Demarest, Chris L. 1951-(Christopher Lynn Demarest)

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Demarest, Chris L. 1951-(Christopher Lynn Demarest)

Personal

Born April 18, 1951, in Hartford, CT; son of Robert (a salesperson) and Shirley (a librarian) Demarest; married Larkin Dorsey Upson (a finish carpenter), February 2, 1982 (divorced); married Laura L. Gillespie (a travel/ tour director), September 26, 1992; children: Ethan. Education: University of Massachusetts, B.F.A. (painting), 1976. Hobbies and other interests: Sailing, cycling, skiing, horseback riding and roping.

Addresses

Home—P.O. Box 1461, Claremont, NH 03743. E-mail— [email protected].

Career

Cartoonist, author, and illustrator of books for children. Worked as a house painter in Seattle, WA, 1976-77; has worked as a volunteer fireman; member of U.S. Coast Guard Art Program.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

Ford Foundation grant, 1975; Kentucky Bluegrass Awards, 1991, for The Butterfly Jar, and 1994, for Bob and Jack; Colorado Children's Book Award nomination, 1991, for No Peas for Nellie; Parents' Choice Award, 1992, for My Little Red Car; School Library Journal Best Book designation, 1994, for Lindbergh; Children's Choice Award, and Reading Rainbow selection, both 1994, both for Smart Dog; New York Times Top-Ten Picture Book designation, 2000, for Firefighters A to Z; Bill Martin, Jr., Award finalist, 2003, for Smokejumpers One to Ten.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Benedict Finds a Home, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1982.

Clemens' Kingdom, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1983.

Orville's Odyssey, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986.

Morton and Sidney, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

No Peas for Nellie, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988.

The Lunatic Adventure of Kitman and Willy, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1988.

Kitman and Willy at Sea, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

My Little Red Car, Caroline House (Honesdale, PA), 1992.

Lindbergh (biography), Crown (New York, NY), 1993.

My Blue Boat, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Ship, Harcourt (San Diego, CA) 1995.

Plane, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Train, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Bus, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Summer, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Spring, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Let's Go! Soft Cube with Rattle, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

All Aboard!, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Farmer Nat, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Zookeeper Sue, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Cowboy ABC, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1999.

Firefighters A to Z, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Honk!, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

I Invited a Dragon to Dinner: And Other Poems to Make You Laugh out Loud, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Smokejumpers One to Ten, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Here Come Our Firefighters! A Pop-up, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2002.

Hotshots!, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Mayday! Mayday!: A Coast Guard Rescue, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: The Military Alphabet, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Hurricane Hunters!: Riders on the Storm, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR

Rose Greydanus, Tree House Fun, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1980.

Elizabeth Isele, Pooks, Lippincott (New York, NY), 1983.

Betty Jo Stanovich, Hedgehog and Friends, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1983.

Betty Jo Stanovich, Hedgehog Adventures, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1983.

Sue Alexander, World Famous Muriel, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1984.

Betty Jo Stanovich, Hedgehog Surprises, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1984.

Sue Alexander, World Famous Muriel and the Dragon, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1985.

Jeff Moss, The Butterfly Jar (poems), Bantam (New York, NY), 1989.

Joanne Oppenheim, "Not Now!" Said the Cow, Bantam (New York, NY), 1989.

Andrew Sharmat, Smedge, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Marvin Varori, I've Got Goose Pimples: And Other Great Expressions, Morrow (New York, NY), 1990.

(With others) Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson, compilers, The Scary Book (stories, poems, and riddles), Morrow (New York, NY), 1991.

David Kirby and Allen Woodman, The Cows Are Going to Paris, Caroline House (Honesdale, PA), 1991.

Stephen Krensky, The Missing Mother Goose, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

Jeff Moss, The Other Side of the Door (poems), Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Joanne Oppenheim, The Donkey's Tale, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Bobbye S. Goldstein, editor, What's on the Menu? (poems), Viking (New York, NY), 1992.

Jeffie Ross Gordon, Two Badd Babies, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1992.

Jeff Moss, Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak, Bantam (New York, NY), 1992.

Diana Klemin, How Do You Wrap a Horse?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

Ralph Leentis, Smart Dog, Caroline House, 1993.

Joanne Oppenheim, "Uh-oh!" Cawed the Crow, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

N.L. Sharp, Today I'm Going Fishing with My Dad, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

David L. Harrison, When Cows Come Home, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1994.

Susan Karnovsky, Billy and the Magic String, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1994.

Thomas McKean, Hooray for Grandma Jo!, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.

Jeff Moss, Hieronymus White: A Bird Who Believed That He Was Always Right, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1994.

Marvin Terban, Time to Rhyme: A Rhyming Dictionary, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1994.

Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler, What Would Mama Do?, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1995.

Nancy Lee Charlton, Derek's Dog Days, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Cynthia DeFelice, Casey in the Bath, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1995.

Larry Dane Brimher, If Dogs Had Wings, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

Missing Cat, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1996.

Jeff Moss, The Dad of the Dad of the Dad of Your Dad, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1997.

A Visit to Grandma, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1997.

French Picture Dictionary, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1997.

Italian Picture Dictionary, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1997.

The Five Crayons, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1998.

First 100 German Words, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1998.

First 100 French Words, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1998.

First 100 Italian Words, Berlitz (Princeton, NJ), 1998.

Deborah Heiligman, Mike Swan, Sink or Swim, Dell (New York, NY), 1998.

Harriet Ziefert, Dozens, Dozens, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.

J. Stuart Murphy, Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom!, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Harriet Ziefert, April Fool!, Penguin Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

Isaac Olaleye, Bikes for Rent!, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

Harriet Ziefert, Someday We'll Have Very Good Manners, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Kirsten Hall, My Best Friend, Reader's Digest (New York, NY), 2001.

The Philomel Anthology of Humorous Verse, Penguin Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Estelle Feldman, Snowy Winter Day, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Judith Bauer Stamper, Go, Fractions!, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2003.

Judith Bauer Stamper, Breakfast at Danny's Diner, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2003.

B.J. James, Supertwins Meet the Dangerous Dino-Robots, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

B.J. James, The Supertwins Meet the Bad Dogs from Space, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

B.J. James, The Supertwins and Tooth Trouble, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Gregory Maguire, Leaping Beauty, and Other Animal Fairy Tales, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

B.J. James, Supertwins and the Sneaky, Slimy Book Worms, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Lisa Carrier and Lenore Hart, T. Rex at Swan Lake, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Claude Martinot and Anna DiVito) English Picture Dictionary, Berlitz (Union, NJ), 2005.

Steve Metzger, My Bossy Dolly, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor of illustrations to Atlantic Monthly, Travel & Leisure, Woman's Day, Town & Country, Reader's Digest, Yankee, Highlights for Children, New York Times, New York Daily News, and Boston Globe. Also illustrator, with others, of Free to Be … a Family, edited by Marlo Thomas with Christopher Cerf and Letty Cottin Pogrebin.

Sidelights

While a gentle humor marked the illustrations of Chris L. Demarest early in his career, the author and artist has increasingly adopted a more realistic, dramatic style. Working in watercolor and pastel before moving into acrylics, Demarest received critical notice after his first creation—a greeting-card bird named Benedict—was introduced to younger fans in the children's book Benedict Finds a Home. His loose, humorous cartoon style has been featured in dozens of wordless picture books, board books, and story books basic-concept number and alphabet books, among them Morton and Sidney, Farmer Nat, and No Peas for Nellie. Demarest's more recent work, which combines highly detailed paintings with a simple text focusing on fast action and adventure, includes Firefighters A to Z, Smokejumpers One to Ten, and Hurricane Hunters! Riders on the Storm. As Demarest noted on his home page: "My focus now is on realistic, dramatic action. In many ways I'm returning to my roots where I studied realistic art and always had a sense of adventure."

Demarest's success as an illustrator is the result of years of practice grounded in a natural artistic talent and plenty of enthusiasm. As a boy growing up in New England, he loved cartoons and animation, recalling that when he "started drawing, the first images were of many of my cartoon heroes." Demarest earned a painting degree from the University of Massachusetts, but, as he later recalled, he stopped painting seriously because he realized that he "found more enjoyment in dashing off a drawing in minutes than in slaving for weeks over one painting, and even then questioning the result." With his training as a painter and his interest in the human form to guide him, he began to develop his cartooning skills.

Demarest launched his career as a cartoonist by creating greeting cards and contributing illustrations to newspapers and magazines. His first book-length work, Benedict Finds a Home, draws from this work in its story about a bird that leaves his crowded nest in search of a new place to live. After trying out a shoe in the park, a trumpet, a statue, and a weathervane, Benedict ultimately winds up right back in his old nest. Although Kristi L. Thomas, writing in School Library Journal, maintained that the book "never quite takes flight," a critic for Publishers Weekly admired the "scenes of unusual beauty" that highlight Benedict's "comic adventures."

Another early picture book, Clemens' Kingdom, tells the story of Clemens, a lion statue that wonders what it is actually guarding. Leaving its pedestal, the stone lion ambles inside the building behind it, which turns out to be the public library. Settling down in the sunny children's room, the lion then sets about reading every book on the shelves. Louise L. Sherman noted in School Library Journal that Demarest's "whimsical watercolor illustrations" and "simple text" create a "pleasant picture book fantasy."

One of many imaginative tales written and illustrated by Demarest, Orville's Odyssey finds young Orville dropping his fishing line into a puddle in the sidewalk while waiting for the bus. Suddenly, a large fish pulls him underwater. After being snapped at by a crab and nudged by a sea horse, Orville escapes back to the surface in an enormous air bubble and even manages to catch his bus. According to School Library Journal contributor Lisa Castillo, the characters in Demarest's wordless work "radiate with life."

In No Peas for Nellie a young girl refuses to eat her peas at supper. As the determined young gourmet tells her mother that she would rather eat a spider, a hunk of wart hog, or even an elephant in place of the horrid green vegetable, Demarest's accompanying illustrations show Nellie stalking each of these animal alternatives and preparing to eat each one. Meanwhile, ants appear on each page, each one transporting a pea away from the dinner table, so that by story's end Nellie's dinner plate is clean. Ann A. Flowers, reviewing No Peas for Nellie in Horn Book, described Demarest's illustrations as "ridiculously funny" and cited in particular the "horrified" facial expressions of each animal as a result of Nellie's confrontation.

Demarest offers up toddler-sized travel adventures in a quartet of board books: Plane, Ship, Train, and Bus. In his simple, rhythmic texts, he echoes the sound of each vehicle featured, pairing his story with engaging artwork. Reviewing Bus and Train for School Library Journal, Lisa Marie Gangemi noted that both "feature creative texts and brightly colored images," and a Kirkus Reviews critic found Plane to be "a near-perfect marriage of the board book format to content." Reviewing Ship and Plane, a critic for Publishers Weekly called Demarest's work a "flight of fancy," and an "inventive melange of color, shapes and language." With Bus and Train, according to Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan, Demarest brings a "sense of style to board books without losing sight of the experience and interests of the very young." Another board-book creation, All Aboard! is an accordion-folded, board-book introduction to a train containing dining, sleeping, and passenger cars. Em-

ploying cross-sections, Demarest takes toddlers inside to see the passengers, as well. "The simple text evokes the bustle of travel," wrote a contributor for Publishers Weekly.

Employing a lift-the-flap technique, Demarest has also created animal books that contain verbal clues hinting at the critter hidden behind each flap. In Farmer Nat, for example, the farmer in question goes about his morning chores, accompanied by a cat. The various barnyard creatures he encounters are foreshadowed by a "moo," "bah," or "cluck-cluck." Ann Cook, writing in School Library Journal, mentioned the "dashes of quiet humor" to be found on each page, and further commented: "Forget all of those sappy farm-animal books— this one is a keeper." A Publishers Weekly writer also praised Demarest's "vivid illustrations" for Farmer Nat, while a similar title, Zookeeper Sue, contains verbal clues and a lift-the-flap story that "perfectly [captures] the blend of illustrations and story to spark a child's curiosity," according to Ann Cook in School Library Journal. With Honk!, Demarest again uses the lift-the-flap technique, this time to search for a lost gosling in a "simple but clever story," as Kathy M. Newby described the book in School Library Journal.

While much of Demarest's early work involved creating fanciful stories and whimsical art, his more-recent books bring to life the world and work of real people, such as firemen, cowboys, soldiers, and sailors. His first nonfiction work, the biography Lindbergh, describes the childhood of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh through both text and watercolor pictures. Readers learn how Lindbergh first became an excellent mechanic, walked on the wings of airplanes, and flew dangerous U.S. airmail routes prior to his historic flight. In the words of Barbara Peklo Abrahams in School Library Journal, the author's "clear prose relates the pertinent facts briefly and with verve," while his illustrations are "crisp and light filled." Notes about Lindbergh's later life, along with sources for more information, are included in the book.

Examples of Demarest's more realistic approach to picture books, The Cowboy ABC, Firefighters A to Z, and Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: The Military Alphabet each use the letter system as a means to explore the work of some of the bravest among us. The Cowboy ABC introduces the responsibilities of a modern cowboy during a cattle drive and features a rhyming text that introduces two letters in each verse couplet. "Demarest's watercolors evoke the wide-open spaces of the range," wrote Steven Engelfried in School Library Journal, the critic going on to dub The Cowboy ABC as equivalent to an "appealing day on the range." A writer for Kirkus Reviews observed the author/illustrator's changing creative focus, noting that Demarest "abandons his familiar minimalist cartoons for a more elaborate style in this tribute to the cowboy mythos." In Booklist, Phelan predicted that, while "enjoying this colorful alphabet book, young children will long to be home on the range."

Employing the insider knowledge he gained while working as a volunteer fireman, Demarest presents a further exploration of the alphabet in Firefighters A to Z. Again using a more-detailed illustration style, he depicts the action sequence that begins when the alarm rings at the fire station and ends with a "zip into bed for a rest." before the next call to duty. "There's nothing babyish or cute about the robust, action-oriented pastel artwork in Firefighters from A to Z," asserted a reviewer for Horn Book, while Phelan called attention to Demarest's "large-scale, deeply colored pictures, ablaze with yellows and orange-reds." The Booklist critic concluded by noting that Firefighters A to Z serves as a "colorful, dramatic introduction that future firefighters will adore."

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie showcase the work of the U.S. Armed Forces, something Demarest has dedicated himself to through his many years working on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard Art Program. Enhanced by what Horn Book contributor Roger Sutton deemed "action-filled and robust" pastel illustrations, the book serves as a first lesson in the International Communications Alphabet (ICA) and the U.S. Navy's color-coded signal flag system as taught via a simple rhyming text. With flack jackets, K-9 patrols, machine guns, submarines, tanks, and other symbols of military life as subjects, the book offers young readers "enticing possibilities for code-making," according to Sutton. Noting that Alpha, Bravo, Charlie has definite boy appeal, Phelan added that Demarest manages to create a "vivid sense of urgency and engagement" in his detailed illustrations. The author/ illustrator "avoids any jingoism," a Kirkus Reviews writer added, explaining that Demarest "concentrat[es] … instead on the sheer energy of military situations, even their melodrama."

Demarest credits his experience as a volunteer firefighter in his New Hampshire community as sparking a creative "epiphany," he noted on his home page. It inspired Firefighters A to Z as well as his two other books on fire fighting: Hotshots! and Smokejumpers One to Ten. Illustrated with colorful pastel crayon, Hotshots! tells a fictional story designed to illustrate the bravery of the fire crews that tackle raging wildfires, while Smokejumpers One to Ten pairs a simple counting lesson with information about some of the bravest firefighters of all. Praising Hotshots as "highly appealing in its presentation," Booklist contributor Susan Scheps added that Demarest's "short, uncomplicated text belies the author's knowledge of his subject." The book, which includes firefighting terminology in a comprehensive author's note, was also cited by a Kirkus Reviews contributor as an "altogether admirable" and "mesmerizing look" at the dedicated individuals who battle wildfires. Reviewing Smokejumpers One to Ten for Booklist, Susan Dove Lempke wrote that "Demarest conveys a sense

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of both the urgency and the strenuous activity through his short phrases and large, action-packed paintings."

The time Demarest spent with members of the U.S. Coast Guard inspired Mayday! Mayday!, which relates the work of a U.S. Coast Guard air base. Depicting the rescue of a yachting crew during a storm at sea, the story brings the wild weather conditions to life through Demarest's simple text and detailed pastel illustrations. While researching the book, Demarest spent time at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station on Cape Cod, where he was allowed to fly several search-and-rescue flights and got to know the men and women who guard the southern New England coast. Featuring "breathtaking illustrations," according to Doris Losey in School Library Journal, the "attention-grabbing" Mayday! Mayday! "will be useful for reports and will satisfy browsers."

Based on his experiences flying with the 403rd WG/ U.S. Air Force Reserves, Hurricane Hunters follows a mission of a Mississippi-based Weather Reconnaissance Squadron tracking severe weather. The men of the squad fly their cargo planes directly into the eye of a hurricane, their mission to plant tracking devices for the National Hurricane Center and ultimately save lives. Inspired by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Demarest follows his picture-book text with a timely discussion of hurricanes and their power. A Kirkus Reviews writer called Hurricane Hunters! "dramatic" and praised Demarest's "big, windswept paintings," while in School Library Journal Patricia Manning deemed it a "crisp, exciting book" in which the author's "simple language is reinforced by the vigorous pastel" illustrations.

Demarest has also performed illustration work for many other authors. In addition to collaborating with writer/ composer Jeff Moss on several Sesame Street projects featuring Moss's original character, Cookie Monster, he has also provided what Booklist critic Karin Snelson called "over-the-top" cartoon art for B.J. James' four-volume "Supertwins" elementary-grade book series. Noteworthy collaborations include several collections of Moss's wacky verse, among them The Butterfly Jar, The Other Side of the Door, Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak, Hieronymus White: A Bird Who Believed That He Was Always Right, and The Dad of the Dad of the Dad of Your Dad. Reviewing the artwork for The Butterfly Jar, Barbara S. McGinn wrote in School Library Journal that "Demarest's cartoon-like sketches complement the verses and are subtly humorous." Appraising the illustrator's contribution to The Other Side of the Door, Kathleen Whalin commented in School Library Journal that the book's pen-and-ink "drawings have genuine verve and humor, extending the comic potential of each poem." Linda Greengrass, also writing in School Library Journal, felt that Bob and Jack, "a story of life and death, growth and loss, has been told with a sense of humor that is punctuated by Demarest's delightful line drawings." The life and times of a plucky bird are recorded in Hieronymus White and accompanied by Demarest's "playful line drawings," as a reviewer for Publishers Weekly described them.

Among his many other collaborations, Demarest's illustrations for Stephen Krensky's The Missing Mother Goose were praised as "winsome cartoon drawings" by a critic for Publishers Weekly. Dogs—four-legged and other—take center stage in his art for Ralph Leentis's Smart Dog, Larry Dan Brimher's If Dogs Had Wings, and Nancy Lee Charlton's Derek's Dog Days. In the first-named title, a story of a dog and its master, a contributor for Publishers Weekly wrote that Demarest's "loose sketches, each roughed in with sunny watercolors, achieve an illusion of ease and effortlessness that matches the author's happy leisure." In If Dogs Had Wings, another Publishers Weekly reviewer applauded Demarest's illustrations, which "translate this fantasy in a frenzy of loose, squiggly lines and almost expressionistic swaths of color." In Derek's Dog Days, "whimsical watercolor cartoons, funny and bright, adorn this doggie-romp," about a young boy who samples life as the family Fido, according to Jacqueline Eisner in School Library Journal.

Dogs share the spotlight with several other animal characters as the focus of Demarest's art. In T. Rex at Swan Lake, authors Lenore Hart and Lisa Carrier relate a humorous story about a huge dinosaur that bolts from its perch in the Natural History Museum after hearing the strains of a nearby ballet performance. In his illustrations for the book, Demarest contributes "fluid, sketchy line drawings splashed with watercolor [that] comically capture the bizarre mayhem" of the story, according to Booklist reviewer Karin Snelson. Cows are featured in David Kirby and Allen Woodman's The Cows Are Going to Paris and David L. Harrison's When Cows Come Home. In the former title, Demarest again departs from his usual cartoon style to come up with "impressionistic watercolor cartoons … in the style of Monet and … Seurat," according to Nancy Seiner in School Library Journal. When Cows Come Home takes a look at the antics of several bovine friends when humans are not watching. A critic for Publishers Weekly thought that Demarest's "splashy watercolors lend a sense of playful motion and fluidity to his characters." Reviewing the same title in Booklist, Janice Del Negro called Demarest's artwork "tremendously appealing." In addition to his collaborative projects, Demarest has also illustrated dictionaries, bilingual readers, and vocabulary lists for Berlitz.

A prolific illustrator, Demarest works on several book projects at the same time, in addition to devising his own stories. Discussing how he develops his original tales, he explained that "the visuals are worked out first—usually in storyboard fashion to allow an overall view." "Seldom is the ending known," the artist further explained. "What happens is a character is born and sent upon an adventure which keeps developing from page to page. In other words the story line is very much a puzzle which has to be assembled before the story works."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 1993, pp. 1969-1970; May 1, 1994, Janice Del Negro, review of When Cows Come Home, p. 1608; August, 1994, p. 2054; March 15, 1995, Ilene Cooper, review of My Blue Boat, p. 1333; October 1, 1995, pp. 325-326; April 1, 1996, Carolyn Phelan, review of Train and Bus, p. 1371; April 1, 1997, p. 1337; April 15, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Cowboy ABC, p. 1533; February 15, 2000, p. 1125; July, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, review of Firefighters A to Z, p. 2036; February 15, 2001, p. 1142; August, 2001, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Bikes for Rent, p. 2132; March 15, 2002, Hazel Rochman, review of I Invited a Dragon to Dinner, and Other Poems to Make You Laugh out Loud, p. 1260; July, 2002, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Smokejumpers One to Ten, p. 1851; January, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Breakfast at Danny's Diner, p. 883; June 1, 2004, Kay Weisman, review of Leaping Beauty, and Other Animal Fairy Tales, p. 1726; July, 2004, Karin Snelson, review of Supertwins and the Sneaky, Slimy Book Worms, p. 1850; August, 2004, Karin Snelson, review of T. Rex at Swan Lake, p. 1941; September 1, 2004, Karen Hutt, review of Mayday! Mayday! A Coast Guard Rescue, p. 126; May 15, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: The Military Alphabet, p. 1661; February 1, 2006, Todd Morning, review of Hurricane Hunters! Riders on the Storm, p. 54.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June, 2001, review of Bikes for Rent!, p. 381; July, 2002, review of Smokejumpers One to Ten, p. 400.

Children's Playmate, July-August, 1994, p. 8.

Horn Book, July-August, 1988, Ann A. Flowers, review of No Peas for Nellie, p. 478; July-August, 2000, review of Firefighters A to Z, p. 434; July-August, 2005, Roger Sutton, review of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, p. 448.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 1995, review of Plane, pp. 1186-1187; April 1, 1999, review of The Cowboy ABC, p. 531; February 1, 2002, review of I Invited a Dragon to Dinner, and Other Poems to Make You Laugh out Loud, p. 179; May 1, 2002, review of Smokejumpers One to Ten, p. 651; April 15, 2003, review of Hotshots, p. 606; May 15, 2004, review of Mayday! Mayday!, p. 490; July, 2004, review of Leaping Beauty, and Other Animal Fairy Tales, p. 632; May 15, 2005, review of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, p. 586; December 1, 2005, review of Hurricane Hunters, p. 1273.

New York Times, January 8, 1990, review of The Butterfly Jar, p. 29; November 20, 2000, Christopher Lehman-Haupt, review of Firefighters A to Z, p. E7.

New York Times Book Review, March 4, 1990, review of The Butterfly Jar, p. 33.

Publishers Weekly, February 19, 1982, review of Benedict Finds a Home, p. 65; May 20, 1983, p. 236; November 29, 1983, review of When Cows Come Home, p. 64; January 16, 1987, p. 73; March 13, 1987, review of Morton and Sidney, p. 82; July 14, 1989, review of Smedge, p. 77; May 31, 1991, review of Kitman and Willy at Sea, pp. 74-75; October 18, 1991, review of The Missing Mother Goose, p. 61; January 6, 1992, p. 65; August 17, 1992, review of My Little Red Car, p. 498; October 19, 1992, p. 75; December 28, 1992, review of Smart Dog, p. 72; August 2, 1993, p. 80; May 2, 1994, p. 307; November 21, 1994, review of Hieronymus White, p. 75; January 16, 1995, review of My Blue Boat, p. 454; October 2, 1995, review of Plane and Ship, p. 72; March 4, 1996, review of Casey in the Bath, p. 65; August 26, 1996, review of If Dogs Had Wings, p. 96, review of Fall and Winter, p. 99; June 2, 1997, pp. 71-72; October 27, 1997, review of All Aboard!, p. 78; April 20, 1998, review of Farmer Nat, p. 68; September 18, 2000, p. 113; April 30, 2001, review of Bikes for Rent!, p. 77; December 10, 2001, review of I Invited a Dragon to Dinner, and Other Poems to Make You Laugh out Loud, p. 68; April 21, 2003, review of Hotshots!, p. 63; June 14, 2004, review of T. Rex at Swan Lake, p. 62; August 30, 2004, review of Leaping Beauty, and Other Animal Fairy Tales, p. 56.

School Library Journal, August, 1982, Kristi L. Thomas, review of Benedict Finds a Home, p. 96; September, 1983, Louise L. Sherman, review of Clemens' Kingdom, p. 104; January, 1987, Lisa Castillo, review of Orville's Odyssey, pp. 61-62; April, 1987, Jennifer Smith, review of Morton and Sidney, p. 80; July, 1990, Barbara S. McGinn, review of The Butterfly Jar, p. 86; September, 1990, p. 215; August, 1991, Debra S. Gold, review of Kitman and Willy at Sea, p. 144; September, 1991, pp. 262-263; October, 1991, p. 100; December, 1991, Kathleen Whalin, review of The Other Side of the Door, p. 125; February, 1992, pp. 82-83; March, 1992, Nancy Seiner, review of The Cows Are Going to Paris, p. 216; August, 1992, p. 136; November, 1992, pp. 68-69; April, 1993, Linda Greengrass, review of Bob and Jack, p. 101; June, 1993, p. 78; July, 1993, pp. 1969-1970; October, 1993, Barbara Peklo Abrahams, review of Lindbergh, p. 117; November, 1993, p. 90; February, 1994, p. 86; May, 1994, p. 100; May, 1995, Kathy Mitchell, review of My Blue Boat, pp. 83-84; April, 1996, Lisa S. Murphy, review of Casey in the Bath, p. 106; July, 1996, Jacqueline Eisner, review of Derek's Dog Days, p. 57; August, 1996, Lisa Marie Gangemi, review of Bus, and Train, p. 121; June, 1997, p. 69; July, 1997, p. 109; February, 1998, pp. 93-94; August, 1998, Ann Cook, review of Farmer Nat, p. 133; October, 1998, Kathy M. Newby, review of Honk!, p. 94; April, 1999, Steven Engelfried, review of The Cowboy ABC, p. 92; August, 1999, Ann Cook, review of Zookeeper Sue, p. 132; March, 2000, p. 220; May, 2000, p. 163; December, 2000, p. 132; July, 2001, Lisa Gangemi Krapp, review of Bikes for Rent!, p. 86; February, 2002, Lauralyn Persson, review of I Invited a Dragon to Dinner, and Other Poems to Make You Laugh out Loud, p. 122; July, 2002, Anne Chapman Callaghan, review of Smokejumpers One to Ten, p. 105; August, 2003, Susan Scheps, review of Hotshots!, p. 148; July, 2004, Doris Losey, review of Mayday! Mayday!, p. 92; August, 2004, Carol Schene, review of T. Rex at Swan Lake, p. 84, and Eva Mitnick, review of Leaping Beauty, and Other Animal Fairy Tales, p. 126; July, 2005, Julie Roach, review of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, p. 88; June, 2006, Patricia Manning, review of Hurricane Hunters!, p. 135.