

Viorst, Judith, If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and Their Parents, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1981.

Viorst, Judith, Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days: An Almost Completely Honest Account of What Happened to Our Family When Our Youngest Son, His Wife, Their Baby, Their Toddler, and Their Five-year-old Came to Live with Us for Three Months, illustrated by Laura Gibson, Free Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Wheeler, Jill C., Judith Viorst, Abdo & Daughters (Edina, MN), 1997.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1989, Review of Forever Fifty, and Other Negotiations, p. 6; December 15, 1993, review of Murdering Mr. Monti: A Merry Little Tale of Sex and Violence, p. 739; March 1, 1994, review of The Alphabet from Z to A: With Much Confusion on the Way, p. 1266; April 1, 1995, Mary Harris Veeder, review of Sad Underwear, and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents, p. 1391; August, 1995, Hazel Rochman, review of Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move, p. 1949; December 15, 1997, review of Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggle with Power and Surrender, p. 668; February 1, 2001, GraceAnne DiCandido, review of Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, p. 1058; December 1, 2005, Michael Cart, review of Just in Case, p. 57; October 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days, p. 7.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 1972, Zena Sutherland, review of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Horn Book, March-April, 1972, Sheryl B. Andrews, review of The Tenth Good Thing about Barney; November-December, 1990, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Earrings!, p. 741; May-June, 1994, Nancy Vasilakis, review of The Alphabet from Z to A, p. 322; January-February, 1996, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Sad Underwear, and Other Complications, p. 89.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 1970, review of Try It Again, Sam: Safety When You Walk; January 1, 1988, p. 60; October 15, 1993, "Murdering Mr. Monti," p. 1292; November 15, 1997, review of Imperfect Control, p. 1698; November 15, 2005, review of Just in Case, p. 1237; January 1, 2006, review of Just in Case, p. 46.

Library Journal, November 1, 2002, Pam Matthews, review of Grown-up Marriage: What We Know, Wish We Had Known, and Still Need to Know about Being Married, p. 118; September 1, 2007, Erica L. Foley, review of Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days, p. 153.

New York Times, October 25, 2007, Rachel Donadio, "At Home with Judith Viorst," profile of author.

New York Times Book Review, September 26, 1971, Sheila R. Cole, review of The Tenth Good Thing about Barney; May 8, 1988, Frances Wells Burck, "‘No, I Won't Have Fun with the Baby-Sitter,’" p. 25; January 23, 1994, "Murdering Mr," p. 16; August 13, 1995, Review of Sad Underwear, and Other Complications, p. 23.

Publishers Weekly, October 21, 1974, review of Rosie and Michael; February 26, 1988, p. 116; July 7, 1989, review of Forever Fifty, and Other Negotiations, p. 45; August 10, 1990, review of Earrings!, p. 444; September 11, 1995, review of Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Meant It!) Going to Move, p. 85; October 20, 1997, review of Absolutely Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories, p. 78; December 8, 1997, Tracy Cochran, "Judith Viorst: From the Skin to the Pith," pp. 51-52; April 23, 2000, review of Sad Underwear, and Other Complications, p. 83; January 22, 2001, review of Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, p. 323; November 18, 2002, review of Grown-up Marriage, p. 53; December 12, 2005, review of Just in Case, p. 64; June 23, 2008, review of Nobody Here but Me, p. 53.

School Library Journal, January, 1969, Elinor S. Cullen, review of Sunday Morning; September, 1973, Alice H. Yucht, review of My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things; November, 1990, Jane Saliers, review of Earrings!, p. 100; April, 1994, p. 123; May, 1995, pp. 116-117; August, 1996, p. 179; April 1994, Beth Tegart, review of The Alphabet from Z to A, p. 123; May, 1995, review of Sad Underwear, and Other Complications, p. 116; March, 2001, Susan Hepler, review of Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest, p. 224; January, 2006, Marianne Saccardi, review of Just in Case, p. 14.

Times Literary Supplement, November 23, 1973, review of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, p. 1437.

Washingtonian, January, 1998, Ken Adelman, "Growing Pains," interview with author, pp. 41-45.

Washington Post Book World, November 5, 1972, Michael J. Bandler, review of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; January 16, 1994, p. 2.

World Literature Today, October-December, 2003, Sara Ann Beach, interview with Viorst, p. 69.

ONLINE

BookPage,http://www.bookpage.com/ (August 23, 2008), Katherine Wyrick, "Judith Viorst's Hilari- ous, Insightful, Touching, Very Good Book," interview with author.

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (April 6, 2001), interview with Viorst.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Web site,http://www.kennedy-center.org/ (July 1, 2006), interview with Viorst.