Institute of Children's Literature - Our Exceptional Instructors

Cindy Savage

Cindy Savage has written more than 300 stories and articles and over 40 books.

Willowisp Press has published 24 of her books, including her Forever Friends Club series and numerous boys’ and girls’ adventures, for middle-grade through high school readers.

Ms. Savage has written for the book fair market, the trade, packagers, and religious publishing houses. Among her publishers are HarperCollins, Scholastic, Bantam, and Berkeley. Journey to Mount Eternity (One World, 1994), Ghosts at Four O’Clock (Athena, 1994), and Kick Back (Athena, 1998) are her most recent books.

For the last three years, she has concentrated on the short story and dramatic play market, and writing curriculum for elementary textbooks. She currently teaches writing at a community college.

Pegi Deitz Shea

“A moving representation of the dreams of refugees everywhere” is how Booklist described The Whispering Cloth (Boyds Mills Press, 1995), Pegi Deitz Shea’s picture book about a Hmong girl confined to a refugee camp. The book was selected as a Notable by the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Council for the Social Studies.

Ms. Shea has published more than 200 stories, books, articles, and poems for children and adults. Her first book was Bungalow Fungalow (Clarion, 1991), followed by Whispering Cloth and New Moon (Boyds Mills Press, 1996). Tangled Threads (Clarion, 2003) won the Connecticut Book Award for children’s literature and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Her other publications include a middle-grade biography, Ekaterina Gordeeva (Chelsea House); I See Me, a board book for HarperCollins; and fiction that will appear in Highlights for Children and Ladybug.

Her picture books include Carpet Boy (Tilbury House, 2002) and Ten Mice for Tet (Chronicle Books, 2003).

Victoria Sherrow

Since 1985, Victoria Sherrow has published more than 60 books—many of them award-winners.

Her first two sales, both to Harper & Row, were picture books. More recent titles include: Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane (Soundprints, 1994); Mohandas K. Ghandhi: The Power of the Spirit (Millbrook Press, 1994); The Nez Perces (Millbrook Press, 1994); Hardship and Hope: America and the Great Depression (Twenty-First Century Books, 1996); Bioethics and High-Tech Medicine (Twenty-First Century Books, 1996); Women and the Military (ABC-CLIO, 1996); From Smoke to Flame and The Blaze Engulfs in the Holocaust series (Blackbirch Press, 1998); and Encyclopedia of Youth and War (2000).

Her titles for 2001 include Bats (Lucent Books); Titanic (Scholastic Books); and Cuba (Millbrook Press).

Ms. Sherrow’s stories and articles have appeared in publications such as Highlights, The Friend, Humpty Dumpty, Children’s Playmate, Children’s Digest, and Pennywhistle Press.

Carolyn Short

“‘Punky’ stood out like a shining star” is what Janet Hoover, then editor of Turtle, said about a story by Carolyn Short. It appeared in the October-November ’93 issue of Turtle, and it later was published by the Institute of Children’s Literature in an anthology.

Ms. Short has published nearly 200 articles and stories in such magazines as Highlights for Children, Pockets, Junior Trails, Turtle, Parish Teacher, The Home Altar, Children’s Playmate, Once Upon A Time, Ranger Rick, Holidays & Seasonal Celebrations, Touch, On the Line, and Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr. She has also written Sunday School materials for Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

After earning her master’s degree at Cornell University, Ms. Short taught fourth and fifth grades. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she has attended the annual Highlights Foundation Writers’ Workshop at Chautauqua, New York.

Buffy Silverman

Buffy Silverman’s love of the natural world inspires much of her writing.

Her nonfiction activity book, Birds, is part of School Zone’s I Know It! science series. She is also the author of Bat’s Night Out, an early reader, published by Richard C. Owen in 2000. Her recent books include Genetics (2003) and Molds and Fungi (2004), both part of Kidhaven Press’s Science Library series.

In addition to her nonfiction work, Ms. Silverman enjoys writing fiction. Her first mystery story, “Bubbe’s Potatoes,” won second prize in the Children’s Writer middle-grade mystery contest in 2000 and was published by Highlights in 2002.

More than 30 of her articles, stories, and poems have been accepted by Ladybug, Spider, Cricket, Highlights for Children, Odyssey, and other magazines. “Turtle Time,” a story that first appeared in Ladybug, was reprinted in a children’s textbook in English and Spanish. Ms. Silverman has been selected as a featured author on the Ladybug Parent’s Companion (April 2003) website.

Annie Laura Smith

“Writing for children is a challenging opportunity to weave facts and imagination into exciting prose and poetry that children will enjoy reading,” says Annie Laura Smith.

She has accepted this challenge and has 100 stories, articles, and poems published to date, 44 of which are for children and parents.

These pieces have appeared in Living with Preschoolers, Living with Children, Living with Teenagers, R-A-D-A-R, Junior Trails, Look and Listen, Nature Friend Magazine, Winner, Teen Power, Story Mates, Kids Copy, Joyful Child Magazine, The Student, and Above and Beyond. She has received an award from Writer’s Digest magazine for a nonfiction piece on the Junior Great Books Program.

Ms. Smith’s middle-grade historical novel, The Legacy of Bletchley Park, was published in 2003 by Onstage Publishing and is the first book in a World War II trilogy.

She has recently completed a first grade math textbook for Ethiopia under a U.S. Aid grant, and is editor of the 50-Year History of Trinity United Methodist Church. She continues to write articles and short stories for publication, and develops educational materials on assignment for textbook publishers.

Suzanne Sorice

With more than 25 years of publishing experience, Suzanne Sorice offers top editorial expertise to her students.

She was an editorial assistant at CBS’s Popular Library Books, where she evaluated unsolicited manuscripts. Later, as assistant editor, she worked with her own group of authors while searching out new talent. She became adept at sparking and maintaining supportive, productive relationships with writers.

One of Ms. Sorice’s acquisitions in the young adult field was The Day the Loving Stopped by Julie Autumn List. The book was made into a television movie after publication by Fawcett Juniper.

After moving up the ladder at CBS Publications, Ms. Sorice left New York City but continued to work as a freelance editor for Pocket/Silhouette Books, Dell, and Woman’s Day magazine.

Her most recent articles for children have been published in Hopscotch magazine, and online educational reference databases.

Some books edited by Suzanne Sorice:

Lavender Blue, Deep Purple,

The Day the Loving Stopped, Fair Game

Melissa Stewart

Shortly after Life Without Light (Franklin Watts, 1999) was published, Booklist praised the “quality of writing” and called it an “intriguing book.” Subsequently, it was named a Best Book for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library, and Science Books and Films added it to their list of Best Books for Children.

Following the success of her first book, Melissa Stewart has written 30 more critically acclaimed science books for children.

The most notable of these include Tim Berners-Lee: Inventor of the World Wide Web (Ferguson, 2001), A Daddy Longlegs Is Not a Spider (Millbrook, 2003), Life in a Wetland: The Everglades Region (Lerner, 2003), and seven books in Heinemann Library’s Earth Science series (2002).

Ms. Stewart has also contributed articles to National Geographic’s World, Scholastic’s Science World and Math, Wild Outdoor World, ChemMatters, and Odyssey.

During her years as an editor, Ms. Stewart oversaw the publication of more than two hundred titles for children. The honors bestowed upon these books include CBC/NSTA Outstanding Children’s Science Trade Book, Booklist’s Top Ten Animal Books for Youth, VOYA Honor List, YALSA/ALA Quick Pick, and the New York Public Library’s Best Books for the Teen Age.

Sandy Stiefer

Although she considers herself a “generalist” with the ability to write on many different subjects in a variety of styles, Sandy Stiefer’s first love is writing for children.

Her stories and nonfiction have been accepted by Ranger Rick, Cricket, Highlights for Children, and Guideposts for Kids. Her nonfiction book, A Risky Prescription: Sports and Health, is part of Lerner Publication’s Sports Issues series. Ms. Stiefer writes for reference books including Gale Research’s Notable Native Americans, and Dictionary of Hispanic Biography, and she has served as an editor and writer for Harris Publication’s garden group of magazines. Her gardening photography has been published in National Gardening, Garden Guide, and Gardens, Decks & Patios.

Ms. Stiefer has taught writing classes for children and adults and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Barbara Stretton

Barbara Stretton’s earlier works reflect her interest in the struggling world of teenagers.

A Deeper Season (Fawcett, 1980) is about teenage sexuality; and You Never Lose (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982) is the story of a boy’s troubled relationship with his father, a high school football coach who has been diagnosed with cancer. The Truth of the Matter (Knopf, 1983) examines the question: What is truth?

In addition to teaching ICL students, Ms. Stretton writes study guides for Listening Library (now a subsidiary of Random House), an audiobook company specializing in children’s literature.

She has also written filmstrip scripts on “Getting in Touch with Your Feelings,” “Cocaine,” and “Say No to Drugs” for such companies as Educational Dimensions and Sunburst Communications.

Ms. Stretton is currently working on a mystery series for young readers featuring a cat detective. The first book in the Tori Trotter Investigates series is titled The Case of the Tiberian Tiger.

Nancy Sweetland

“You just don’t quit” is Nancy Sweetland’s motto for her writing career. That philosophy has paid off with six picture books and over 350 published stories, articles, and essays for children and adults.

Ms. Sweetland’s short fiction has appeared in children’s magazines such as Highlights for Children, Cricket, Wee Wisdom, Jack And Jill, Children’s Friend, News Ranger, The Encyclopedia Britannica Reading Program, U*S* Kids, and Ranger Rick. Over 50 of Ms. Sweetland’s poems have been published in children’s magazines, including Story Friends, On the Line, Weekly Bible Reader, Discovery, Radar, and others.

God’s Quiet Things (Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 1994) was described in Booklist as a book that “raises children’s consciousness to the quiet marvels found in nature.”

If I Could (Raven Tree Press, 2002), published in English and Spanish, is one of Ms. Sweetland’s most recent picture books, along with Yelly Kelly (Raven Tree, 2003).

Ms. Sweetland has received more than 60 awards including six first places in juvenile and adult fiction and poetry from the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association, and sixth place in the annual Writer’s Digest competition for short stories.

Patricia Thomas

Zany stories, silly titles, and lively, unconventional rhyme are Ms. Thomas’s hallmarks as a children’s writer.

More than 30 years after its first printing, Patricia Thomas’s hilarious tale, “Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard and HarperCollins, 1971 & 1990), still surprises and delights . . . still sends readers into gales of laughter . . . still garners rave reviews from parents, teachers, librarians, and, most importantly, from children who continue to giggle over it into adulthood.

Bouncing merrily along in nonsense verse, the book has been featured on the PBS Storytime series, chosen as a Weekly Reader Book Club selection, reprinted in educational texts and international editions, and listed in major library journals.

“There Are Rocks in My Socks,” Said the Ox to the Fox (Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1979) was also a Weekly Reader Book Club selection and was printed in a United Kingdom edition. It was also adapted for choral reading and was listed in Best Books for Children.

The One-and-Only, Super-Duper, Golly-Whopper, Jim Dandy, Really Handy Clock Tock Stopper (Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1991) was also listed in Best Books for Children.

Hundreds of her articles and stories have appeared in a variety of periodicals, including Cobblestone Publishing’s Faces.

Ms. Thomas attends and presents workshops on writing for children, and she is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Peggy Thomas

Medicines From Nature is a “. . . fascinating journey through the endless search for new and effective medications,” says School Library Journal.

Booklist gave Medicines From Nature a starred review and added that the book “. . . should be read from cover to cover by teens—and adults as well.” It was chosen by the New York Public Library as a 1997 Best Book For the Teen Age.

Studying ancient human remains led to her third book, Talking Bones: The Science of Forensic Anthropology (Facts On File, 1995), which was selected by Bacon’s Science Books and Films as one of the Best Books for Junior High and High School Students, 1995.

With the public’s renewed interest in forensic investigation, Ms. Thomas wrote an updated and expanded edition titled Forensic Anthropology: The Growing Science of Talking Bones (Facts on File, 2003).

Ms. Thomas broadened her scope when she created a new series, The Science of Saving Animals (21st Century Books, 2000–2001), that included Reptile Rescue, Bird Alert, and Big Cat Conservation. The fourth title in the series, Marine Mammal Preservation, was chosen by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council as an Outstanding Science Trade book for 2001.

Volcano! (Crestwood House, 1991) was an ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and The Kids’ World Almanac about Amazing Facts About Numbers, Math and Money (World Almanac, 1992), co-authored with Margery Facklam, was selected by the New York Public Library as a 1993 Best Book for the Teen Age.

Ms. Thomas has been a feature writer for the Buffalo News, and her children’s stories and articles have appeared in Cricket and Hopscotch magazines.

Catherine A. Welch

“Young readers will be swept along with eight-year-old Andrew,” is what School Library Journal said about Catherine A. Welch’s first book, Danger at the Breaker (Carolrhoda, 1992). Booklist also praised this work of historical fiction, saying “the author brings a new (and welcome) level of realism to the easy-reader format.”

Continuing in the same genre, Ms. Welch produced Clouds of Terror (Carolrhoda, 1994), hailed by Instructor as “gripping and realistic.” It was selected as a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the field of Social Studies by the NCSS-CBC Joint Committee.

Ms. Welch’s biography, Margaret Bourke-White: Racing with a Dream (Carolrhoda, 1998), was also chosen as a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Another biography, Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Powerhouse with a Pen (Carolrhoda, 2000), was rated as outstanding by Bayviews.

Ms. Welch also has two books in Carolrhoda’s Picture the American Past series: Children of the Relocation Camps (2000) and Children of the Civil Rights Era (2001), both selected for the Best Children’s Books of the Year 2001 list by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College.

Patricia Windsor

Patricia Windsor has compiled an impressive record of success, having published 17 novels.

Diving for Roses, a Library Journal starred selection, was also chosen by the New York Times as one of 12 outstanding books of the year for teenagers.

Many of Ms. Windsor’s novels are mysteries: The Sandman’s Eyes (Delacorte, 1985) won an Edgar Allan Poe award, and The Hero (Delacorte, 1988) was given the highest rating by Voice of Youth Advocates. The Christmas Killer (Scholastic, 1992) was also nominated for an Edgar.

Ms. Windsor’s latest mystery is The Blooding (Scholastic, 1996). Her series on mystery writing was published in Once Upon a Time in 1999, and her short stories have appeared in Seventeen and other magazines all over the world.

Ms. Windsor is listed in Gale’s Something about the Author (volumes 30 and 78), available in the reference section of public libraries.

Linda Wirkner

When Linda Wirkner sent Mystery of the Blue-Gowned Ghost, a colonial mystery, to her publisher, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, her careful research paid off. The book was chosen for the Children’s Book Council’s 1998 Summer Reading Showcase, and is now in its fourth printing.

Ms. Wirkner’s young adult novel, Summer Romance, was published by Berkley Publishing Group, and her nonfiction book, Destination Norfolk (Lerner, 1998), was part of the North American Port City series. Moby Dick, an adaptation on the fifth-grade reading level, is now being released by Edcon Publishing.

More than 100 of Ms. Wirkner’s stories and articles have appeared in children’s magazines including Child Life, Children’s Digest, Dolphin Log, Guideposts for Kids, Junior Trails, and Hopscotch.

Ms. Wirkner currently evaluates historical fiction manuscripts for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Publishing Department.

Susan Kimmel Wright

“Page-turning mystery, combined with some gentle spiritual guidance,” said School Library Journal about Susan Kimmel Wright’s first middle-grade mystery novel, The Secret of the Old Graveyard (Herald Press, 1993).

This goal of infusing fun reading with intellectual and emotional significance also animates her later novels, Death by Babysitting and Dead Letters (Herald Press, 1994, 1996).

Ms. Wright has also written many magazine and newspaper articles, and some of her work has appeared in Guideposts for Kids and Horse Illustrated. Her art-of-living essays have appeared in several books, including God’s Abundance, More God’s Abundance, God’s Abundance for Women, Why Fret that God Stuff? and God’s Unexpected Blessings (all Starburst Publishers).

Ms. Wright is a member of the Advisory Board for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Western Pennsylvania Chapter, for whom she has presented several workshops. In 1998 she served on the Mystery Writers of America Edgars Committee to select the best children’s mystery book of 1998.

Cheryl Zach

Cheryl Zach has published 33 books, with four more currently scheduled for publication.

Benny and the No-Good Teacher (Simon & Schuster, 1992) was a nominee for the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, and The Class Trip (Simon & Schuster, 1988) was an International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice book.

Ms. Zach is the first young adult writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame for winning three Rita awards, the most recent for Runaway (Berkeley, 1996). Her young adult historical novel, Hearts Divided (Bantam, 1996), won the 1996 Virginia Romance Writers’ Holt Medallion.

The Mummy’s Footsteps (Avon Camelot, 1997) was the first book in a new middle-grade mystery series, Mind Over Matter. Another of Ms. Zach’s young adult historical novels is Carrie’s Gold (Avon American Dreams, 1997).