Pallotta, Jerry 1953–

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Pallotta, Jerry 1953–

(Gerard Larry Pallotta)

Personal

Born Gerard Larry Pallotta, March 26, 1953, in Boston, MA; son of Joe and Mary Pallotta; married, wife's name Linda; children: Sheila, Neil, Eric, Jill. Education: Graduated from Georgetown University.

Addresses

Home and office—P.O. Box 920760, Needham, MA 02492. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author, 1985—, and public speaker. Worked as an insurance agent, until 1991.

Writings

The Ocean Alphabet Book, illustrated by Frank Mazzola, Jr., Peggotty Beach Books 1986, republished, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1989.

The Icky Bug Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Quinlan Press (Boston, MA), 1986.

The Bird Alphabet Book, illustrated by Edgar Stewart, Quinlan Press (Boston, MA), 1987.

The Flower Alphabet Book, illustrated by Leslie Evans, Quinlan Press (Boston, MA), 1988.

The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1989.

The Frog Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1990.

Going Lobstering, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1990.

The Dinosaur Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1991.

The Furry Animal Alphabet Book, illustrated by Edgar Stewart, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1991.

The Underwater Alphabet Book, illustrated by Edgar Stewart, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1991.

The Icky Bug Counting Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1992.

(With Bob Thomson) The Victory Garden Alphabet Book, illustrated by Edgar Stewart, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1992.

The Extinct Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1993.

The Desert Alphabet Book, illustrated by Mark Astrella, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1994.

The Spice Alphabet Book: Herbs, Spices, and Other Natural Flavors, illustrated by Leslie Evans, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1994.

(With Brian Cassie) The Butterfly Alphabet Book, illustrated by Mark Astrella, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1995.

The Freshwater Alphabet Book, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1996.

The Icky Bug Alphabet Pop-up Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1996.

(With Pam Muñoz Ryan) The Crayon Counting Book, illustrated by Frank Mazzola, Jr., Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1996.

(With Fred Stillwell) The Airplane Alphabet Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1997.

(With Pam Muñoz Ryan) The Crayon Counting Board Book, illustrated by Frank Mazzola, Jr., Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1997.

The Boat Alphabet Book, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1998.

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Jet Alphabet Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 1999.

Dory Story, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Talewinds (Watertown, MA), 2000.

The Icky Bug Alphabet Board Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2000.

Reese's Pieces Count by Fives, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

The Hershey's Kisses Addition Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Twizzlers Percentages Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Underwater Counting: Even Numbers, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2001.

Apple Fractions, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Hershey's Kisses Subtraction Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Icky Bug Colors, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Multiplication Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Weights and Measures, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Skull Alphabet Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2002.

Twizzlers Shapes and Patterns, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Count to a Million: 1,000,000, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Hershey's Kisses Multiplication and Division, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

How to Draw Icky Bugs, illustrated by Bonnie Gee, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Icky Bug Numbers 12345, illustrated by David Biedrzycki and Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

The Ocean Alphabet Board Book, illustrated by Frank Mazzola, Jr., Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2003.

(With Sammie Garnett) U.S. Navy Alphabet Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2004.

The Beetle Alphabet Book, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2004.

The Icky Bug Counting Board Book, illustrated by Ralph Masiello, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2004.

Read a Zillion Books, Richard C. Owen Publishers (Katonah, NY), 2004.

Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, illustrated by Shennen Bersani, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2005.

Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight?, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

The Yummy Alphabet Book: Herbs, Spices, and Other Natural Flavors, illustrated by Leslie Evans, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2005.

The Addition Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

The Construction Alphabet Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2006.

Who Will Help Santa This Year?, illustrated by David Biedrzycki, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

Going Lobstering, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Charlesbridge Publishing (Watertown, MA), 2007.

The Subtraction Book, illustrated by Rob Bolster, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2007.

Adaptations

Sidelights

Prolific children's author Jerry Pallotta, known in literary circles as the "Alphabet Man," has published such highly regarded works as The Icky Bug Alphabet Book, The Skull Alphabet Book, and The Airplane Alphabet Book. In addition, Pallotta explores basic math concepts

in such works as The Hershey's Kisses Addition Book and Twizzlers Shapes and Patterns. A contributor to Publishers Weekly praised the "fastidiously researched information" in Pallotta's works, adding that his "meatier books appeal to a broader range of readers, including elementary-school students who use his texts as research tools for school projects." "My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books," the author noted on his home page.

A former insurance salesman, Pallotta began his writing career in 1985 after becoming frustrated by the lack of interesting, informative alphabet books available for his children. "All the books were the same, A for apple and Z for zebra, but without any other text," Pallotta told Boston Herald interviewer Thomas Grillo. "So I thought I'd write my own." For the work, Pallotta drew on his own memories of growing up in Scituate, Massachusetts. "As a teenager I kept lobster traps, harvested seaweed and rode on fishing draggers," he remarked to an interviewer in Publishers Weekly. "I thought it would be a great idea to write a book that introduced my own kids to all the little creatures I knew as a child at the beach."

Using his cousin, Frank Mazzola, as the book's illustrator, Pallotta self-published 10,000 copies of The Ocean Alphabet Book in 1986. "I was scared," he admitted to Grillo. "Scared that I'd sell one book to my mother and have 9,999 copies in my cellar, and my wife would give me a lifetime of grief." Instead, he convinced Boston's New England Aquarium to carry the work, and it quickly became a bestseller. Realizing he needed help with distribution, Pallotta signed with Charlesbridge Publishing, which has since published more than two dozen of his titles. "I'd rather be with a smaller publisher and let my books be a major focus of the company," he remarked in Publishers Weekly.

Pallotta's early works focused on the natural world, as in The Extinct Alphabet Book, which features the Hallucigenia, a spiny, wormlike creature, and the Xerces Blue, a butterfly that once lived in San Francisco. According to a reviewer in Publishers Weekly, "the alphabet device serves to marshal the roster of extinct species without rebuffing adventurous preschoolers." In The Skull Alphabet Book, Pallotta presents the skulls of twenty-six mammals, including a baboon, an elephant, and a ram, and invites young readers to guess the ani- mals' identities. "Touches of offbeat humor are found throughout," observed a Kirkus Reviews critic, "showing that for those who use their heads, science can be both educational and fun." Aerial lifts, jackhammers, and zippers are the focus of The Construction Alphabet Book, a departure from the author's usual subjects. "Pallotta provides more information than most picture books about the topic for this age group," Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan wrote.

Pallotta is also the author of several popular counting books. In Underwater Counting: Even Numbers, the author introduces a variety of exotic creatures, such as manta rays and leopard sharks. According to Booklist reviewer Lauren Peterson, young readers will "enjoy searching the illustrations for the featured number, which is cleverly hidden in each scene." In a companion volume, Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, Pallotta examines green crabs to limpets and sand dollars. Patricia Manning, writing in School Library Journal, called the work "a colorful, engaging, and intriguing slant" on counting techniques.

Pallotta frequently lectures at conferences and workshops and speaks to students at more than 150 schools a year. "I love writing books and I love visiting schools all over the United States," he remarked on his home page. "I think I have the best job in the world!"

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of The Airplane Alphabet Book, p. 943; February 1, 2000, Tim Arnold, review of Dory Story, p. 1019; March 1, 2001, Lauren Peterson, review of Underwater Counting: Even Numbers, p. 1284; September 1, 2002, Susan Dove Lempke, review of The Skull Alphabet Book, p. 118; February 1, 2005, Karin Snelson, review of Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, p. 963; July 1, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Construction Alphabet Book, p. 62.

Boston Herald, August 9, 1998, Thomas Grillo, "ABCs of Writing Spell Success," p. 3.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2002, review of The Skull Alphabet Book, p. 1040; February 1, 2005, review of Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, p. 180.

Publishers Weekly, August 2, 1993, review of The Extinct Alphabet Book, p. 78; August 26, 1996, review of The Crayon Counting Book, p. 96; March 3, 1997, "The ABCs of Success," p. 26.

School Library Journal, January, 1994, Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, review of The Extinct Alphabet Book, p. 96; March, 2000, Sue Sherif, review of Dory Story, p. 210; April, 2001, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Underwater Counting: Even Numbers, p. 133; July, 2002, Steven Engelfried, review of The Skull Alphabet Book, p. 110; May, 2004, Corrina Austin, review of The Beetle Alphabet Book, p. 134; March, 2005, Patricia Manning, review of Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, p. 200; August, 2006, Lynn K. Vanca, review of The Construction Alphabet Book, p. 108; October, 2006, Linda Israelson, review of Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight?, p. 99.