Kenah, Katharine 1949-

Personal

Born April 15, 1949; married; children: one son, two daughters.

Addresses

Home—Granville, OH.

Career

Children's book author. Formerly worked in scientific research.

Awards, Honors

Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year designation, 2005, for The Best Seat in Second Grade.

Writings

PICTURE BOOKS

Eggs over Easy, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss, Dutton (New York, NY), 1993.

The Dream Shop, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

The Best Seat in Second Grade ("I Can Read" series), illustrated by Abby Carter, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

The Best Teacher in Second Grade ("I Can Read" series), illustrated by Abby Carter, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

The Best Chef in Second Grade ("I Can Read" series), illustrated by Abby Carter, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2007.

NONFICTION; "EXTREME READERS" SERIES

Wild Weather, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Animals Day and Night, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Undercover Creatures, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Tiny Terrors, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Space Mysteries, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

The Bizarre Body, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Predator Attack!, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Nature's Amazing Partners, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Destructive Earth, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2004.

Weird and Wacky Plants, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2005.

Fantastic Planet, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2005.

Creatures of the Deep, McGraw-Hill (Columbus, OH), 2005.

Big Beasts, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2006.

Amazing Creations, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2006.

Amazing Journeys, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2007.

"LITHGOW PALOOZA READERS" SERIES

Zippety Zoo, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2005.

A Den, a Tree, a Nest Is Best, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2006.

Slither, Slide, Hop, and Run, School Specialty Publishing (Columbus, OH), 2006.

Sidelights

Raised on an oceanographic observatory, Katharine Kenah has a strong interest in the physical sciences, Earth's plant and animal life, and the environment. Kenah worked for several years as a scientific research before turning to writing, and her first book, Eggs over Easy, was published in 1993. Although it would be several more years before Kenah returned to children's books with The Dream Shop, she has continued to write picture-book texts, and has also create science-related book series' for beginning readers. Her "Extreme Readers" series includes the titles Animals Day and Night, Weird and Wacky Plants, Amazing Creations, and Destructive Earth, and she has also contributed several titles to the "I Can Read" series and the lighthearted "Lithgow Palooza Readers" library.

The Dream Shop, which features illustrations by Peter Catalanotto, follows a girl named Pip as she takes a trip to a strange dream store after falling asleep. Amid shelves of dreams and nightmares of all sorts, a pajama-clad Pip meets her cousin Joseph, and Joseph helps her corral the dragon the two discover while exploring the surreal establishment. Noting Kenah's use of vivid, evocative language, School Library Journal contributor Gay Lynn Van Vleck wrote that the story "gloriously journeys" through the human "subconscious, and encourages consideration of our power over nighttime fears." A Publishers Weekly critic cited Kenah's "imagery-charged prose" and concluded that in The Dream Shop author and illustrator "give readers a window-shopping tour that's worth the trip."

Kenah's contribution to the "I Can Read" series include The Best Seat in Second Grade, The Best Teacher in Second Grade, and The Best Chef in Second Grade. Chock full of puns and other wordplay, each book focuses on one student in Mr. Hopper's second-grade classroom; in the first volume, for example, Sam decides to bring the class hamster, George Washington, on a class field trip to a science museum, with humorous results. The Best Teacher in Second Grade finds Luna inspiring her classmates to create a circus of stars on the school's Family Night, while The Best Chef in Sec-

ond Grade follows the visit of a popular chef to Mr. Hopper's class, and the pot-luck that is planned in the chef's honor. A Kirkus Reviews writer dubbed The Best Teacher in Second Grade "a school story that shines," and Hazel Rochman wrote in Booklist that Kenah's "lively chapter book" presents "a nice take on the outsider story." Gloria Koster also commended the author in School Library Journal, writing that "the character development and opportunity for inferential thinking" in Kenah's story make The Best Teacher in Second Grade "more substantial than many" readers for the early elementary grades.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2005, Kay Weisman, review of The Best Seat in Second Grade, p. 2039; June 1, 2006, Hazel Rochman, review of The Best Teacher in Second Grade, p. 84.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 1993, review of Eggs over Easy, p. 124; October, 2006, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Best Teacher in Second Grade, p. 78.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2001, review of The Dream Shop, p. 1685; June 15, 2005, review of The Best Seat in Second Grade, p. 684; June 15, 2006, review of The Best Teacher in Second Grade, p. 634.

Publishers Weekly, December 10, 2001, review of The Dream Shop, p. 70.

School Library Journal, March, 1994, Ruth Semrau, review of Eggs over Easy, p. 200; January, 2002, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of The Dream Shop, p. 104; October, 2005, review of The Best Seat in Second Grade, p. 40; July, 2006, Gloria Koster, review of The Best Teacher in Second Grade, p. 80; July, 2006, Gloria Koster, review of The Best Teacher in Second Grade, p. 80.