Guy, Ginger Foglesong 1954–

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Guy, Ginger Foglesong 1954–

Personal

Born November 24, 1954, in Summit, NJ; daughter of Robert D. Foglesong and Bonnie Maierle Smalldridge. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Virginia, B.S. (education), 1978. Hobbies and other interests: Music, song-writing.

Addresses

Home—Seattle, WA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harper-Collins, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

Career

Writer and teacher. Perkins Elementary School, Seattle, WA, teacher, 1980–87.

Member

Author's Guild, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

American Library Association Notable Children's Book designation, 2006, for Siesta.

Writings

Black Crow, Black Crow, illustrated by Nancy Winslow Parker, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 1991.

¡Fiesta!, illustrated by René King Moreno, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Siesta, illustrated by René King Moreno, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Go Back to Bed!, illustrated by James Bernardin, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

My School/ Mi Escuela, illustrated by Viví Escrivá, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 2006.

¡Perros! ¡Perros!/ Dogs! Dogs!, illustrated by Sharon Glick, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2006.

My Grandma/ Mi Abuelita, illustrated by Viví Escrivá, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 2007.

"ENGLISH FOR ME; SERIES; READERS

(With Barbara Hojel) What Can We Do Today?, illustrated by Linda Howard, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) Show and Tell, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) Where's Andy?, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) A Surprise for Grandpa, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) A Pet for Peter, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) Mixed-up Monday, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) I Don't Like Bananas!, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) Rainy Day Picnic, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Barbara Hojel) A Present for Mrs. Clark, Addison Wesley Longman (New York, NY), 1999.

Sidelights

Ginger Foglesong Guy grew up in Mexico, Arizona, Switzerland, and Costa Rica before training as a teacher. After working in a Seattle, Washington elementary school for seven years, she left teaching, but has since returned to the classroom to talk to children about her new career as a published writer. Many of Guy's books are geared for young children making the transition from Spanish to English, and feature simple stories with a bilingual text. Other books, such as Go Back to Bed! and Black Crow, Black Crow, are straightforward picture books, the latter featuring a simple rhyming text in which a mother crow answers a child's simple questions. Praising the "inventive" illustrations by Nancy Winslow, a Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "the simplicity and repetition of Guy's text" in Black Crow, Black Crow "makes this a prime pick for beginning readers."

Siesta follows a brother and sister one afternoon as they grab their favorite teddy bear and a bright blue backpack and head out to the backyard, looking forward to camping out under the clothesline-blanket tent they have created. Guy's text is complemented by softly hued watercolor illustrations by René King Moreno that capture the warmth of the simple story. Ann Welton, writing in School Library Journal, called the book a "charmingly simple story," while reviewer Tim Wadham commented in Horn Book that Guy's book is "a model of what a bilingual picture book should be." A Kirkus Reviews critic also thoroughly enjoyed Siesta, stating that, "warm and charming, this treat invites young readers to broaden their linguistic horizons."

Guy told SATA: "Gazing out my kitchen one day, wondering what the line of crows on the wire could possibly be saying to each other, led to my first children's book.

"I spent much of my childhood living outside the United States and was raised with an appreciation for other languages and cultures. Before turning to writing full-time, I was a teacher for several years, and I saw firsthand the delight children take in language and stories. I believe children should have access to books that help foster an awareness and understanding of the cultural diversity in our country and in the world. I hope that my bilingual picture books are a small step in that direction.

"Sometimes the ideas for my stories come from faraway places, and sometimes they're as close as my own backyard."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of ¡Fiesta!, p. 1604; April 1, 2005, Jennifer Mattson, review of Siesta, p. 1366.

Horn Book, March-April, 1991, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Black Crow, Black Crow, p. 193; July-August, 2005, Tim Wadham, review of Siesta, p. 449.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2005, review of Siesta, p. 353.

Publishers Weekly, April 12, 1991, review of Black Crow, Black Crow, p. 57; July 8, 1996, review of ¡Fiesta!, p. 84; April 7, 2003, review of ¡Fiesta!, p. 68.

Reading Teacher, May, 1999, review of ¡Fiesta!, p. 890.

School Library Journal, June, 1991, Karen James, review of Black Crow, Black Crow, p. 78; September, 1996, Selene S. Vasquez, review of ¡Fiesta!, p. 178; October, 2005, Ann Welton, review of Siesta, p. 148.