O'Keefe, Susan Heyboer

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O'Keefe, Susan Heyboer

Personal

Born in NJ; married; husband a mental-health counselor; children: one son. Education: Ramapo College, B.A. (with honors); City College of New York, M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Reading.

Addresses

Home—Edgewater, NJ. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Children's book author. Works for a publishing company.

Awards, Honors

Goodman Award; Bank Street College Best Book of the Year designation, c. 1999, for Good Night, God Bless.

Writings

PICTURE BOOKS

One Hungry Monster: A Counting Book in Rhyme, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Joy Street Books (Boston, MA), 1989.

A Season for Giving, illustrated by Pamela T. Keating, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1990.

A Bug from Aunt Tillie illustrated by Pamela T. Keating, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Who Will Miss Me If I Don't Go to Church?, illustrated by Pamela T. Keating, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1992.

Countdown to Christmas: Advent Thoughts, Prayers, and Activities, illustrated by Christopher Fey, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Tara Egan Malanga) Sleepy Angel's First Bedtime Story, illustrated by Dennis Rockhill, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Angel Prayers: Prayers for All Children, illustrated by Sofia Suzán, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1999.

Good Night, God Bless, illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, Holt (New York, NY), 1999.

It's Great to Be Catholic!, illustrated by Patrick Kelley, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Love Me, Love You, illustrated by Robin Spowart, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

What Does a Priest Do?: What Does a Nun Do?, illustrated by H.M. Alan, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Christmas Gifts, illustrated by Jennifer Emery, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2004.

Baby Day, illustrated by Robin Spowart, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Hungry Monster ABC, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

(Editor) J. Stroman and K. Wilson, Administrative Assistant's and Secretary's Handbook, AMACOM (New York, NY), 1995.

(Editor) Master the ACT, Macmillan USA (New York, NY), 1999.

My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie (young-adult novel), Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 2001.

Death by Eggplant (children's novel), Roaring Brook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2004.

Be the Star That You Are!: A Book for Kids Who Feel Different ("Elf-Help Books for Kids" series), illustrated by R.W. Alley, One Caring Place (St. Meinrad, IN), 2005.

Sidelights

Susan Heyboer O'Keefe sold her first children's book, One Hungry Monster: A Counting Book in Rhyme, in the late 1980s, beginning a successful writing career that has expanded from picture-book texts into teen novels such as My Life and Death, by Alexandra Ca-

narsie, as well as children's nonfiction titles such as Be the Star That You Are!: A Book for Kids Who Feel Different, part of the "Elf-Help" series. As a freelance writer, O'Keefe has also developed an ongoing association with Paulist Press, which produces books targeting a Roman Catholic readership.

Featuring illustrations by Lynn Munsigner, One Hungry Monster finds the titular creature hiding under a bed. As the counting progresses, two monsters chew on sneakers, and so on up to ten. In the process, a young boy tries to control the monsters' antics, but to no avail. Popular with readers, One Hungry Monster has also inspired its author and coauthor to collaborate on a sequel of sorts: Hungry Monster ABC. Another picture book by O'Keefe, Good Night, God Bless, relates a gentle story about a young boy, his family, his town, and the nearby animals as each creature prepares for bed. Writing in Booklist, Gilbert Taylor called the work a "simple yet pleasing" tale.

O'Keefe's Love Me, Love You follows a rabbit mom and her bunny as they spend the day together doing fun things, such as dressing up, playing games, and hugging each other. Similar in theme, and also featuring pastel-hued illustrations by Robin Spowart, Baby Day also focuses on family routines, this time watching a young cub awake to spend a cheerful day in a loving home. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, in Love Me, Love You "the utter inseparability and synchronicity of the bunny pair shine through on every page," while in School Library Journal Lisa Dennis commented that "O'Keefe's brief text bounces along in a convincingly childlike way, and the rhyming refrain will encourage even the youngest listeners to chime in." Calling Baby Day "a good read-aloud choice for toddlers," Carolyn Phelan added in Booklist that O'Keefe's picture book focuses reassuringly on "simple, familiar activities," and a Kirkus Reviews contributor cited the work as "a genuine book for babies" that will not suffer from repeated readings.

"I never actually set out to be a picture book writer and always thought of myself as a novelist," O'Keefe wrote on her home page. "It just took the rest of the world a while to agree with me." The author's first novel, My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, follows fourteen-year-old Allie, whose father's abandonment has left the girl moving from town to town with her mother. By the time she reaches the end of middle school, Allie and her mom are living in a beat-up house trailer, a situation the teen hates. During the summer before she starts high school, Allie finds a way to connect with other families by attending the funerals of strangers, and when she attends the funeral of a boy named Jimmy, she becomes convinced that he was murdered. As she delves into Jimmy's death, Allie learns the truth, not only about the dead boy but about

herself as well. Dubbing the novel "part mystery and part coming-of-age story," a Publishers Weekly contributor found portions of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie somewhat "contrived." While noting that O'Keefe's "plot … might stretch credulity," Kliatt critic Paula Rohrlick nonetheless added that an encounter with the novel's protagonist is well worth it: "Alexandra, a fierce, bright, smart-mouthed girl who skips classes blithely and goes after the truth regardless of the consequences, is worth meeting," Rohrlick maintained. Calling My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie "a good effort," James Blasingame added in his review for the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy that, "although most of Allie's own problems appear to be approaching resolution as the novel ends, the conclusion is not saccharine or improbable," and Janet Hilbun concluded in School Library Journal that the young-adult novel ranks as "a strong first offering."

Geared toward middle-grade readers, Death by Eggplant tells the story of Bertie Hooks, an eighth grader who wants to be a master chef but keeps his dreams a secret, especially from his nemesis, class bully Nick Dekker. Everything in Bertie's life seems to be an obstacle toward reaching his goal, including Nick, Bertie's slightly wacky mom, and an actuary dad whose dream is that Bertie follow in his footsteps. When Bertie's grades prove less than stellar, the boy ends up taking on a project for extra credit that involves carrying around a flour sack for a week and caring for it as though it is an infant. A Publishers Weekly contributor called Death by Eggplant "appealingly outlandish" and noted that, with its "soupçon of silliness and hefty helpings of genuine humor," O'Keefe's story "will whet the appetites of young readers." A writer for Kirkus Reviews described the novel as "enjoyable zaniness, well-punctuated with Bertie's appetizing meal plans."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 1999, Gilbert Taylor, review of Good Night, God Bless, p. 374; March 1, 2001, Shelley Townsend-Hudson, review of One Hungry Monster: A Counting Book in Rhyme, p. 1288; April 15, 2001, Lauren Peterson, review of Love Me, Love You, p. 1566; March 1, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of Baby Day, p. 100.

Book Report, September-October, 2002, Dian Boysen, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. 56.

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, November, 2002, James Blasingame, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. 270.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004, review of Death by Eggplant, p. 872; March 1, 2006, review of Baby Day, p. 237.

Kliatt, May, 2002, Paula Rohrlick, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. 13.

Publishers Weekly, February 5, 2001, review of Love Me, Love You, p. 87; April 23, 2001, review of One Hungry Monster, p. 80; May 13, 2002, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. 71; September 20, 2004, review of Death by Eggplant, p. 62.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 2002, Sue Bradford, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. F11.

School Library Journal, April, 2001, Lisa Dennis, review of Love Me, Love You, p. 119; September, 2002, Janet Hilbun, review of My Life and Death, by Alexandra Canarsie, p. 231; February, 2005, Joyce Adams Burner, review of Death by Eggplant, p. 58; March, 2006, Gary Lynn Van Vleck, review of Baby Day, p. 200.