Ohio Children's Authors

Alphabet Under Construction

Fleming, Denise, 1950-

A mouse works his way through the alphabet as he folds the "F," measures the "M," and rolls the "R."

Among the Hidden

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.

In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.

Black is Brown is Tan

Adoff, Arnold.

Describes in verse a family with a brown-skinned mother, white-skinned father, two children, and their various relatives.The author and illustrator of this groundbreaking 1973 portrait of an interracial family (Adoff and his wife, the late Virginia Hamilton, were the models) reunite for this updated overhaul. 'Black is brown is tan / is girl is boy / is nose is / face / is all / the / colors / of the race . . .' Two children reflect on brown and white as they cover a daily domestic round, from jumping into the parental bed in the morning to 'singing songs / in / singing night' on a moonlit porch, conveying in each verse a consciousness of color, but a far stronger sense of family closeness. The illustrations follow suit, showing the children with parents, grandparents, and relatives, working, playing, being together. And just as Adoff has reshaped the lines without changing the words, so McCully has plainly worked from her originals in placing and posing her figures, though the pictures are redone in a larger size, the family lives in a different house with modern details, and the father is now blond. As the number of interracial families goes up but their representation in picture books remains vanishingly slight, this fresh rendition still makes a cogent statement. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7); 40pg. VNU EMEDIA, c2002.-

Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape

Lewis, J. Patrick.

A collection of poems each of which appears on the page in the shape of its subject so that the poem looks like whatever it's about.

Double Dutch

Draper, Sharon M.

Three eighth-grade friends, preparing for the International Double Dutch Championship jump rope competition in their home town of Cincinnati, Ohio, cope with Randy's missing father, Delia's inability to read, and Yo Yo's encounter with the class bullies.

Down by the Station

Hillenbrand, Will.

In this version of a familiar song, baby animals ride to the children's zoo on the zoo train. Printed music on last page.

Frog Princess: A Russian Folk Tale

Lewis, J. Patrick.

Forced to marry an ugly frog, the youngest son of the Tsar is astounded to learn that the frog is really the beautiful princess Vasilisa the Wise.

Good-bye, Charles Lindbergh: Based on a True Story

Borden, Louise.

A farm boy meets his hero, Colonel Charles Lindbergh, when he lands his bi-plane in a field near Canton, Mississippi, in 1929.

House of Dies Drear

Hamilton, Virginia.

A black family of five moves into an enormous house once used as a hiding place for runaway slaves. Mysterious sounds and events as well as the discovery of secret passageways make the family believe they are in grave danger.

I am Rosa Parks

Parks, Rosa, 1913-

The black woman whose acts of civil disobedience led to the 1956 Supreme Court order to desegregate buses in Montgomery, Alabama, explains what she did and why. Illustrated by Ohioan Will Clay.

Plant That Ate Dirty Socks

McArthur, Nancy.

Song and Dance Man

Ackerman, Karen, 1951-

Grandpa demonstrates for his visiting grandchildren some of the songs, dances, and jokes he performed when he was a vaudeville entertainer. Illustrations by Stephen Gammell won the 1988 Caldecott Award.

Tears of a Tiger

Draper, Sharon M.

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Biggest, Best Snowman

Cuyler, Margery.

Nell is told by her BIG sisters and her mother that she is too small to help out, but everyone, including Nell, feels differently after her forest friends give her the confidence to build a large snowman. Illustrated by Ohioan Will Hillenbrand.