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| I was born on July 6, 1954 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. My father, Bill Cowgill, was stationed in the Army there, a member of the 82nd Airborne. He and my mother, Patricia, were both still teenagers when I made my fortuitous appearance. By fortuitous I mean that I couldn't wait to get to the hospital and was born instead in the front seat of my father's Ford. Waiting is still not my strong suit! We only lived in North Carolina for a short time and then moved to El Paso, TX and finally to Houston, which is where all my relatives are from. Both of my younger sisters, Patti and B.J., were born there, and Houston is where we grew up. In our house on Mayo Avenue, we had a garage with unfinished sheet rock on the inside walls. On one side of the garage was my dad's work bench where he kept all his tools. But the other side was just a big blank wall. My mother divided it into three sections. As soon as my sisters and I could hold crayons, we were allowed to express ourselves on that wall in any color or form that we wished. If you stood back and looked at the wall, it was like a record of my growing up. Down at the bottom was just a lot of scribbling, but as I grew, the drawing took on new and clearer forms. You could tell the drawings that were done when I was happy from the ones I did when I was sad or angry. The garage wall was a perfect place for expression. Once I started actually writing, on paper, I no longer needed the wall. But I still think of it as the place where my earliest writing took place. It was like my first journal, a record of my feelings and experiences. I still keep a journal. Like the garage wall, it's a place for catching all my thoughts, and sometimes my dreams. It's often the first place that the idea for a new story or poem occurs. Because I don't have any particular rules about writing in my journal, sometimes I'm surprised by what shows up! I also get ideas when I walk. I enjoy taking long leisurely walks. They help me clear my thoughts, but they also give me an opportunity to take a good look at the world around me. Most of my books and poems come directly from my own life because that's what I know best and feel most strongly about. Sometimes I write from a place of joy, as in my book The Thunderherd, which is about horses. I've loved horses since I was very young, and The Thunderherd was an opportunity to express that love. Of course horses and cowboys go together and for most of my childhood years, I really wanted to grow up to be a cowgirl and ride the range. This long-held dream turned into Cowboy Dreams. As much as I loved horses, however, I was afraid of bats! Because writing helps me overcome my fears, I decided to write a book about bats: this became Bat Jamboree, followed by Bats on Parade, and Bats Around the Clock. Writing those books helped me see bats differently and even to laugh about my fears. Now I appreciate and love bats almost as much as horses. Nowadays my favorite animal is cats, and I'm thrilled that my first book featuring the furry felines, At the Alley Cat's Meow, was released in the fall of 2002. My family plays a large role in my writing life too. My husband Ken is a high school English teacher and a musician, and he has always encouraged me in my work. We were married on a cold, icy day in January, 1979. On the day we were married, Ken's grandmother Emma told us that being married on a rainy day meant that we would be "showered with blessings," and she was right! And two of the best blessing that we have are our sons, Jacob and Cooper. Jacob was born in 1982 and Cooper was born in 1984. Both of them are musicians like their dad. Even though I had thought of myself as a serious writer for years, I doubt that I would ever have written for youngsters if I had not become a mom. It was through reading to my Jacob and Cooper that I became reacquainted and then enchanted with childrens' books. We spent many happy hours reading together when they were little, and we still enjoy a good book together now that they are almost grown. Both of them are now in college! And watching them grow reminded me so much of my own childhood. People often ask me if I write about my sons and for the most part I don't. I figure they'll have to tell their own stories. But I do get ideas from them, and mostly those show up in my poetry. When Cooper was very small, he loved to put rocks in his mouth. If I didn't keep my eyes on him, he'd pop them in his mouth faster than I could blink. This turned into my poem, The Pebble, which is in Just People. I used to think that a real writer had to have lots of exciting, maybe even dangerous, adventures in order to have something meaningful to write about. Now I know that the best writing is about the people, places, pets, and objects that surround us and that we meet every day. I've discovered that writing about them is the absolute best way to really know them and in the process to come to know ourselves a little better. I now know that writing is really a way of seeing. I'd like to encourage you to get out your old journal or start a new one and see what shows up. |
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The Alley Cat's Meow Price: $16.00 "Earning stratospheric style points, Goodell portrays a pair of high-stepping feline dancers who'd drive Astaire and Rogers to the sidelines .Paired to a toe-tapping rhyme from Appelt (Poems from Home Room, p.1214, etc.), this happily-ever-after terpsichorean triumph will leave readers of any age breathless." Kirkus Reviews |
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Bat Jamboree Price: $6.99ISBN: 9780688161675 (paperback) Grade level: K-2 Illustrator: Melissa Sweet "A witty combination of counting book and theatrical experience. Each year the Bat Jamboree, starring 55 adorable bats ,The playful, rhyming text and Sweet's characteristically charming watercolors will have kids cooking up their own backyard jamborees"School Library Journal |
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Bats Around the Clock Price: $16.99 "This takeoff on American Bandstand adds a twist to learning-to-tell-time books. Click Dark, the bat-version host of American Batstand, leads the 12-hour dance program . The rhymes are delightful and the narrative jives right along. Children will love them" School Library Journal |
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Bats on Parade NO LONGER AVAILABLE "A bat band demonstrates the concept of multiplication by marching in formations from 1 majorette to 2 groups of 2 piccolo players to 10 columns of 10 sousaphonists. Lighthearted watercolor illustrations and rhyming text describe each group.At the end of the parade, the bats fly off and the total number of marchers is added up. The book develops a certain sense of excitement and the uniformed bats provide humor" School Library Journal |
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The Best Kind of Gift Price: $16.99 LIMITED QUANTITY Jory fears that he is too small to find a suitable gift to welcome the new parson. |
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Bubba and Beau, Best Friends Price: $16.00 "When baby Bubba is born, his father, Big Bubba, "revved up Earl, his trusty pickup truck, and honked the horn as loud as he could." Likewise, when puppy Beau arrives, bloodhound Maurice "threw his head back and began to bay."Following this celebration, Bubba and Beau become inseparable.Appelt's fond voice and Howard's good-humored drawings combine to suggest an easygoing, distinctly Texan family life." Publishers Weekly |
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Bubba and Beau Go Night-Night Price: $16.00 Sister, it's down the road again in this second outing for Bubba and Beau, two best friends who love to go bye-bye. But when the sun goes down, are those two ready for bed? No siree, Bob! This sweet and sassy addition to the Bubba and Beau series is sure to have even the sleepiest little bubbas laughing the night away. |
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Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives Price: $16.00 "Language that snaps, crackles, and tickles once again thrives in the further adventures of Bubba and Beau, the jowly, eggheaded toddler and his faithful mutt. When relatives phone to make an unexpected visit, Bubbaville is abuzz with cleaning and fixing. Bubba and Beau head for the mud hole and some relaxing oozing." Kirkus Reviews |
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Bubbles, Bubbles NO LONGER AVAILABLE A dip in the tub is cause for celebration in this joyous romp in the bath. Amid the froth of bubbles and fun, the child emerges squeaky-clean and, after a brisk towel dry, is ready to be trundled off to bed for a good night's sleep. Appelt's cheery rhymes capture all the magic of tub time for toddlers: wacky shampoo hairdos, oodles of bubbles, and more. The subtle humor of the simple illustrations, conveyed through the animated expressions of the child's toys, mirrors the jaunty tenor of the verses. Jolly fun for little ones! |
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Down Cut Shin Creek:The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky Price: $16.95 "A warm tribute to the WPA-funded "book women" (and men) who rode Kentucky's backwoods in the 1930s and early '40s, delivering library service to some of this country's most impoverished citizens. Gathering information from archives, hard-to-find published sources, and interviews, the authors write feelingly of the Pack Horse Library Program's origins and the obstacles its dedicated employees overcame..." Kirkus Reviews |
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Elephants Aloft NO LONGER AVAILABLE Kathi Appelt's Elephants Aloft may be the best concept book since that old Rosie's Walk. With a printed text that is exclusively prepositions, the pictures tell the story. Two baby elephants climb in a hot air balloon, float above the onion-domed stuctures, between stone pillars, behind a waterfall, beyond the rainbow, and "into the arms of Auntie Rwanda." For his wonderful pictures, Keith Baker used acrylics on illustration board, strong line and texture, and a lovely soft pallette. What fun! |
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Hushabye, Baby Blue NO LONGER AVAILABLE Gentle rhyming text, combined with lush, deep illustrations, make this the perfect bedtime book. When spoken in your own soft voice, this small book is sure to lull little charmers off to dreamland. |
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I See the Moon Price: $15.00 A favorite nursery rhyme becomes a testament of God's love in this picture book adaptation. While imagining she is adrift at sea, a girl recognizes the presence of God in the stars that show her a path, the wind that fills her sail, and the dove who leads her to shore. By book's end, she is confident that "God will be with me wherever I go. |
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Incredible Me! Price: $16.99 "A girl exhibits healthy self-esteem in Appelt's celebratory ode. Karas's depiction of the carefree narrator ensures that playfulness takes precedence over arrogance and, thanks to his varied compositions, the text's pattern never grows tired. This exuberant ego booster is bound to make youngsters smile and, perhaps, take inventory of all the things that make them incredible, too" Publishers Weekly |
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Just People & Paper/Pen/Poem: A Young Writer's Way to Begin Price: $11.95 Selected as a "Best Book for Young Adults,"by the American Library Association, this book is two-in-one. The first section is a collection of verse, illustrated with black and white photographs by the author's husband. The second section consists of the author's anecdotes about what inspired her to write each poem, followed by a list of "invitations"to young writers. Combined, the two make a powerful handbook for teenage readers and writers who are looking for their own voices. |
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Kissing Tennessee: And Other Stories from the Stardust Dance Price: $15.00 OUT OF STOCK Step into the Dogwood Junior High School cafeteria. Tonight, this one night of the year, it isn't a cafeteria at all. It's the Stardust Dance. And there are stories here. Mason Hatfield and Carrie Marie Jorgensen can't summon the courage to ask each other to dance. Becca Scott has locked herself in a bathroom stall after something unthinkable has happened with her boyfriend. Cub Tanner is struggling with the feelings he has for Trent Davis. Peggy Lee Dixon has grown up with Tennessee Jones--can she ever see him as more than a friend? The doors are opening. The candles are lit. There is glitter everywhere. Hurry, it's about to begin... |
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Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America Price: $16.99 "Appelt traces Johnson's botanical passions to her rural, East Texas childhood, finding parallels between the solace her subject drew from nature after her mother's death and her launch of the Highway Beautification Act to soothe a nation grieving for JFK." Booklist |
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My Father's House Price: $16.99 "With the Bible verse John 14:2 as inspiration ("In my Father's house are many mansions") ..., Appelt (Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers) and Colon (Dona Flor) offer appreciation for the beauty and wonder of creation. ...Ultimately, text and artwork combine to make a soothing, spiritually resonant offering for environmentally conscious readers." Publishers Weekly |
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My Father's Summers: A Daughter's Memoirs Price: $15.95 "The power of this bittersweet, small volume lies in its precise limning of how a child perceives and experiences the emotions of separation, divorce, and stepfamilies. Appelt only gives us her side, but it is a pure and vivid one." Kirkus Reviews 2005 PATERSON PRIZE FOR BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE |
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Oh My Baby, Little One Price: $16.00 When Baby Bird says good-bye to his mama at school each morning, he feels sad. Mama Bird feels sad, too. Sometimes it's hard to be apart. But as Mama says, the love they share is with them always, keeping them close until the best part of the day--when they are together again. With its lyrical, rhyming verse and sunny, vibrant illustrations, this soothing book will reassure little ones as it celebrates the extraordinary--and abiding--bond of love between parents and their children. |
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Poems From Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start Price: $17.95
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Rain Dance NO LONGER AVAILABLE A collection of farmyard critters cavorts among the raindrops in this effervescent counting book. Written for the smallest toddler, Appelt's verses are playful, while Chollat's accompanying illustrations capture a child's delight in all things splashy. Puddle-loving tots are bound to revel in all this squashy fun and learn a little something, too. |
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Someone's Come to Our House NO LONGER AVAILABLE Appelt's verses are full of happiness.... Bustling with energy, the illustrations convey a host of lifelike scenarios unfolding throughout the party... The result is a book that captures the jubilation and awe surrounding a family birth. |
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Toddler Two-Step NO LONGER AVAILABLE Join a host of dancing toddlers as they explore a variety of movements, all in time to a catchy rhyme that is sure to have them singing as they dance. A friendly black and white cat joins in the fun as each spread becomes more and more rambunctious. The text and illustrations are a perfect blend of bounce. Ka-boom! |
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Watermelon Day Price: $17.95 "In this tale that celebrates both summertime and the magic of anticipation, young Jesse finds a watermelon in the corner of the garden. Her pappy agrees that it will be a big one, worthy of 'a watermelon day.' The mention of this annual family event fills Jesse with warm memories... This book is a love song to a simple pleasure and to a little girl who enjoys it as only a child can, dancing her watermelon dance and spitting seeds into the setting sun." School Library Journal |
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Where, Where Is Swamp Bear? NO LONGER AVAILABLE Can you help Pierre find the shy swamp bear? She's sure to be somewhere close by! While engaging in a lively conversation with his patient grandfather, Pierre searches for the secret spaces, hidden nests, and hiding places that might shelter North America's legendary black bear. But that's not an easy task in this swamp, where blossoms and trees, shown in magnificent cut-paper illustrations, create perfect camouflage. |
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I was born on July 6, 1954 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. My father, Bill Cowgill, was stationed in the Army there, a member of the 82nd Airborne. He and my mother, Patricia, were both still teenagers when I made my fortuitous appearance. By fortuitous I mean that I couldn't wait to get to the hospital and was born instead in the front seat of my father's Ford. Waiting is still not my strong suit! We only lived in North Carolina for a short time and then moved to El Paso, TX and finally to Houston, which is where all my relatives are from. Both of my younger sisters, Patti and B.J., were born there, and Houston is where we grew up. In our house on Mayo Avenue, we had a garage with unfinished sheet rock on the inside walls. On one side of the garage was my dad's work bench where he kept all his tools. But the other side was just a big blank wall. My mother divided it into three sections. As soon as my sisters and I could hold crayons, we were allowed to express ourselves on that wall in any color or form that we wished. If you stood back and looked at the wall, it was like a record of my growing up. Down at the bottom was just a lot of scribbling, but as I grew, the drawing took on new and clearer forms. You could tell the drawings that were done when I was happy from the ones I did when I was sad or angry. The garage wall was a perfect place for expression. Once I started actually writing, on paper, I no longer needed the wall. But I still think of it as the place where my earliest writing took place. It was like my first journal, a record of my feelings and experiences. I still keep a journal. Like the garage wall, it's a place for catching all my thoughts, and sometimes my dreams. It's often the first place that the idea for a new story or poem occurs. Because I don't have any particular rules about writing in my journal, sometimes I'm surprised by what shows up! I also get ideas when I walk. I enjoy taking long leisurely walks. They help me clear my thoughts, but they also give me an opportunity to take a good look at the world around me. Most of my books and poems come directly from my own life because that's what I know best and feel most strongly about. Sometimes I write from a place of joy, as in my book The Thunderherd, which is about horses. I've loved horses since I was very young, and The Thunderherd was an opportunity to express that love. Of course horses and cowboys go together and for most of my childhood years, I really wanted to grow up to be a cowgirl and ride the range. This long-held dream turned into Cowboy Dreams. As much as I loved horses, however, I was afraid of bats! Because writing helps me overcome my fears, I decided to write a book about bats: this became Bat Jamboree, followed by Bats on Parade, and Bats Around the Clock. Writing those books helped me see bats differently and even to laugh about my fears. Now I appreciate and love bats almost as much as horses. Nowadays my favorite animal is cats, and I'm thrilled that my first book featuring the furry felines, At the Alley Cat's Meow, was released in the fall of 2002. My family plays a large role in my writing life too. My husband Ken is a high school English teacher and a musician, and he has always encouraged me in my work. We were married on a cold, icy day in January, 1979. On the day we were married, Ken's grandmother Emma told us that being married on a rainy day meant that we would be "showered with blessings," and she was right! And two of the best blessing that we have are our sons, Jacob and Cooper. Jacob was born in 1982 and Cooper was born in 1984. Both of them are musicians like their dad. Even though I had thought of myself as a serious writer for years, I doubt that I would ever have written for youngsters if I had not become a mom. It was through reading to my Jacob and Cooper that I became reacquainted and then enchanted with childrens' books. We spent many happy hours reading together when they were little, and we still enjoy a good book together now that they are almost grown. Both of them are now in college! And watching them grow reminded me so much of my own childhood. People often ask me if I write about my sons and for the most part I don't. I figure they'll have to tell their own stories. But I do get ideas from them, and mostly those show up in my poetry. When Cooper was very small, he loved to put rocks in his mouth. If I didn't keep my eyes on him, he'd pop them in his mouth faster than I could blink. This turned into my poem, The Pebble, which is in Just People. I used to think that a real writer had to have lots of exciting, maybe even dangerous, adventures in order to have something meaningful to write about. Now I know that the best writing is about the people, places, pets, and objects that surround us and that we meet every day. I've discovered that writing about them is the absolute best way to really know them and in the process to come to know ourselves a little better. I now know that writing is really a way of seeing. I'd like to encourage you to get out your old journal or start a new one and see what shows up. |
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