PORTE, Barbara Ann 1943-

PERSONAL: Born May 18, 1943, in New York, NY; daughter of a pharmacist and a lawyer. Education: Attended Iowa State University; Michigan State University, B.S., 1965; Palmer Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University, M.S., 1969.

ADDRESSES: Home—P.O. Box 16627, Arlington, VA 22215.

CAREER: Writer. Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY, chief, Children's Services Division, 1974-86.

MEMBER: National Women's Book Association; Author's Guild; Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C.

AWARDS, HONORS: Notable Book designation, American Library Association (ALA), for Harry's Visit, Harry's Dog, and Harry in Trouble; "Pick of the List," American Booksellers Association, 1985, for The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, 1995, for Chickens! Chickens!, and 1997, for Tale of a Tadpole and Harry's Pony; Children's Books of the Year, Child Study Association of America, 1986, for Harry's Mom, and 1992, for Harry Gets an Uncle; Best Books, Parents' Magazine and Learning, for Ruthann and Her Pig;Best Books for Young Adults, ALA, for Something Terrible Happened; Parents' Choice Picture Book Honor, Parents' Choice Foundation, 1995, for Chickens! Chickens!; Best Science Books for Children citation, Scientific American, 1997, and NTSA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1998, both for Tale of a Tadpole; Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice award, 2000, for Hearsay: Strange Tales from the Middle Kingdom; NEST literary classic selection, for Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants; Parents Guide to Children's Media award and Capitol Choices Selection, both 2000, for If You Ever Get Lost: The Adventures of Julia and Evan; Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library, 2003, for Beauty and the Serpent: Thirteen Tales of Unnatural Animals.

WRITINGS:

Harry's Visit, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1983.

Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1983.

Harry's Dog, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1984.

Harry's Mom, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1985.

The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1985.

I Only Made Up the Roses, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1987.

Harry in Trouble, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1989, reprinted as an "I Can Read Book," HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

The Take-along Dog, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1989.

Ruthann and Her Pig, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Harry Gets an Uncle, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1991, reprinted as an "I Can Read Book," HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

Taxicab Tales, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1992.

A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1993.

Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, illustrated by Donna Ruff, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1993.

When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Something Terrible Happened (for young adults), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

When Aunt Lucy Rode a Mule and Other Stories, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Harry's Birthday, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1994, reprinted as an "I Can Read Book," HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Chickens! Chickens!, illustrated by Greg Henry, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), illustrated by Bill Traylor, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1996.

Surprise! Surprise! It's Grandfather's Birthday (picture book), illustrated by Bo Jia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1997.

Harry's Pony, illustrated by Yossi Abolafia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1997, reprinted as an "I Can Read Book," HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Tale of a Tadpole (picture book), illustrated by Annie Cannon, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Hearsay: Strange Tales from the Middle Kingdom, illustrated by Rosemary Feit Covey, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 1998.

He's Sorry, She's Sorry, They're Sorry Too: Stories (for adults), Hanging Loose Press (Brooklyn, NY), 1998.

If You Ever Get Lost: The Adventures of Julia and Evan, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants, illustrated by Annie Cannon, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Beauty and the Serpent: Thirteen Tales of Unnatural Animals, illustrated by Rosemary Feit Covey, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Contributor to anthologies, including Funny You Should Ask, edited by David Gale, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1992; Don't Give Up the Ghost, edited by Gale, Delacorte, 1993; Birthday Surprises, edited by Johanna Hurwitz, Morrow Junior Books (New York, NY), 1995; and New Handbook for Storytellers, edited by Caroline Feller Bauer, ALA, 1993.

Contributor of stories, poems, essays, and reviews to newspapers and literary magazines, including Advocate, Book Links, Confrontation, Earth's Daughters,Green's Magazine, Hanging Loose, Karamu, Newsday, New York Times, Phoebe, 13th Moon, San Jose Studies, School Library Journal, and Washington Post Book World.

ADAPTATIONS: Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories is available as a talking book from the Library of Congress. Harry's Dog is available as a cassette tape, from Random House. Harry's Pony was adapted as a play by Metropolitan Teaching and Learning. Seduction, a short story, is scheduled to be made into a film.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A young adult novel, Roxana.

SIDELIGHTS: Best known for her popular "Harry" books for beginning readers, Barbara Ann Porte has also written a wide variety of books for the middle grader, including a collection of macabre stories and several funny family tales, as well as thought-provoking novels for young adults dealing with biracial families and painful subjects like AIDS, divorce, and death. Critics have praised her for her skillful storytelling, lively dialogue, convincing characterization, and humor.

Born in New York City, the daughter of a lawyer mother and a storytelling pharmacist father, Porte and her two sisters grew up telling stories to one another. Every night their mother read aloud to them, even after they could read on their own. Their father told them: "Read something every day and write something every day, no matter what else you do with your lives."

Despite her love of books, however, Porte majored in the more practical subject of agriculture in college, in both Iowa and Michigan. After she married and had children, however, she returned to school to become a librarian. Porte began her writing career with three stories for the "Read-alone Books" series about the small boy narrator, Harry, who lives with his single-parent dentist dad. Harry's Visit describes his reluctance when invited to spend a day with old friends of his father and their children. That is, until one of the children invites him to shoot a few baskets. "Shoot some baskets? He must be joking. I am just a little taller than one of Snow White's dwarfs," is Harry's first reaction. As Zena Sutherland of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books observed, "The treatment is light but the emotions are deep and universal."

In Harry's Dog, Harry makes up some wild tales when his allergic father discovers a dog in the house. However, a home is found for the dog, and Harry finds his father a suitable pet: a goldfish. "As logical and winsome as ever," commented Karen Jameyson of Horn Book Magazine. Although the theme of Harry's Mom is serious, beginning with the opening "I, Harry, am an orphan," Zena Sutherland of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books stated, "The author has proved herself adept at investing simply presented situations with emotional substance—here, both humor and sadness." The wise father helps Harry recognize all the loving people in his life, including an aunt and four grandparents, and from them Harry learns about his daredevil, sports-reporter mother. A "quietly satisfying story," commented Denise M. Wilms of Booklist. Interspersed with books about other families and books for older readers, several other stories, including Harry in Trouble, Harry Gets an Uncle, Harry's Birthday, and Harry's Pony, continue the series with the slightly over-anxious lad inevitably discovering his worries were in vain and that lost library cards, wedding responsibilities, and birthday surprises can have happy conclusions.

In another series of books aimed for the preschooler or beginning independent reader, The Take-along Dog introduces Sam Rabinowitz, his sister Abigail, and their parents, a taxi driver father and artist mother. Because of their mother's fear of dogs, the children must take their little dog, Benton, with them wherever they go, even to places where dogs are not permitted, until the day Benton protects Mother from a larger dog and wins her appreciation and friendship. School Library Journal contributor Pamela Miller noted that The Take-along Dog, which among other summer activities depicts Sam taking ballet lessons, "subtly emphasizes important human values [such as] acknowledgment of a parent's fear . . . and the negation of gender stereotypes." In the second of the series, Taxicab Tales, Father entertains his family with tales of his day and the unusual passengers he has met. "Porte is an expert at creating unity from bits and pieces, half-truths, absolutes, and maybes—the stuff that real life and great stories are made of," said Heide Piehler in a School Library Journal review. A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, the third chapter book of the series, is narrated by Abigail and uses Mother's artwork as a springboard. A Kirkus Reviews commentator maintained that Porte "keeps the book moving with unexpected plot-twists, comical detail, impeccable timing, and a rare ear for natural, funny dialogue." Quraysh Ali of Booklist found that in A Turkey Drive Porte "ties together little pieces of sense, nonsense, and stream-of-consciousness to arrive at the wittiest conclusions." A Publishers Weekly reviewer described the book as a collection of "quirky, loosely connected tales," adding: "Porte's energetic imagery and plotting keep the pages turning."

Diverging from her normal population of urban children, Porte turns to a Chinese-American boy in Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee. Determined to catch a cricket he hears chirping, Alan learns that crickets sing by rubbing their wings, that his great-uncle Clem used to make cricket cages as a boy in China, and that Chinese legend has it that crickets bring good luck. Once caught, however, the cricket no longer sings, so Alan lets it go and is rewarded by its song. A Kirkus Reviews critic contended that the narrative is rather long, but added that it is "propelled by plenty of lively realistic dialogue [and] artfully reveals a lot" about the family interrelationships. Jody McCoy in School Library Journal likewise felt that the text is a bit long for reading at one sitting, but praised the "deliciously poetic passages [that] beg to be read aloud."

Middle graders are the audience for Porte's Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, a collection of twelve eerie short stories that Publishers Weekly advised "be read in daylight, with people around." Booklist reviewer Denise M. Wilms described them as "sometimes elegant stories [that] have a haunting quality to them." Zena Sutherland of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books noted that the writing style "often [captures] the cadence of the oral tradition." This same oral tradition is particularly evident in tales featuring two sisters, Stella and Zelda, who prevail upon their grandmother to tell them a story in When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, and hear her account of traveling to Florida by car with the girls' parents in the 1930s. The grandmother's "colorful words, brisk descriptions, and unerring choice of subjects" entertain the sisters (and readers) and add a "rich multigenerational flavor," according to a Kirkus Reviews commentator.

In a companion book, When Aunt Lucy Rode a Mule and Other Stories, the girls prod their aunt to recount her childhood memories, which include visiting her grandmother in the mountains and getting stung by bees. A Publishers Weekly reviewer stated that Porte "liberally sprinkles the text with the kind of rich natural phrasing associated with oral storytelling." School Library Journal contributor Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan pointed out that for today's children who equate vacation with "a trip to Disney World or to some other prepackaged funhouse," Porte offers "a sense of oldfashioned good times and down-home humor."

"A fresh and innovative present-tense narrative," as Betsy Hearne described it in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Porte's Ruthann and Her Pig tells of Ruthann and her pet pig, Henry Brown. Visitor Cousin Frank, however, also becomes attached to Henry. The ensuing correspondence between cousins, the discovery of a long-lost grandfather, and Henry's fate all add up to reading-aloud fun that Hearne pronounced "distinctively done." Hearne offered a similar estimation of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, noting that "with the same present-tense immediacy that distinguished her narrative in Ruthann and Her Pig," Porte relates the story of two fifth-grade girls, friends since kindergarten, who share a difficult time. Bertha's father has vanished in the Bermuda Triangle, and Fanny's parents are secretly divorced. Sally T. Margolis stated in School Library Journal that "Porte approaches the problem novel from left field with zesty humor, unique characters, and unlikely plot developments." Harried Bertha has to look after her eight-year-old younger brothers (triplets) while her mother works two jobs, and overweight Fanny eats excessively while brooding about her folks. "It's the characterizations of this odd lot that make the story a standout," commented Ilene Cooper in Booklist. "Fresh and funny, yet it packs a punch."

For older readers, The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth features fifteen-year-old Ashley Rush who, for a school project on family history, collects stories from assorted relatives. School Library Journal contributor Heide Piehler noted that "Porte establishes herself as a masterful storyteller, [who can create] memorable characters and a seemingly endless supply of engaging tales." A mixture of invention and authenticated folk and fairy tales, the combination makes for "fast moving and captivating reading," according to Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Margaret J. Porter.

Another of Porte's well-received books for teens, I Only Made Up the Roses, focuses on a seventeen-year-old narrator, Cydra, who lives with her white mother, black stepfather, and younger half-brother Perley. "A wonderful, intelligent book," Myrna Feldman wrote in Voice of Youth Advocates, with all the feelings and experiences of a biracial family "explored and handled by contemporary, educated, liberal individuals." Beginning with southern step-grandfather's funeral and concluding with Thanksgiving, the string of short stories revolve around incidents in a family spanning three continents. "Thematic reflections on racial prejudice, family adjustment, and life cycles are delivered by a personable protagonist," wrote Betsy Hearne in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Selected as one of ALA's Best Books for Young Adults, and a departure from Porte's usual lighthearted fare, Something Terrible Happened tells the story of Gillian, whose father died of addictions brought home from Vietnam, and whose mother is stricken with AIDS. Although raised in New York, Gillian identifies with her mother and grandmother, "Island" women of Caribbean heritage. As her mother's condition worsens, Gillian is sent to Tennessee to stay with her white uncle and his family. Her mother's death forces Gillian to grow up, gaining strength from the wealth of folktales she had been brought up on, and learning acceptance and self-reliance. Horn Book reviewer Ellen Fader praised this "compelling" story and predicted readers will be captivated by "this gritty, engaging, fast-moving tale of one young girl's fight for emotional survival." A Kirkus Reviews critic commented that the author "enlivens a refreshingly cliche-free narrative with the folktales this multiracial family of strong women tell each other." Deborah Stevenson of Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books concluded, "The final effect is dreamy and somewhat adult, but there's a verisimilitude in the wandering and an intimacy in the portrayals that keep the book an absorbing read." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly observed, "Once in concert with its unique rhythm, the reader will burrow into this story and relish its nuggets of insight."

Porte first met illustrator Greg Henry at a faculty art exhibition at Hampton University, her husband's alma mater. When she discovered that the young painter had grown up on a chicken farm in Guyana, she was ecstatic. "I majored in agriculture in college and received a two-year foundation grant, partially based on my own interest in chickens," she explained. The serendipitous result was the book Chickens! Chickens!, of which Betsy Hearne of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books commented: "This buoyant story will snag listeners with its infectious silliness." Hearne identified the theme as "follow your dream" and summarized the book as "a lot of fun."

In another book inspired by pictures, Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), ten stories describe what a survivor of slavery and farmer, almost ninety years old, drew and painted. Deborah Stevenson quoted Porte in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books as saying, "When I look at many of Bill Traylor's pictures, I think of them as stories that he told himself. Seeing them, I tell myself different stories." The stories range from hilarity to heroism, pieces about pigs and dogs, run-away goat carts and circus performers. School Library Journal contributor Pam Gosner explained how Porte chose ten out of over twelve hundred paintings the African-American artist had made and how she created imaginative tales about each. "Porte's writings, which are light and folksy in tone, explore a world of possibilities," she declared. Susan Dove Lempke in Booklist observed that "while the stories tend to wander and be somewhat insubstantial, they have a certain charm," and Lempke suggested that creative writing and art teachers might find this book useful in encouraging their own students to try out the method.

Porte followed an award-winning science book, Tale of a Tadpole, with Hearsay: Strange Tales from the Middle Kingdom. The latter work is a compendium of original stories and folktales from China. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found the retellings were not "culturally authentic," but added that Porte made up for that drawback with her "contagious passion for the exotic." Nancy Vasilakis of Horn Book greeted the work warmly, saying that the author helps "to create a fascination and surprisingly intimate picture of Chinese life over countless generations." A single Chinese tale is the basis for Porte's 2000 book, Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants. Set in the past, the story tells of how the young heroine, Ma Jiang, copes when her father goes off to war and leaves in her hands the family business—raising and selling "orange ants" whose hunting skills provide pest control in gardens. Porte adds a note at the end of the story detailing the use of ants in agriculture; Linda Ludke of School Library Journal deemed Ma Jiang "a captivating tale with a charming heroine who will speak to today's children."

If You Ever Get Lost: The Adventures of Julia and Evan is a collection of "nine sweet stories," as Linda Plevak put it in School Library Journal, centering on young siblings whose curious personalities carry them all over town. Definitely less sweet is Porte's 2001 release, Beauty and the Serpent: Thirteen Tales of Unnatural Animals. The characters in this teen-reader volume include, as Starr LaTronica noted in a School Library Journal review, "puppies from hell, escalatordwelling cats, murderous crows, and a coma-inducing snake tattoo with a life of its own." A Kirkus Reviews contributor thought that Porte "is in top form" with this book.

"What seems of most interest to people these days is that I continue to write with pencil on paper, and to finish up on a manual typewriter," Porte told CA in 2002. "My reason: Crossing out by hand doesn't interrupt my train of thoughts; calling up a new screen effectively ends my work for the day. I fear future demands from publishers for 'electronic type.' I breathe easier anytime I hear of improvements in scanning equipment.

"The artist Constantin Brancusi put it so well when he said, 'It is not making things that is difficult, but putting ourselves in the condition to make them.' I keep on trying. I read, I walk, I spend more and more time studying the visual arts.

"Over a decade ago, having seen an exhibition of appliqué work by the Japanese artist Ayako Miyawaki, I wrote an essay titled, 'After Appliqué Contemplating the Art of Writing.' All these years later it still serves as a touchstone for me, containing, as it does, everything I know on the topic. Like Ms. Miyawaki, I, too, use what's around. I select carefully, aware that often what's most important is knowing what to leave out. I arrange and rearrange my pieces, at last 'stitch' them together as seamlessly as I can.

"I'm unable to write—anything—a book, or a story, or a poem, or an essay, until I can see its pattern, how it will look on the page. By this I do not mean an outline. For me, an outline is a structure imposed from without. A pattern is an organic form, internally inevitable; an organizing principle that is different for everything I write, and needs to be discovered every time I start, sometimes rediscovered. I think this concept of pattern is implicit in all of the arts, underlies what makes any work beautiful—beautiful in the truest meaning of the word, a medium for that which is essential, that which is always suggesting something beyond itself. In any event, it's what I'm forever after—seeking to create something beautiful that will last."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Best Sellers, August, 1985, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 197.

Book Links, March, 1997, p. 21.

Booklist, August, 1983, review of Harry's Visit, p. 1470; October 15, 1983, Denise Wilms, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 366; May 15, 1984, October 15, 1985, Denise Wilms, review of Harry's Mom, p. 343; May 1, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 1362; March 1, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 1199; June 15, 1989, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 1826; October 1, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 354; February 15, 1991, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 1217; March 1, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 1388; August, 1991, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 2159; April 1, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 1451; April 1, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 1441; April 15, 1993, Quraysh Ali, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 1516; September 1, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 70; April 1, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 1466; September 15, 1994, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 125; February 1, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 1011; April 1, 1995, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 1403; May 15, 1996, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 1584; August, 1997, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 1907, review of Harry's Pony, p. 1910; October 15, 2000, John Peters, review of Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants, p. 446.

Book Report, March, 1984, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 35; January, 1995, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 35; March, 1995, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 40.

Bookwatch, June, 1998, review of He's Sorry, She's Sorry, They're Sorry Too: Stories, p. 9.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 1983, Zena Sutherland, review of Harry's Visit, p. 217; March, 1984, Zena Sutherland, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 134; July-August, 1984, review of Harry's Dog, p. 211; December, 1985, Zena Sutherland, review of Harry's Mom, pp. 75-76; June, 1987, Betsy Hearne, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 194; February, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 155; January, 1990, Betsy Hearne, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 119; April, 1991, Betsy Hearne, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 202; June, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 274; July, 1993, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 356; May, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 298; December, 1994, Deborah Stevenson, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 143; April, 1995, Betsy Hearne, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 284; June, 1996, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 350; October, 1997, review of Harry's Pony, p. 65; May, 1998, review of Hearsay: Strange Tales from the Middle Kingdom, p. 335.

Childhood Education, November, 1983, review of Harry's Visit, p. 138; November, 1985, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 138; number 5, 1990, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 336; spring, 1992, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 176; summer, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 245.

Children's Book Review Service, September, 1983, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 10; April, 1985, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 100; August, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 158; spring, 1989, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 133; October, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 20; June, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 128; spring, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 137; September, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 7; February, 1995, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 83; May, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 111; April, 1996, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 103; July, 1997, review of Surprise! Surprise! It's Grandfather's Birthday, p. 150; July, 1998, review of Hearsay, p. 156.

Children's Bookwatch, October, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 4.

Emergency Librarian, November, 1986, review of Harry's Dog, p. 47; September, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 49; January, 1990, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 50.

English Journal, January, 1996, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 89.

Horn Book, June, 1983, review of Harry's Visit, p. 299; August, 1984, Karyn Jameyson, review of Harry's Dog, pp. 463-464; May-June, 1985, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 313; November, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 745; May, 1989, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 362; review of Harry in Trouble, p. 391; July, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 70; January, 1990, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 65; July, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 460; January-February, 1992, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, pp. 66-67; May, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 338; May-June, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 330, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 348; September, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 584; November-December, 1994, Ellen Fader, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 737; March-April, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 187; September, 1997, review of Harry's Pony, p. 577; July-August, 1998, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Hearsay, p. 496.

Horn Book Guide, fall, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 264; spring, 1992, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 60; fall, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 258; fall, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories and A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 290; spring, 1994, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 69; fall, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 303; spring, 1995, review of When Aunt Lucy Rode a Mule and Other Stories, p. 69, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 90; fall, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 279; fall, 1996, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 296; fall, 1997, review of Surprise! Surprise! It's Grandfather's Birthday, p. 277; spring, 1998, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 43, review of Harry's Pony, p. 57; fall, 1998, review of Hearsay, p. 336; spring, 2001, review of Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants, p. 48.

Hungry Mind Review, summer, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 47.

Instructor, August, 1998, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 17.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 1983, review of Harry's Visit, p. 120; September 1, 1983, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. J164; May 1, 1984, review of Harry's Dog, p. J35; March 1, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 379; January 1, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 53; April 1, 1989, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 552; August 1, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 1165; February 1, 1993; April 1, 1993, p. 463; March 1, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 320; July 1, 1991, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 866; February 15 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 259; April 1, 1993, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 463; July 15, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 939; May 15, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 704; October 15, 1994, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 1414; March 15, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 392; February 15, 1996, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 299; June 15, 1997, review of Harry's Pony, p. 956, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 1115; May 1, 1998, Hearsay, 664; September 15, 2001, review of Beauty and the Serpent: Thirteen Tales of Unnatural Animals, p. 1365.

Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, January, 1997, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 10.

Language Arts, October, 1989, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 678.

Learning, January, 1990, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 33; January, 1998, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 43.

Library Talk, January, 1992, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 47; November, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 61; September, 1994, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 13; November, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 39; March, 1995, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 36.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, January 19, 1986, review of Harry's Mom, p. 10.

New York Times Book Review, May 21, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 22.

Parents, December, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 227.

Publishers Weekly, September 16, 1983, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 126; April 24, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 72; February 10, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 71; July 28, 1989, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 222; March 22, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 80; February 17, 1992, review of Taxicab Tales, p. 63; March 8, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 77; April 19, 1993, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 62; September 6, 1993, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 97; August 1, 1994, p. 79; October 10, 1994, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 70; January 2, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 76; September 1, 1997, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 103; May 18, 1998, review of Hearsay, p. 80; June 22, 1998, review of He's Sorry, She's Sorry, They're Sorry Too: Stories.

Reading Teacher, October, 1984, review of Harry's Visit, p. 69; May, 1990, review of Harry in Trouble and The Take-along Dog, p. 672; February, 1994, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 564; April, 1994, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 564;

School Library Journal, May, 1983, review of Harry's Visit, p. 88; November, 1983, review of Jesse's Ghost and Other Stories, p. 82; August, 1984, review of Harry's Dog, p. 64; April, 1985, Heide Piehler, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 91; December, 1985, review of Harry's Mom, p. 110; May, 1987, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 117; March, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 168; June, 1989, Pamela Miller, review of The Take-along Dog, p. 91; October, 1989, Sally Margolis, review of Ruthann and Her Pig, p. 121; February, 1991, review of Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys, p. 82; September, 1991, review of Harry Gets an Uncle, p. 239; April, 1992, Heidi Piehler, review of Taxicab Tales, pp. 98-99; April, 1993, review of When Grandma Almost Fell off the Mountain and Other Stories, p. 102; May, 1993, review of A Turkey Drive and Other Tales, p. 90; October, 1993, Jody McCoy, review of Leave That Cricket Be, Alan Lee, p. 108; May, 1994, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 103; November, 1994, Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, review of When Aunt Lucy Rode a Mule and Other Stories, p. 88; April, 1995, review of Chickens! Chickens!, p. 114; May, 1996, Pam Gosner, review of Black Elephant with a Brown Ear (in Alabama), p. 96; May, 1997, review of Surprise! Surprise! It's Grandfather's Birthday, p. 110; August, 1997, review of Harry's Pony, p. 138; September, 1997, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 190; June, 1998, review of Hearsay, p. 151; July, 2000, Linda Plevak, review of If You Ever Get Lost: The Adventures of Julia and Evan, p. 86; December, 2000, Linda Ludke, review of Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants, p. 123; November, 2001, Star LaTronica, review of Beauty and the Serpent, p. 183.

Science Books and Films, March, 1998, review of Tale of a Tadpole, p. 51.

Village Voice, May 9, 1989, review of Harry in Trouble, p. 42.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 1985, Margaret Porter, review of The Kidnapping of Aunt Elizabeth, p. 134; June, 1987, Myrna Feldman, review of I Only Made Up the Roses, p. 82; October, 1994, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 215; October, 1995, review of Something Terrible Happened, p. 210.

Washington Post Book World, May 13, 2001.

Wilson Library Bulletin, April, 1995, review of Harry's Birthday, p. 112; June, 1995, review of When Aunt Lucy Rode a Mule and Other Stories, p. 117.