Hennessy, B.G. 1951-(Barbara Gulbrandsen Hennessy)

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Hennessy, B.G. 1951-(Barbara Gulbrandsen Hennessy)

Personal

Born 1951, in Wantagh, NY; married; children: three sons. Education: Attended St. Lawrence University; University of Wisconsin—Madison, graduate.

Addresses

Home—AZ.

Career

Writer. Worked as an art director in children's book design in New York, NY, for seventeen years.

Writings

PICTURE BOOKS

The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard, illustrated by Susan Davis, Viking (New York, NY), 1988.

The Missing Tarts, illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson, Viking (New York, NY), 1989.

A, B, C, D, Tummy, Toes, Hands, Knees, illustrated by Wendy Watson, Viking (New York, NY), 1989.

School Days, illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

Jake Baked the Cake, illustrated by Mary Morgan, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

Eeney, Meeney, Miney, Mo, illustrated by Letizia Galli, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

When You Were Just a Little Girl, illustrated by Jeanne Arnold, Viking (New York, NY), 1991.

Sleep Tight, illustrated by Anthony Carnabuci, Viking (New York, NY), 1992.

The First Night, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Viking (New York, NY), 1993.

Road Builders, illustrated by Simms Taback, Viking (New York, NY), 1994.

Meet Winslow Whale, illustrated by Joyce Howell, Viking (New York, NY), 1994.

Olympics!, illustrated by Michael Chesworth, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.

The Once-upon-a-Time Map Book: Your Guide to the Enchanted Forest, the Giant's Kingdom, Neverland, the Land of Oz, Aladdin's Kingdom, Wonderland, and a Pop-up Royal Castle, illustrated by Peter Joyce, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1999.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims, illustrated by Lynne Cravath, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.

Meet Dinah Dinosaur, illustrated by Ana Martin Larrañaga, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2000.

Busy Dinah Dinosaur, illustrated by Ana Martin Larrañaga, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2000.

My Book of Thanks, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

The Attic Christmas, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Because of You, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2005.

(Reteller) The Boy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Mr. Ouchy's First Day, illustrated by Paul Meisel, Putnam (New York, NY), 2006.

Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After, illustrated by Susan Mitchell, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Hennessy's books have been translated into German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Afikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, and Zulu.

"CORDUROY" LIFT-THE-FLAP BOOKS

Corduroy's Christmas, illustrated by Lisa McCue, Viking (New York, NY), 1992.

Corduroy's Halloween, illustrated by Lisa McCue, Viking (New York, NY), 1995.

Corduroy's Birthday, illustrated by Lisa McCue, Viking (New York, NY), 1997.

Corduroy's Easter, illustrated by Lisa McCue, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.

Corduroy at the Zoo, illustrated by Lisa McCue, Viking (New York, NY), 2000.

Corduroy Lost and Found, illustrated by Jody Wheeler, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Beginning her career in publishing as an art director, B.G. Hennessy has become a prolific author of picture books for young readers, including Because of You, Mr. Ouchy's First Day, and Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After. "There really wasn't a particular event that ‘made’ me want to write children's books," Hennessy explained of her career on her home page. "It was the impact of language on my children—the effect of the sound of a word that would make them laugh, or a rhythm that made them clap, or their delight in a particular rhyme—it was their response to language that intrigued me enough to put some of my ideas down in words. Many of my books are a direct result of their interests and experiences."

Hennessy published her debut title, The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard, in 1988. She followed that with The Missing Tarts, a humorous picture book mystery featuring nursery rhyme characters; A, B, C, D, Tummy, Toes, Hands, Knees, a concept book for toddlers; and School Days, a lively look at an action-packed classroom. In Jake Baked the Cake, which Hennessey has judged her "favorite read aloud," a rotund baker prepares a towering delicacy for a joyous bride and groom. The author's "sprightly rhymes … convey the buoyant spirit of this old-fashioned wedding," a critic noted in Publishers Weekly.

Among Hennessy's many picture books are several featuring a holiday theme. In One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims, for example, she incorporates a familiar childhood rhyme into a tale of ten Pilgrim children and ten Wampanoag children helping to prepare a great harvest feast. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that the work "resolutely captures the festive and collaborative mood of the holiday." Featuring illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, The First Night, Hennessy's version of the Nativity story, "glows with childlike innocence and joy," according to Mary M. Burns writing in Horn Book. A set of ornaments come to life in another holiday tale, The Attic Christmas. When Grandma Lily fails to retrieve the much-loved decorations from their corner of the attic one year, six ornaments grow concerned about their owner, then decide to celebrate the holiday by themselves. In Hennessy's story, when Lily dies, her son and his children inherit the ornaments and begin a new tradition to honor the elderly woman's memory. "Some readers will appreciate the idea of the continuing circle of family," observed a Kirkus Reviews contributor.

Hennessy teams with illustrator Hiroe Nakata for a pair of inspirational works. In My Book of Thanks, for example, she offers simple one-line prayers of thanksgiving that are designed for young readers. "Expressing gratitude for good fortune and the desire for continued selfless behavior is pleasantly demonstrated" in the book, remarked School Library Journal reviewer Maryann H. Owen. Hennessy demonstrates the rewards of social responsibility in Because of You. In what Booklist critic Jennifer Mattson deemed an "empowering conclusion," the book "widens the child's sphere of influence" as Hennessey's text illustrates how even the smallest acts of kindness can lead to world peace.

Hennessy puts her unique spin on a classic story in The Boy Who Cried Wolf. "The plot is the familiar one, but humorous embellishments abound," including an incredibly bored shepherd boy picking his nose, observed Booklist critic Ilene Cooper. "Never has this favorite tale been told with such animation and charming humor," remarked a contributor for Kirkus Reviews. An original fairy tale, Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After concerns a young girl's adventures with her beloved stuffed toy. After Claire's father reads her a bedtime story, she drifts off to sleep wondering what makes someone live happily ever after. In her dreams she and her stuffed unicorn Capricorn soon enter a magical world of frog princes and fairy godmothers. As the pair "inevitably learn that happiness does not come in a one-size-fits-all," noted a Publishers Weekly contributor, "readers also gain a broader perspective on the world." According to School Library Journal critic Linda L. Walkins, Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After "will delight fairy-tale fans, who will identify with its inquisitive heroine."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November-December, 1993, Mary M. Burns, review of The First Night, p. 724; May 1, 1994, Hazel Rochman, review of Road Builders, p. 1603; September 1, 1999, Lauren Peterson, review of One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims, p. 148; October 1, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of Meet Dinah Dinosaur, p. 351; December 1, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of Busy Dinah Dinosaur, p. 725; December 15, 2002, Susan Dove Lempke, review of My Book of Thanks, p. 764; October 1, 2004, GraceAnne A. De-Candido, review of The Once-upon-a-Time Map Book: Your Guide to the Enchanted Forest, the Giant's Kingdom, Neverland, the Land of Oz, Aladdin's Kingdom, Wonderland, and a Pop-up Royal Castle, p. 329; March 1, 2005, Jennifer Mattson, review of Because of You, p. 1203; February 1, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, p. 51; March-April, 2006, Joanna Rudge Long, review of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, p. 200.

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2004, review of The Attic Christmas, p. 1050; December 1, 2005, review of Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After, p. 1274; January 15, 2006, review of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, p. 85; June 1, 2006, review of Mr. Ouchy's First Day, p. 573.

Magpies, March, 1991, review of Sleep Tight, p. 27; September, 1993, review of The Missing Tarts, p. 24.

Publishers Weekly, December 25, 1987, review of The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard, p. 73; February 23, 1990, review of Jake Baked the Cake, p. 216; October 26, 1990, review of Eeney, Meeney, Miney, Mo, p. 67; May 17, 1991, review of A, B, C, D, Tummy, Toes, Hands, Knees, p. 65; September 20, 1993, review of The First Night, p. 37; June 20, 1994, review of Road Builders, p. 104; September 27, 1999, review of One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims, p. 50; May 22, 2000, review of Olympics!, p. 95; January 16, 2006, review of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, p. 63, and Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After, p. 64.

Reading Teacher, October, 1989, review of The Dinosaur Who Lived in My Backyard, p. 56; April, 1993, review of Sleep Tight, p. 593; May, 1995, review of Road Builders, p. 714.

School Librarian, February, 1990, review of The Missing Tarts, p. 14.

School Library Journal, April, 1989, review of The Missing Tarts, p. 82; March, 2001, Christina F. Renaud, review of Busy Dinah Dinosaur, p. 194; April, 2003, Maryann H. Owen, review of My Book of Thanks, p. 150; March, 2004, Andrew Medlar, review of Olympics!, p. 68; July, 2005, Suzanne Myers Harold, review of Because of You, p. 74; February, 2006, Linda L. Walkins, review of Claire and the Unicorn, Happy Ever After, p. 103; March, 2006, Kirsten Cutler, review of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, p. 208; July, 2006, Grace Oliff and Ann Blanche, review of Mr. Ouchy's First Day, p. 79.