Rubel, Nicole 1953–

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Rubel, Nicole 1953–

Personal

Born April 29, 1953, in Miami, FL; daughter of Theodore (an importer) and Janice (an importer) Rubel; married Richard C. Langsen (a family therapist), May 25, 1987. Education: Tufts University and Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, B.S. (joint degree), 1975. Hobbies and other interests: "My Siamese cat, Corgi dog, two saddlebred horses, and my plum farm."

Addresses

Home and office—Aurora, OR. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Painter, illustrator, and writer. Designer of toys and greeting cards. Exhibitions: Works included in exhibitions at Boston Public Library, 1977; Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1979; Belmont Library, 1979; Brookline Public Library, 1979; American Illustrators Graphic Association Traveling Show, 1979; Master Eagle Gallery, New York, NY, 1981, 1984; Justin Schiller Gallery, New York, NY, 1981; Key Biscayne Library, 1990; Gresham City Hall, 1995; and Wilsonville Library, 2002.

Awards, Honors

Children's Books Showcase Award for Outstanding Graphic Design, 1977, for Rotten Ralph; American Book Association (ABA) award and American Institute of Graphic Arts award, both 1979; American Bookseller Association (ABA) Pick of the Lists, 1984, for Rotten Ralph, and 1992, for It Came from the Swamp and Grizzly Riddles; ABA Pick of the Lists, 2001, for A Cowboy Named Ernestine; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award, 2005, for Twice as Nice.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Bruno Brontosaurus, Avon (New York, NY), 1983, published as Pete Apatosaurus, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Me and My Kitty, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1983.

I Can Get Dressed, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1984.

Bernie the Bulldog, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1984.

Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs, Dial (New York, NY), 1985.

Uncle Henry and Aunt Henrietta's Honeymoon, Dial (New York, NY), 1986.

It Came from the Swamp, Dial (New York, NY), 1988.

Goldie, Harper (New York, NY), 1989.

Goldie's Nap, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1991.

The Ghost Family Meets Its Match, Dial (New York, NY), 1992.

Conga Crocodile, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1993.

Cyrano the Bear, Dial (New York, NY), 1995.

No School for Penelope Pig, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1997.

A Cowboy Named Ernestine, Dial (New York, NY), 2001.

No More Vegetables, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

Grody's Not-So-Golden Rules, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

It's Hot and Cold in Miami, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2006.

Ham and Pickles: First Day of School, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

"SAM AND VIOLET" SERIES; SELF-ILLUSTRATED; FOR CHILDREN

Sam and Violet Are Twins, Avon (New York, NY), 1981.

Sam and Violet Go Camping, Avon (New York, NY), 1981.

Sam and Violet's Christmas Story, Avon (New York, NY), 1981.

Sam and Violet's Birthday Book, Avon (New York, NY), 1982.

Sam and Violet's Get Well Story, Avon (New York, NY), 1985.

Sam and Violet's Bedtime Mystery, Avon (New York, NY), 1985.

ILLUSTRATOR; FOR CHILDREN

Jack Gantos, Sleepy Ronald, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1976.

Jack Gantos, Aunt Bernice, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1978.

Jack Gantos, Fairweather Friends, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1978.

Jack Gantos, Willy's Raiders, Parents Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1978.

Jack Gantos, The Perfect Pal, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1979.

Jack Gantos, Greedy Greeny, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1979.

Jack Gantos, The Werewolf Family, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1980.

Jack Gantos, Swamp Alligator, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1980.

Steven Kroll, Woof! Woof!, Dial (New York, NY), 1982.

Michaela Muntean, The House That Bear Built, Dial (New York, NY), 1984.

Michaela Muntean, Alligator's Garden, Dial (New York, NY), 1984.

Michaela Muntean, Little Lamb Bakes a Cake, Dial (New York, NY), 1984.

Michaela Muntean, Monkey's Marching Band, Dial (New York, NY), 1984.

Patty Wolcott, This Is Weird, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1986.

Richard C. Langsen, When Someone in the Family Drinks Too Much: A Guide for Children, Dial (New York, NY), 1996.

Marilyn Singer, The One and Only Me, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 2000.

"ROTTEN RALPH" SERIES; ILLUSTRATOR; FOR CHILDREN

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1975.

Jack Gantos, Worse than Rotten Ralph, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1979.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Rotten Christmas, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1984.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Trick or Treat, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1986.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1989.

Jack Gantos, Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1990.

Jack Gantos, Not So Rotten Ralph, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1994.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1997.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Halloween Howl, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 1998.

Jack Gantos, Back to School for Rotten Ralph, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

Jack Gantos, The Christmas Spirit Strikes Rotten Ralph, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 1998.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Thanksgiving Wish, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 1999.

Jack Gantos, Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1999.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph Helps Out, (chapter book), Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2001.

Jack Gantos, Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

Jack Gantos, Best in Show for Rotten Ralph, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2005.

"RIDDLES" SERIES; ILLUSTRATOR; FOR CHILDREN

Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, Grizzly Riddles, Dial (New York, NY), 1989.

Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, Batty Riddles, Dial (New York, NY), 1993.

Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, Bunny Riddles, Dial (New York, NY), 1997.

Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, Mummy Riddles, Dial (New York, NY), 1997.

Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, Dino Riddles, Dial (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER

Getting Married: A Guide for the Bride to Be (for adults), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Twice as Nice: What It's Like to Be a Twin, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor of illustrations to periodicals, including Boston, Instructor, Redbook, Spider, and Scholastic Pre-K.

Adaptations

Rotten Ralph was adapted for audio cassette, 1988, and for television for the Fox Family channel, 1999; It Came from the Swamp, Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs, and Goldie were all adapted for CD-ROM, 1995-96.

Sidelights

Bringing to life a brightly colored world filled with zany cats, argumentative alligators, overly artful bears, and brazen bull dogs, illustrator and author Nicole Rubel is inspired by the paintings of Henri Matisse and by the art deco architecture of Miami, Florida, where she grew up. As an illustrator, Rubel is perhaps best known for bringing to life the antics of Rotten Ralph, a motley, ill-tempered feline that terrorizes his young owner, Sarah, throughout the popular easy-reader series by author Jack Gantos. In other collaborative projects, she has created artwork for the "Riddle" book series by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg. A prolific illustrator, Rubel has also proved to be a talented author, creating dozens of self-illustrated picture books, among them A Cowboy Named Ernestine, No More Vegetables!, and the popular "Sam and Violet" books about twin kittens.

In an autobiographical vein, she focuses on her experiences as a twin in both the elementary-grade novel It's Hot and Cold in Miami and the award-winning picture book Twice as Nice: What It's Like to Be a Twin. Described by Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper as a "sprightly" compendium of facts, jokes, anecdotes, advice, and profiles of famous twins throughout world history, Twice as Nice features twin guides Bonnie and Ronnie along with "child-friendly illustrations, photographs, and [an] engaging, witty text," according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor.

Rubel was born and raised in Florida, and although she now makes her home in Oregon, her illustrations draw on the vivid palette of the sunshine state. Being born an identical twin has also affected Rubel's chosen career: her "Sam and Violet" books are inspired by her relationship with her twin sister Bonnie. As she recalled on her home page, Rubel was a shy child and let her sister speak for her. Finally, through the encouragement of a teacher, she found her own voice, learning to speak and write for herself. Because of this early experience, finding one's true self and learning to express thoughts and feelings are characteristic themes in Rubel's books for children.

Rubel attended school in Coral Gables, Florida, and started drawing and painting at an early age. An early inspiration was her view of the colorful houses across the street from her family home that were built in the Chinese style. She loved to draw these buildings as well as the vibrant flowering bushes and trees growing in and around Miami. At age fourteen she stopped drawing for a time and began experimenting with papier-maché monsters, which she painted with bright colors.

Attending art school in Boston, Rubel further experimented with ceramics and silk screen, until a series of drawings featuring goldfish set her on the path to book illustration. When Jack Gantos, an up-and-coming children's-book author, offered to create a story around one series of her pictures, it was the start of a creative collaboration that has produced the "Rotten Ralph" books as well as several others. Inspired by an ill-tempered feline that was then sharing Rubel's home, the "Rotten Ralph" the series takes Ralph through holidays, birthdays, romance, and show and tell, among other adventures.

In Rotten Ralph's Trick or Treat the ever-patient Sarah and Ralph attend a Halloween costume party dressed as each other. When Ralph performs as usual—stealing all the candy and pouring the goldfish bowl into the punch—all the party-goers blame Sarah, and the two are asked to leave. Another excursion is the focus of Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell, as Sarah takes Ralph to school for show and tell after he ruins her other plans—breaking the strings on her violin and decorating himself with her stamp collection. At school, Ralph continues his antics by ringing the dismissal bell early. Ralph shows some remorse in Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph, after Sarah tricks him with a surprise party. In Not So Rotten Ralph the disobedient feline is banished to finishing school, but Sarah is unhappy with his ensuing polite behavior and happy when Ralph once again returns to his mischievous ways. By Valentine's Day he is back to his old tricks, and in Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance the antisocial puss rubs himself in garbage in hopes that he will be left alone at a party Sarah drags him to.

From the outset of the series, Rubel captured the essence of the naughty cat in her illustrations. As a Horn Book critic noted of the third title in the series, Rotten Ralph's Rotten Christmas, Rubel's "energetic illustrations are a marvel." Ellen Fader, also writing in Horn Book, commented that in Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell "Rubel's trademark illustrations, bright and flat in a cartoonlike style, supply the humorous details that make Ralph's unrepentant antics all the more outrageous." Reviewing the same book, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly predicted that "readers will be cheered by the cat's awful antics," while Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper noted that Rubel's "wildly colored pictures capture all of the naughty goings-on with sizzle and snap." Reviewing Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph in Booklist, Stephanie Zvirin wrote that the "busy, brightly colored paintings … are a perfect match for the text," while a Publishers Weekly contributor concluded: "Thanks to this talented author and illustrator, Ralph more than lives up to his reputation in his latest captivating caper."

Rubel's illustrations for Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance "invest the obstreperous cat with more than enough personality to make him memorable," noted Zvirin, while a Publishers Weekly reviewer maintained that the book's "wildly colorful illustrations, loaded with comic details, busy with floral motifs and tiny hearts, gleefully convey the sentimentality Ralph despises and his vain attempts to avoid it." Reviewing Back to School for Rotten Ralph, Horn Book contributor Elizabeth S. Watson praised Rubel for her ability to make the cantankerous cartoon kitty "believable whether worried and abandoned or loved and purring."

In addition to picture books, Rotten Ralph and friend Sarah have also made appearances in several chapter books in the "Rotten Ralph" series. Rotten Ralph Helps Out finds Sarah working on a school project on ancient Egypt. Wanting to be included, Ralph accompanies her to the library and constructs a pyramid out of books while Sarah does her research; then he practices drawing hieroglyphics on the library walls. Back at home, the cat floods the bathroom when Sarah attempts to build a model of an Egyptian boat and fills the living room with sand to recreate a desert oasis. Ultimately, the troublesome cat comes to the rescue, when he dresses up as a sphinx and adds zest to Sarah's presentation. In Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph, Sarah and Ralph go to a carnival and are joined by an over-achieving tabby cat named Percy. Percy hopes to shine at the carnival, and has been practicing the baseball throw as well as tossing darts. Jealousy rears its ugly head when Percy wins all the prizes for Sarah. When Ralph suddenly begins to win all sorts of toys—by cheating, of course—Sarah becomes suspicious and the contrite Ralph returns all the prizes unfairly won.

According to a Horn Book critic, Rubel's illustrations in Rotten Ralph Helps Out "not only parallel the story but also reflect the underlying frenzy through contrasting colors, busy detail, and diagonal lines." Gillian Engberg noted in her Booklist review of Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph that Rubel's "bright, clear illustrations … nicely extend all the fun."

In her work for the "Riddle" series of books, she creates a different animal character for each title, and matches her art to the riddles collected in each book, from the silly to the sophisticated. In a Booklist review of Bunny Riddles, Zvirin noted that while Rubel's cartoons do not necessarily provide clues to the solution of the riddles, they are a "strong, colorful complement to the goofy conundrums and are loaded with clever details." In another Booklist review, Hazel Rochman maintained that the "bright, detailed illustrations" in Mummy Riddles "are as deadpan and silly as the words." Discussing Dino Riddles, which presents silly puzzlers about dinosaurs in an easy-reader format, Rubel's "colorful cartoons" contribute to what Patricia Manning deemed a "winning title" in her School Library Journal review.

Another multi-book collaboration—this time between Rubel and writer Michaela Muntean—has produced such lighthearted works as The House That Bear Built, Alligator's Garden, Little Lamb Bakes a Cake, and Monkey's Marching Band. Teaming up with Marilyn Singer, she illustrated The One and Only Me, in which a little girl describes how she is similar to various members of her extended family. Both drawings and rhymes indicate that while parts of her anatomy resemble other family members, the child is still unique. "The simple, childlike cartoons are brightly colored and have lots of action and changes of scenery," wrote Shanla Brookshire in a School Library Journal review of The One and Only Me.

Rubel produced her first original self-illustrated picture book, Sam and Violet Are Twins, in 1981, and continues to write and illustrate issue-oriented titles that attract fans of her whimsical humor and colorful style. Nancy Palmer, reviewing Sam and Violet's Birthday Book for School Library Journal, commented on Rubel's "original, attention-holding pictures" with their "wonderfully patterned interiors." Another pair of siblings stars in the picture book Ham and Pickles: First Day of School, which finds round-eyed hamster Pickles heading off for that all-important big day, under the care of older brother Ham. Noting that Ham's wisecrack efforts to put a rest to his little sister's worries might be confusing to "literal-minded" toddlers, a Publishers Weekly contributor recommended the book to older readers, noting that "Rubel's mixed-media illustrations complement the book's off-the-wall flavor."

Familiar household pets pop up again in Me and My Kitty, No More Vegetables!, and Grody's Not So Golden Rules, the last about a dirty dog with an unusual code of conduct. With Bruno Brontosaurus, however, Rubel finds animal inspiration far from home. A takeoff on the ugly duckling story, Bruno Brontosaurus features "bright and simple pictures" with "high child appeal," according to Lauralyn Levesque in School Library Journal. Going even further afield, the space-age counting book Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs follows a tough bulldog and his crew of moondogs as they search the galaxies for treasure. According to School Library Journal reviewer Jean Hammond Zimmerman, in Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs the author/illustrator's "use of black ink and colored markers is well suited to the text." With "trenchant wit and mad cartoony types … Rubel has attracted an army of boys and girls who will embrace this blastoff into space," concluded a Publishers Weekly contributor of the book, while a critic for the same periodical wrote that in No More Vegetables! Rubel's "irreverent visuals turn a familiar tale into a piquant little offering" about a poetic picky eater.

Uncle Henry and Aunt Henrietta's Honeymoon is a bedtime reminiscence about the honeymoon of two green crocodiles, while Alfie the alligator stars in It Came from the Swamp. The story of a baseball-playing critter who gets hit by a line drive and subsequently suffers from amnesia, It Came from the Swamp will "tickle funny bones," predicted a Kirkus Reviews writer. With the drum-playing crocodile in Conga Crocodile, Rubel "introduces yet another obstreperous fellow—and again displays her wry sense of humor," according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

A feisty cowgirl takes center stage in A Cowboy Named Ernestine. Here mail-order bride Ernestine O'Reilly makes the long trek from Ireland to Lizard Lick, Texas, only to discover that her intended is, in fact, a rather rotten human. Unwilling to live with a boor, the feisty Irish lass disguises herself as a man, runs off, and becomes a cattle herder under the name of Ernest T. O'Reilly. While her initial plan is to earn the funds needed to return to Ireland, Ernestine discovers that she loves the cowboy life. After she begins competing in rodeos, her hat inevitably falls off and reveals her true identity, opening the door to true love with cowboy buddy Texas Teeth. "Rubel's words and pictures work together to bring this Wild West romp to life," wrote School Library Journal critic Steven Engelfried of A Cowboy Named Ernestine, the critic adding that the book's "bold ink-and-marker drawings capture the humor perfectly." Reviewing the title in Booklist, Shelle Rosenfeld noted that Rubel's "delightful western tale" features a "folksy, droll narrative; plenty of action; and an admirably resourceful heroine." A Publishers Weekly contributor also had positive words for Rubel's artwork, writing that amid "clapboard saloons, cactus and critters galore" the author/illustrator spins a "humdinger of a campfire story."

With It's Hot and Cold in Miami Rubel brings her storytelling talent to an older audience through her tale of fifth-grade twin sisters living in Miami during the summer of 1964. Rachel and Rebecca Ringwood may look identical, but in fact they are very different. While Rebecca follows the correct path and pleases her teachers and parents with good grades and appropriate behavior, Rachel has a more unconventional world view as well as a more vivid imagination. As they follow Rachel's engaging narrative, readers learn that there is much to value in her unique perspective, even when it causes her to be looked down on by her ever-critical parents. Calling Rachel an "empathetic underdog in a voice filled with matter-of-fact resignation and some deserved angst," a Kirkus Reviews writer explained that, with a teacher's help, she discovers her "artistic flair and subsequent self-confidence." Despite their many differences, the sisters share "lively adventures" during the course of the summer, according to Horn Book critic Joanna Rudge Long, the reviewer adding that Rachel's eventual insight into her creative nature and her acceptance of her family's problems are "perfectly reflected in Rubel's astute drawings." "In her Booklist review of It's Hot and Cold in Miami, Nancy Kim also praised the author's pen-and-ink art, writing that Rubel's "distinctive illustrations capture the details that make Rachel's daily adventures so appealing."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Silvey, Anita, editor, Children's Books and Their Creators, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1995.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 1986, Denise M. Wilms, review of Uncle Henry and Aunt Henrietta's Honeymoon, p. 1317; October 15, 1988, Phillis Wilson, review of It Came from the Swamp, p. 414; October 1, 1989, Ilene Cooper, review of Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell, p. 348; October 1, 1990, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph, pp. 338-339; March 1, 1994, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Not So Rotten Ralph, p. 1269; June 1, 1995, Denia Hester, review of Cyrano the Bear, pp. 1788-1789; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance, p. 593; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Bunny Riddles, p. 596; August, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of Mummy Riddles, p. 1909; August, 1998, Michael Cart, review of Back to School for Rotten Ralph, p. 2014; June 1, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph, p. 1841; April 1, 2001, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of A Cowboy Named Ernestine, p. 1480; May 1, 2001, Gillian Engberg, review of Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph, p. 1689; March 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph, p. 1136; December 15, 2002, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of No More Vegetables, p. 769; March 1, 2003, Tim Arnold, review of Grody's Not So Golden Rules, p. 1203; November 15, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Twice as Nice: What It's Like to Be a Twin, p. 578; April 15, 2006, Nancy Kim, review of It's Hot and Cold in Miami, p. 48; August 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Ham and Pickles: The First Day of School, p. 96.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1985, review of Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs, p. 127; June, 2003, review of Grody's Not So Golden Rules, p. 420.

Horn Book, November-December, 1984, review of Rotten Ralph's Rotten Christmas, p. 279; November-December, 1989, Ellen Fader, review of Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell, p. 759; January-February, 1991, Hanna B. Zeiger, review of Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph, p. 94; January-February, 1993, Mary M. Burns, review of The Ghost Family Meets Its Match, pp. 77-78; September-October, 1998, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Back to School for Rotten Ralph, p. 598; September-October, 2001, review of Rotten Ralph Helps Out, p. 582; May-June, 2006, Joanna Rudge Long, review of It's Hot and Cold in Miami, p. 329.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1984, review of Rotten Ralph's Rotten Christmas, p. 60; February 15, 1986, review of Uncle Henry and Aunt Henrietta's Honeymoon, p. 306; June 15, 2002, review of No More Vegetables!, p. 887; October 1, 2004, review of Twice as Nice, p. 967; April 1, 2006, review of It's Hot and Cold in Miami, p. 356.

Publishers Weekly, May 24, 1985, review of Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs, p. 70; August 22, 1986, review of Rotten Ralph's Trick or Treat, p. 95; August 11, 1989, review of Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell, pp. 457-458; June 29, 1990, review of Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph, pp. 100-101; July 27, 1992, review of The Ghost Family Meets Its Match, pp. 61-62; July 5, 1993, review of Conga Crocodile, p. 71; January 10, 1994, review of Not So Rotten Ralph, pp. 61-62; May 29, 1995, review of Cyrano the Bear, p. 84; June 17, 1996, review of When Someone in the Family Drinks Too Much, pp. 64-65; November 25, 1996, review of Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance, pp. 75-76; July 26, 1999, review of Bunny Riddles, p. 93; January 22, 2001, review of A Cowboy Named Ernestine, p. 323; July 2, 2001, review of Rotten Ralph Helps Out, p. 76; July 1, 2002, review of No More Vegetables!, p. 78; April 15, 2003, review of Grody's Not So Golden Rules, p. 70; June 12, 2006, review of Ham and Pickles, p. 50.

School Library Journal, November, 1981, George Shannon, review of Sam and Violet Are Twins and Sam and Violet Go Camping, p. 81; May, 1982, Nancy Palmer, review of Sam and Violet's Birthday Book, p. 80; February, 1984, Lauralyn Levesque, review of Bruno Brontosaurus, pp. 63-64; October, 1985, Jean Hammond Zimmerman, review of Pirate Jupiter and the Moondogs, pp. 161-162; January, 1989, review of It Came from the Swamp, p. 66; November, 1992, Anna Biagioni, review of The Ghost Family Meets Its Match, p. 77; July, 1996, Marsha McGrath, review of When Someone in the Family Drinks Too Much, p. 79; November, 1997, Eunice Weech, review of Mummy Riddles, p. 107; June, 1999, Jane Marino, review of Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph, pp. 94-95; July, 2000, Shanla Brookshire, review of The One and Only Me, p. 87; March, 2001, Steven Engelfried, review of A Cowboy Named Ernestine, p. 219; February, 2002, Patricia Manning, review of Dino Riddles, p. 120; August, 2002, Linda M. Kenton, review of No More Vegetables!, p. 155; July, 2003, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, review of Grody's Not So Golden Rules, p 105; November, 2004, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Twice as Nice, p. 130; May, 2006, Miriam Lang Budin, review of It's Hot and Cold in Miami, p. 136; July, 2006, Lisa Gangemi Kropp, review of Ham and Pickles, p. 86.