Greenberg, David T. 1954–

views updated

Greenberg, David T. 1954–

Personal

Born October 13, 1954, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Jack (an attorney) and Sema Greenberg; married, c. 1984; wife's name Sharon; children: Sam. Education: Reed College, graduate. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, swimming, cooking, ping pong, spending time with his son.

Addresses

Home—7327 SW Barnes Rd., PMB 623, Portland OR 97225. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Children's book author and poet.

Awards, Honors

Children's Choice Award, 1990, for The Great School Lunch.

Writings

Slugs, illustrated by Victoria Chess, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1983.

Bugs!, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?, and Other Surprising Sequels to Mother Goose Rhymes, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1999.

Skunks!, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2001.

Snakes!, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2004.

Miss Behavior's Book of Etiquette for Children, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2005.

The Book of Boys (for Girls) & The Book of Girls (for Boys), illustrated by Joy Allen, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2005.

Work in Progress

The children's books Octopi!, Crocs!, Enchanted Lions, and Don't Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior.

Sidelights

A poet and children's book author, David T. Greenberg alternates writing entertaining books for children with sharing his enthusiasm for reading with his young fans. As he noted of his work while speaking to school students on the AuthorsIllustrators.com, "It is my goal that when kids leave my assemblies they say to themselves 'I want to be a writer when I grow up!'" Greenberg's books for young readers include Bugs!, Slugs, Skunks!, and Snakes!, each of which focuses on a creepy, crawly, gooey, or stinky member of the animal kingdom. Featuring illustrations by Lynn Munsinger and Victoria Chess, the books "indulge … a child's delight in yuckiness" with "grossly fun puns" and other verbal hijinks, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor in a review of Bugs! In the books, a young boy and his dog witness a multitude of absurd talents possessed by the creature in question; in Snakes! an anaconda takes the wheel of a race car, and in Bugs! millipedes are used as dental floss. Greenberg's short verses "flow easily and is filled with inventive alliteration and quirky humor," according to Grace Oliff in her School Library Journal review of Snakes!, while in Kirkus Reviews a contributor praised the poet for avoiding cuteness.

In The Book of Boys (for Girls) & The Book of Girls (for Boys) Greenberg presents an age-appropriate overview of the longstanding battle between the sexes, illustrating some of the key character differences between boys and girls in a playful fashion. "The lighthearted verse is recommended for its irreverent and highly accessible … appeal," commented Catherine Threadgill in School Library Journal, while Julie Cummins wrote in Booklist that Joy Allen's watercolor art add "plenty of humor" to a book that will inspire "plenty of grinning." The time-honored rhymes of the venerable Mother Goose are also subjected to Greenberg's humorous treatment in Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?, and Other Surprising Sequels to Mother Goose Rhymes. As the book's title implies, traditional endings are scrapped by the poet in favor of what a Publishers Weekly contributor dubbed "irreverent sequels" that "gleefully mix … metaphors and scramble … genres." Praising the book's "visual appeal," the critic also cited artist S.D. Schindler's "waggish illustrations" for extending to Greenberg's "merry parody."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Snakes!, p. 1625; May 15, 2005, Julie Cummins, review of The Book of Boys (for Girls) & The Book of Girls (for Boys), p. 1661.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November, 1997, review of Bugs!, p. 86.

Emergency Librarian, November, 1983, review of Slugs, p. 37.

Horn Book, June, 1983, review of Slugs, p. 289; January-February, 1998, Roger Sutton, review of Bugs!, p. 86.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2004, review of Snakes!, p. 442; June 15, 2005, review of The Book of Boys (for Girls) & The Book of Girls (for Boys), p. 683.

New Scientist, November 18, 1995, review of Slugs, p. 60.

Publishers Weekly, May 27, 1983, review of Slugs, p. 68; September 25, 1995, review of Slugs, p. 58; July 21, 1997, review of Bugs!, p. 201; March 22, 1999, review of Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?: and Other Surprising Sequels to Mother Goose Rhymes, p. 90; March 19, 2001, review of Skunks!, p. 102; April 22, 2002, review of Bugs!, p. 73; August 25, 2003, review of Skunks!, p. 67

School Library Journal, August, 1983, review of Slugs, p. 51; September, 1997, Sally R. Dow, review of Bugs!, p. 202; August, 1999, Ann Cook, review of Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?, p. 171; August, 2001, Sheryl L. Shipley, review of Skunks!, p. 147; May, 2004, Grace Oliff, review of Snakes!, p. 112; August, 2005, Catherine Threadgill, review of The Book of Boys (for Girls) & The Book of Girls (for Boys), p. 113.