Gliori, Debi 1959-

views updated

Gliori, Debi 1959-

Personal

Born February 21, 1959, in Glasgow, Scotland; daughter of Lionel (a musical instrument maker) and Josephine (a tax inspector) Gliori; married George Karl Carson, August 2, 1976 (divorced, February 14, 1978); married Jesse Earl Christman (a furniture maker), June 21, 1991 (divorced, 1999); companion of Michael Holton (a company secretary); children: (first marriage) Rowan Gliori; (second marriage) Benjamin, Patrick, Sophie, Katie Rose Christman. Education: Edinburgh College of Art, B.A. (with honors), 1984, postgraduate diploma in illustration. Politics: "Left of center."

Addresses

Home and office—Scotland. Agent—Rosemary Sandberg, 6 Bayley St., London WC1B, England.

Career

Author and illustrator. Debi Gliori Ltd., director.

Awards, Honors

British Children's Book Award, 1997.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

New Big Sister, Walker Books (London, England), 1990, Bradbury Press (New York, NY) 1991.

New Big House, Walker Books (London, England), 1991, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1992.

My Little Brother, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1992.

What a Noise, Creative Edge, 1992.

When I'm Big, Walker Books (London, England), 1992.

The Snowchild, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1994.

A Lion at Bedtime, Hippo (London, England), 1994.

Willie Bear and the Wish Fish, Macmillan Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1995, published as Little Bear and the Wish-Fish, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 1995.

The Snow Lambs, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

The Princess and the Pirate King, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1996.

Can I Have a Hug?, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Tickly under There, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1998.

No Matter What, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Polar Bolero: A Bedtime Dance, Scholastic (London, England), 2000, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Flora's Blanket, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Debi Gliori's Bedtime Stories: Bedtime Tales with a Twist, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 2002.

Penguin Post, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Flora's Surprise, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Where Did That Baby Come From?, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2005.

Goodnight, Baby Bat, Doubleday (London, England), 2007.

Witch Baby and Me (chapter book), Random House (London, England), 2008.

The Trouble with Dragons, Walker Books (London, England), 2008.

"MR. BEAR" SERIES; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Mr. Bear Babysits, Artists & Writers Guild, 1994.

Mr. Bear's Picnic, Golden Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Mr. Bear Says I Love You, Little Simon (New York, NY), 1997.

Mr. Bear Says Good Night, Little Simon (New York, NY), 1997.

Mr. Bear Says Peek-a-Boo, Little Simon (New York, NY), 1997.

Mr. Bear Says a Spoonful for You, Little Simon (New York, NY), 1997.

Mr. Bear Says "Are You There, Baby Bear?", Orchard (New York, NY), 1999.

Mr. Bear's New Baby, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Mr. Bear to the Rescue, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Mr. Bear's Vacation, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2000.

"PURE DEAD" SERIES; MIDDLE-GRADE NOVELS

Pure Dead Magic, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2001.

Pure Dead Wicked, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2002.

Pure Dead Brilliant, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2003.

Deep Trouble, Doubleday (London, England), 2004, published as Pure Dead Trouble, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2005.

Deep Water, Doubleday (London, England), 2005, published as Pure Dead Batty, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2006.

Deep Fear, Doubleday (London, England), 2006 published as Pure Dead Frozen, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2007.

ILLUSTRATOR

Roger McGough and Dee Reid, Oxford Children's ABC Picture Dictionary, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1990.

Margaret Donaldson, Margery Mo, Deutsch (London, England), 1991.

Stephanie Baudet, The Incredible Shrinking Hippo, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1991.

Roger McGough, Oxford 123 Book of Number Rhymes, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 1992.

Sue Stops, Dulci Dando, Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Sue Stops, Dulcie Dando, Disco Dancer, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1992.

Margaret Donaldson, Margery Mo's Magic Island, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1992.

Sue Stops, Dulcie Dando, Soccer Star, Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Lisa Bruce, Oliver's Alphabets, Bradbury Press (New York, NY, 1993.

David Martin, Lizzie and Her Puppy, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

[Image not available for copyright reasons]

David Martin, Lizzie and Her Dolly, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

David Martin, Lizzie and Her Kitty, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

David Martin, Lizzie and Her Friend, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

Poems Go Clang!: A Collection of Noisy Verse, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1997.

Joyce Dunbar, Tell Me Something Happy before I Go to Sleep, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1998, published with CD, Picture Corgi (London, England), 2007.

Christina Rossetti, Give Him My Heart, Bloomsbury (London, England), 1998, published as What Can I Give Him?, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1998.

Joyce Dunbar, The Very Small, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 2001, published with CD, 2005.

Joyce Dunbar, Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Alan Durant, Always and Forever, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2004.

OTHER

A Present for Big Pig, illustrated by Kate Simpson, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1995.

The Candlewick Book of Bedtime Stories, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2003.

Author's works have been translated into Spanish.

Adaptations

Pure Dead Magic and Pure Dead Wicked were adapted for audiocassette by Recorded Books (Frederick, MD), 2002.

Sidelights

Since 1990 Scottish author-illustrator Debi Gliori has made a name for herself on both sides of the Atlantic, creating colorful picture books on domestic themes and penning a series of middle-grade novels dealing with magic. Her pen-and-ink-and-watercolor artwork brings to life over a dozen other original stories and also illustrates numerous children's books by other writers. Gliori's palette ranges in tone from pastels to brilliantly saturated color, and humor and an attention to domestic details are considered hallmarks of her work.

Like many picture books for children, the majority of Gliori's books treat children's concerns, such as being afraid of the dark, accepting new siblings, outgrowing the family home, dealing with bullies, and making friends. Featuring what School Library Journal critic Piper L. Nyman called a "funny and rhythmic perspective," Where Did That Baby Come From? casts a tiger cub in place of a small human child and poses a logical question: Why do parents open their home to the turmoil that a new baby brings? Books of this type are inspired by Gliori's own experience as the mother of five children. "I've never questioned my motivation for writing—it is as essential a part of my life as breathing and eating," she once told SATA. "With five children, the option of working away from home was unthinkable. I want to be around my kids and to watch and marvel as they grow up. Writing for children is a natural extension of this process."

Gliori's first books feature human characters and portray changes in families. Adorned with "charming, humorous" illustrations, to quote School Library Journal critic Lucy Young Clem, New Big Sister describes the changes a pregnant mother undergoes while awaiting the arrival of twins from a young girl's viewpoint. A Books for Keeps reviewer called the title "refreshing" and expressed similar praise for New Big House, which also treats the challenges of an expanding family. In New Big House a house-hunting family decides to add on to their existing home instead of moving. Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman praised this picture book for its emotive illustrations, while School Library Journal reviewer Virginia E. Jeschelnig noted its verisimilitude.

Another early self-illustrated work by Gliori, My Little Brother, recounts how an older sister tries to get rid of her exasperating toddler brother and concludes with what a Books for Keeps reviewer called a "delightful ending." Conversely, When I'm Big describes a young boy's fantasies about growing older in what School Librarian contributor Elizabeth J. King called a "funny, jokey" manner.

Other titles by Gliori treat childhood fears. For example, the very real fear of monsters under the bed is the subject of A Lion at Bedtime, in which the fearless Ben shows who's not afraid by dressing the lion from under the bed in his father's pajamas. While acknowledging the Scottish author/illustrator's debt to Maurice Sendak, G. English praised the work for its "witty style" in a Books for Your Children review. London Observer reviewer Kate Kellaway also appreciated the work for its style and what she termed its "wonderful" illustrations. The Snowchild deals with another fear: bullies. Introverted Katie experiences the unkindness of her peers, but finally makes friends when other children join her in making small snow people. While Booklist critic Julie Walton found the writing "uneven," she praised Gliori's "appealing" artwork. Janet Sims predicted in School Librarian that the book would be "useful" in discussions about self-esteem and bullies, while a Books for Keeps contributor found The Snowchild thought-provoking."

Bears often get starring roles in children's books and Gliori's oeuvre is no exception. Some of her books feature them, including her "Mr. Bear" series of board-and picture books. In Mr. Bear Babysits the good-natured bear does just that by babysitting the neighbor cubs.

[Image not available for copyright reasons]

Mr. Bear's Picnic finds him taking his own unappreciative cubs on an outing, and Mr. Bear's New Baby recounts how the house is thrown into disarray with the new arrival. In Mr. Bear to the Rescue, another volume in the series, Papa Bear rises to the occasion when disaster strikes. Reviewing Mr. Bear's Picnic for School Library Journal, Lynn Crockett described Gliori's characters as "lovable" and apt for story time. Another bear character makes his debut in Little Bear and the Wish Fish, a cautionary tale that explains what can happen when we get what we supposedly want.

Standards in the oeuvre of most children's-book illustrators include alphabet books and compilations of nursery rhymes and poems. In her work for Oliver's Alphabets by Lisa Bruce, Gliori serves as illustrator, detailing a young boy's world, replete with "pleasing minutae" in the opinion of School Library Journal critic Mary Lou Budd. In her own Poems Go Clang!: A Collection of Noisy Verse she includes fifty classic verses, making up what Jean Pollock deemed a "serviceable" collection in her School Library Journal review. Mother Goose gets a new look in Gliori's version of fifty rhymes and poems, with explanatory annotations. The combination of "beguiling artwork" and "fascinating tidbits of information" in Debi Gliori's Bedtime Stories: Bedtime Tales with a Twist results in a better-than-average work of its kind, according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor.

Although Gliori first earned a reputation as a writer and illustrator of picture books, she has more recently turned to writing novels for middle-school readers. Her "Pure Dead" series, which includes Pure Dead Magic, Pure Dead Wicked, Pure Dead Brilliant, Pure Dead Trouble, Pure Dead Batty, and Pure Dead Frozen, introduces readers to the eccentric Strega-Borgia family. Laced with bits of Scots dialect, the stories combine fantasy, high technology, action, and humor in what a Kirkus Reviews critic described as a "nonstop farce." In the debut novel, Pure Dead Magic, the three Strega-Borgia children are left to rescue their kidnapped father while their mother attends graduate school for witches. Eva Mitnick predicted in School Library Journal that the novel would appeal to fans of children's authors J.K. Rowling and Lemony Snicket, and she determined as well that "any plot deficiencies" are offset by the work's farcical tone. In Booklist Ilene Cooper held a similar opinion, stating that although the plot is "occasionally tedious," Pure Dead Magic is "original" and provides "plenty of laughs."

The travails of the Strega-Borgia siblings continue in Pure Dead Wicked, which a Kirkus Reviews critic dubbed a "pedal-to-the-metal page turner." Here family members find refuge at the Auchenlochtermuchty Arms after the roof collapses on Strega-Schloss, their ancestral family castle in Scotland. Dubbed "another fast-paced, grossly hilarious adventure" by Booklist contributor Kay Weisman, Pure Dead Brilliant follows a group of visiting witches as they throw the family household into turmoil while Titus is discovering that the massive fortune he has inherited from his mafia-boss grandfather may have strings attached. In Pure Dead Trouble the Strega-Borgias find themselves threatened when a newly hired butler turns out to be a demon intent upon blowing up a nearby corporate headquarters. Fortunately, the children's nanny, Flora McLachlan, is quick to assess the threat and peg it as a demonic presence searching for the powerful Chronostone. Noting that the series contains an ever-expanding cast list, Booklist critic Abby Nolan wrote that Pure Dead Trouble features "humor [that] is darker … than in Gliori's previous books, and [includes] … plenty of details about the workings of Hell" to fascinate preteen readers.

Published in England as Deep Water, Pure Dead Batty finds Titus, Pandora, and Damp worried over Nanny McLachlan's disappearance. When their father is arrested as the nanny's possible murderer, the children are on their own in interpreting the strange omens that they hope will lead them to Flora McLachlan and win Don Luciano Strega-Borgia's freedom. The battle with demonic forces continues in Pure Dead Frozen, as the family—which now includes a newborn changeling—unites against the hoards of assembled evil creatures hoping to acquire the powerful Chronostone against all odds. "The madness and the antics are as crazed as ever" in Pure Dead Batty, according to School Library Journal contributor Saleena L. Davidson, the critic citing the "Pure Dead" books as "perfect for fantasy readers who want humor with their magic."

[Image not available for copyright reasons]

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 1992, Hazel Rochman, review of New Big House, p. 1687; December 1, 1992, Leone McDermott, review of Dulcie Dando, Soccer Star, pp. 677-678; December 15, 1994, Julie Walton, review of The Snowchild, p. 757; November 15, 1996, Karen Morgan, review of The Snow Lambs, p. 584; February 1, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Mr. Bear Says Peek-a-Boo, p. 922; September 1, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of What Can I Give Him?, p. 132; February 1, 1991, Hazel Rochman, review of Mr. Bear's New Baby, p. 979; November 15, 1999, Tim Arnold, review of No Matter What, p. 635; May 15, 2000, Marta Segal, review of Mr. Bear's Vacation, pp. 1, 48; November 15, 2000, Marta Segal, review of Mr. Bear to the Rescue, p. 648; December 15, 2000, Lauren Peterson, review of The Very Small, p. 825; April 1, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes, p. 1474; May 1, 2001, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Polar Bolero: A Bedtime Dance, p. 1690; May 15, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Flora's Blanket, p. 1757; August, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Pure Dead Magic, p. 2118; June 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, reviews of Can I Have a Hug? and Tickly under There, p. 1713; September 15, 2002, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Pure Dead Wicked, p. 231; December 15, 2002, Connie Fletcher, review of Penguin Post, p. 766; November 1, 2003, Kay Weisman, review of Pure Dead Brilliant, p. 496; March 1, 2005, Connie Fletcher, review of Where Did That Baby Come From?, 1203; October 1, 2005, Abby Nolan, review of Pure Dead Trouble, p. 57; August 1, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of Pure Dead Batty, p. 70.

Books for Your Children, spring, 1994, G. English, review of A Lion at Bedtime, p. 8.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1994, Roger Sutton, review of Mr. Bear Babysits, p. 287; February, 1997, Lisa Mahoney, review of The Snow Lambs, pp. 204-205; February, 2002, review of Pure Dead Magic, p. 204; March, 2003, review of Flora's Surprise!, p. 274.

Children's Playmate, October-November, 1994, review of Mr. Bear Babysits, p. 19.

Horn Book, fall, 1995, Sheila M. Geraty, review of Willie Bear and the Wish Fish, and review of Mr. Bear's Picnic, p. 95; spring, 1997, Martha Sibert, reviews of The Princess and the Pirate King and The Snow Lambs, p. 29; fall, 2001, Sheila M. Geraty, reviews of Flora's Blanket, Mr. Bear to the Rescue, and Polar Bolero, p. 231.

Junior Bookshelf, February, 1993, review of When I'm Big, p. 12; April, 1995, review of A Present for Big Pig, p. 66; August, 1995, review of Little Bear and the Wish Fish, p. 128.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 1994, review of Mr. Bear Babysits, pp. 774-775; November 1, 1999, review of No Matter What, p. 1741; January 15, 1999, review of Mr. Bear's New Baby, p. 144; February 1, 2001, review of The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes, pp. 182-183; August 1, 2001, review of Pure Dead Magic, p. 1122; August 15, 2001, review of Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, p. 1211; July 1, 2001, review of Pure Dead Wicked, p. 955; October 1, 2002, review of Penguin Post, p. 1470; December 15, 2002, review of Flora's Surprise!, p. 1850; July 1, 2005, review of Pure Dead Trouble, p. 735.

Kliatt, July, 2004, Mary Purucker, review of Pure Dead Brilliant, p. 55; July, 2005, Paula Rohrlick, review of Pure Dead Trouble, p. 11.

Library Journal, August, 2001, Maria Otero-Boisvert, review of No Matter What, p. S60.

Magpies, November, 1998, Joan Zahnleiter, review of Give Him My Heart, p. 27.

Observer (London, England), November 28, 1993, Kate Kellaway, review of A Lion at Bedtime, p. 11.

Publishers Weekly, August 24, 1992, review of My Little Brother, p. 78; September 9, 1996, review of The Princess and the Pirate King, p. 82; May 2, 1994, review of Mr. Bear Babysits p. 306; June 5, 1995, review of Mr. Bear's Picnic p. 62; September 9, 1996, review of The Princess and the Pirate King, p. 82; October 28, 1996, review of The Snow Lambs, pp. 80-81; September 28, 1998, review of What Can I Give Him?, pp. 58-59, review of Tell Me Something Happy before I Go to Sleep, p. 101; February 15, 1999, review of Mr. Bear's New Baby, p. 106; November 8, 1999, review of No Matter What, p. 66; October 2, 2000, review of The Very Small, p. 80; March 12, 2001, review of The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes, p. 93; April 9, 2001, review of Flora's Blanket, p. 73; May 7, 2001, review of Polar Bolero, p. 246; July 2, 2001, review of Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, p. 74; August 27, 2001, review of Pure Dead Magic, p. 85; July 8, 2002, review of Pure Dead Wicked, p. 51; March 21, 2005, review of Where Did That Baby Come From?, p. 50.

School Librarian, February, 1993, Elizabeth J. King, review of When I'm Big, p. 15; November, 1994, Janet Sims, review of The Snowchild, p. 146; August, 1995, Jane Doonan, review of Little Bear and the Wish-Fish, p. 103; February, 1997, Carolyn Boyd, review of Mr. Bear to the Rescue, and Chris Stephenson, review of The Princess and the Pirate King, p. 18.

School Library Journal, February, 1992, Lucy Young Clem, review of New Big Sister, p. 72; August, 1992, Virginia E. Jeschelnig, review of New Big Sister, p. 72, and New Big House, pp. 135-136; January, 1993, Virginia E. Jeschelnig, review of My Little Brother, p. 76; April, 1993, Lori A. Janick, review of Dulcie Dando, Soccer Star, pp. 102-103; December, 1993, Mary Lou Budd, review of Oliver's Alphabets, p. 80; August, 1994, Lauralyn Persson, review of Mr. Bear Babysits, p. 130; December, 1994, Margaret A. Chang, review of The Snowchild, pp. 74-75; July, 1995, Martha Gordon, review of Willie Bear and the Wish Fish, p. 61; August, 1995, Lynn Cockett, review of Mr. Bear's Picnic, p. 122; October, 1998, Anne Connor, review of What Can I Give Him?, p. 41; November 1, 1998, Judith Constantinides, review of Tell Me Something Happy before I Go to Sleep, pp. 83-84; March, 1998, Jean Pollock, review of Poems Go Clang!, pp. 200-201; March, 1999, Dawn Amsberry, review of Mr. Bear's New Baby, p. 175; November, 1999, Marlene Gawron, review of No Matter What, p. 116; January, 2000, Selene S. Vasquez, review of Mr. Bear Says, Are You There, Baby Bear?, p. 96; March, 2000, Faith Brautigam, review of Mr. Bear's Vacation, p. 197; November, 2000, Joy Fleishhacker, review of The Very Small, p. 119, and Jody McCoy, review of Mr. Bear to the Rescue, p. 120; June, 2001, Helen Foster James, review of Polar Bolero, p. 114; July, 2001, JoAnn Jonas, review of The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes, p. 94, and Christina F. Renaud, review of Flora's Blanket, p. 81; September, 2001, Alison Kastner, review of Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, p. 188 and Eva Mitnick, review of Pure Dead Magic, p. 225; June, 2002, Teresa Bateman, review of Pure Dead Magic, pp. 70-71; August, 2002, Lynn Evarts, review of Pure Dead Wicked, p. 184; October, 2003, Elaine Baran Black, review of Pure Dead Brilliant, p. 164; April, 2005, Piper L. Nyman, review of Where Did That Baby Come From?, p. 98; August, 2005, Saleena L. Davidson, review of Pure Dead Trouble, p. 125; August, 2006, Saleena L. Davidson, review of Pure Dead Batty, p. 120; September, 2007, Walter Minkel, review of Pure Dead Frozen, p. 196.

Times Educational Supplement, June 28, 1996, Susan Young, "Bend Them, Shake Them, Any Way You Want Them"; October, 1996, Melissa Hudak, review of The Snow Lambs, p. 94; November 20, 1998, review of Give Him My Heart.