Da Costa, Deborah

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Da Costa, Deborah

[A pseudonym] (Deborah Paula Clayman)

Personal

Born in Jersey City, NJ; married; husband's name Warren; children: Anthony, Danit (daughter). Education: Ohio State University, B.A. (international studies), B.S. (education); M.A. (anthropology); Columbia University, M.A. (remedial reading), Ph.D. (developmental psychology). Hobbies and other interests: Traveling, animal welfare causes, reading, spending time with family.

Addresses

Home—MD. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Psychologist, educator, and author of books for children. Former teacher of elementary school, Adams City, CO, and Montclair, NJ; educational consultant; former high-school teacher; currently freelance writer; teacher of writing and presenter at conferences.

Awards, Honors

Notable Book for Younger Readers designation, Jewish Theological Seminary, Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content designation, Association of Jewish Libraries, and Children's Literature Choice selection, all 2002, all for Snow in Jerusalem; Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content designation, Association of Jewish Libraries, 2007, for Hanukkah Moon.

Writings

Snow in Jerusalem, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2001.

Hanukkah Moon, illustrated by Gosia Mocz, Kar-Ben Publishing (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

Author's work has been translated into Italian.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2001, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Snow in Jerusalem, p. 400; September 15, 2007, Kay Weisman, review of Hanukkah Moon, p. 80.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October, 2007, Elizabeth Bush, review of Hanukkah Moon, p. 80.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2001, review of Snow in Jerusalem, p. 1288.

Publishers Weekly, November 5, 2001, review of Snow in Jerusalem, p. 68; October 29, 2007, review of Hanukkah Moon, p. 56.

School Library Journal, December, 2001, Amy Lilien-Harper, review of Snow in Jerusalem, p. 98.