Von Buhler, Cynthia

Personal

Married Russell Farhang (a jazz musician). Education: Art Institute of Boston, B.F.A.; attended Richmond College, London. Hobbies and other interests: Rescuing cats, raising doves, finding unique locations for film and television.

Addresses

Home and office—Staten Island, NY; Stratford, CT. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Artist, author, illustrator, and performer. Gallery owner. Exhibitions: Artwork exhibited at Nassau County Museum of Art, Staten Island Museum, Museum of American Illustration, Norman Rockwell Museum, University of Toronto, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Member

Society of Illustrators, Cat Writer's Association.

Awards, Honors

Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles; Gold Medal, Visual Club; New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing designation, 2002, for They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell; Teacher's Pick, Parent & Child, 2006, and Children's Pick, Booksense, 2007, both for The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside: Based on a True Story, Houghton Mifflin (New York, NY), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR

Nicholas B.A. Nicholson, Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.

Martha Stewart and others, Once upon a Fairy Tale: Four Favorite Stories, Viking (New York, NY), 2001.

Anne Rockwell, They Called Her Molly Pitcher, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2002.

Dennis Brindell Fradin, Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet, Mondo Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

Dennis Brindell Fradin, Tell Us a Tale, Hans!: The Life of Hans Christian Andersen, Mondo Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor of illustrations to various magazines.

Sidelights

A sculptor, painter, performance artist, and children's book author, Cynthia von Buhler has been recognized across a number of creative mediums. As she notes on her home page, von Buhler's art "require[s] the viewer to get involved," whether it be emotionally or physically. Her interest in writing and illustrating children's books was inspired by her own desire to get involved with the children that will comprise future generations. In an interview with Joan Anderman for the Boston Globe online, von Buhler explained that, as an author, she hopes to "teach children when they're young, so they turn into better adults."

Von Buhler's first self-illustrated picture book, The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside: Based on a True Story, is based on von Buhler's experience befriending a feral cat. The narrator of the story makes an attempt to invite a stray cat into her home, but each time she does, the cat runs away. The cat eventually warms up to the narrator, who by now has offered gifts of warm milk, yarn, and toys to tempt the homeless puss. A Kirkus Reviews critic noted that "von Buhler builds the cumulative tale, adding ever more elaborate items" as the story reaches its surprising conclusion. The author's illustrations for the story are also unexpected, retelling the story in a series of dioramas that include clay figures, found objects, and photography. A Publishers Weekly reviewer com- mented that "von Buhler's 3-D settings and characters work considerable magic" but found her photographs less than intriguing. In contrast, Julie Roach remarked in a review for School Library Journal that the book's "photographs are a delight to pore over." In California Bookwatch a contributor remarked that The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside will delight children as a "very different book of friendship and trust."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, p. 704; April 15, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 1400; April 1, 2004, review of Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet, p. 1361.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June, 2002, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 381; April, 2004, Elizabeth Bush, review of Nicolaus Copernicus, p. 326.

Cat Fancy, April, 2007, Laura Lee Bloor, interview with von Buhler.

Communication Arts, March-April, 2002, Lisa L. Cyr, "Cynthia von Buhler."

Horn Book, March-April, 1998, Ann A. Flowers, review of Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, p. 216; May-June, 2002, Susan P. Bloom, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 349.

Instructor, November-December, 2002, Judy Freeman, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 57.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2002, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 498; September 1, 2006, review of The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside: Based on a True Story, p. 914.

New York Times Book Review, October 20, 2002, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 22.

Parent and Child, November, 2006, Carolyn Rogalsky, profile of von Buhler.

Publishers Weekly, December 15, 1997, review of Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, p. 57; April

29, 2002, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 71; February 16, 2004, review of Nicolaus Copernicus, p. 172; September 18, 2006, review of The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside, p. 53.

Reading Teacher, November, 2003, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 276.

School Library Journal, February, 1998, Heide Piehler, review of Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, p. 89; June, 2002, Anne Chapman, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 124; June, 2004, Donna Cardon, review of Nicolaus Copernicus, p. 126; November, 2006, Julie Roach, review of The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside, p. 115.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), July 14, 2002, review of They Called Her Molly Pitcher, p. 5.

ONLINE

Boston Globe Online,http://www.boston.com/ (March 3, 2000), Joan Anderman, "Original Cynthia: Multitalented and Eccentric, von Buhler Reigns in the Underground."

California Bookwatch Web site,http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (November, 2006), review of The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside.

Cynthia von Buhler Home Page,http://www.cynthiavonbuhler.com (November 18, 2007).

Woman Rock Web site,http://womanrock.com/ (June, 1999), Amy Steele, interview with von Buhler.