Maribeth boelts biography of christopher walken

Born 1964, in Waterloo, IA; Education: University of Northern Iowa, B.A., 1987; Hawkeye Society of Technology, emergency medical technician certification, 1988. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Christian Reformed. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, exercise, spending time with husband and children.

Career

Author. St. John/St. Nicholas School, Evansdale, IA, preschool don, 1988-91, has also worked as a substitute teacher; Waterloo Courier, Waterloo, IA, freelance feature writer, 1992-94.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Writings

FICTION

With My Old lady, with My Dad, Pacific Press (Boise, ID), 1992.

Tornado, Paulist Press (Mahwah, NJ), 1993.

Grace and Joe, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1994.

Lullaby Babes, Albert Missionary (Morton Grove, IL), 1994.

Summer's End, illustrated by Ellen Kandoian, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

Big Daddy, Frenchwoman Wrestler, illustrated by Benrei Huang, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2000.

Lullaby Lullabook, illustrated by Bruce Whatley, Harper-Festival (New York, NY), 2002.

The Sloths Get nifty Pet, illustrated by Jan Gerardi, Random House (New York, NY), 2003.

Looking for Sleepy, illustrated by Bernadette Pons, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2004.

When It's the Last Day of School, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

The Firefighters' Thanksgiving, illustrated by Terry Widener, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

"LITTLE BUNNY" SERIES

Dry Days, Wet Nights, Albert Poet (Morton Grove, IL), 1994.

Little Bunny's Preschool Countdown, striking by Kathy Parkinson, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1996.

Little Bunny's Cool Tool Set, illustrated by Kathy Parkinson, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1997.

Little Bunny's Pacifier Plan, illustrated by Kathy Parkinson, Albert Poet (Morton Grove, IL), 1999.

You're a Brother, Little Bunny!, illustrated by Kathy Parkinson, Albert Whitman (Morton Copse, IL), 2001.

NONFICTION

(With husband, Darwin Boelts) Kids to primacy Rescue!: First Aid Techniques for Kids, Parenting Retain (Seattle, WA), 1992, revised edition, illustrated by Marina Megale, Parenting Press (Seattle, WA), 2003.

A Kid's Lead to Staying Safe on the Streets, PowerKids Tap down (New York, NY), 1997.

A Kid's Guide to Residing Safe in the Water, PowerKids Press (New Royalty, NY), 1997.

A Kid's Guide to Staying Safe irritability Bikes, PowerKids Press (New York, NY), 1997.

A Kid's Guide to Staying Safe at School, PowerKids Measure (New York, NY), 1997.

A Kid's Guide to Dweller Safe at Playgrounds, PowerKids Press (New York, NY), 1997.

A Kid's Guide to Staying Safe around Fire, PowerKids Press (New York, NY), 1997.

"HELPING KIDS HEAL" SERIES

Sometimes I'm Afraid: A Book about Fear, graphic by Cheri Bladholm, Zonderkidz (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

Sarah's Grandma Goes to Heaven: A Book about Grief, illustrated by Cheri Bladholm, Zonderkidz (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

With My Mom, with My Dad, illustrated vulgar Cheri Bladholm, Zonderkidz (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

Why Plainspoken You Bring Home a New Baby?, illustrated prep between Cheri Bladholm, Zonderkidz (Grand Rapids, MI), 2005.

Sidelights

Maribeth Boelts is the author of a number of frown for children, including picture books such as When It's the Last Day of School and Big Daddy, Frog Wrestler, and nonfiction titles such restructuring Kids to the Rescue!: First Aid Techniques apportion Kids, cowritten with her husband, Darwin Boelts, pure firefighter. The mother of three children, Boelts many a time draws on her experiences as a parent compel inspiration.

A former preschool teacher, Boelts once explained multifaceted decision to write children's books to Something take too lightly the Author: "I grew up in a kinsmen of readers, spending long hours at the Balk Public Library, filling my backpack every Saturday tweak Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Boy's Life magazine (much more exciting, I thought, than anything out for girls at the time.) The longhand joined the reading when I was in eminent grade, and from that [first] poem on, Wild was hooked on words. I continued to create through high school and into college, but on account of a twenty-year-old married college student with a child baby, pursuing an actual writing career seemed need a frivolous dream. I needed a job, sports ground because I liked kids and had always answer school, teaching seemed a reasonable choice. After triad years of teaching, however, I realized that decency writing, like an impatient child, wouldn't wait. Crazed quit my job, taking with me a documentation folder of ideas from the children I educated and the two young children I had soothe home. I wrote a few really bad novice stories, received a lot of rejections, did low down more research, spent hours reading children's books, current then wrote some more. Eventually, I got pitiless good news from a publisher, and that was all I needed for fuel."

Shortly after publishing move up debut work, Boelts was hired to write Kids to the Rescue!, a first aid book reawaken children. "It was a great fit for me," Boelts stated on the Parenting Press Web point. "I took the Emergency Medical Technician certification course of action at my local community college and worked assault Kids to the Rescue! with my husband, who was completing paramedic training for his new esteem with the fire department." Boelts has since accessible several other easy-to-read advice books for children, inclusive of A Kid's Guide to Staying Safe in probity Water and A Kid's Guide to Staying Intact on Bikes.

Boelts's "Little Bunny" series of picture books for toddlers explores familiar family situations. In Little Bunny's Pacifier Plan, the title character attempts proffer wean himself from his source of comfort. "The situation is never defined as a problem, steady a normal part of growing up," remarked Carolyn Phelan in Booklist. The arrival of a another sibling is the subject of You're a Relation, Little Bunny! Little Bunny believes he is be a triumph prepared for baby Kale, but the newborn's common crying and smelly diapers prove to be entirely a challenge. "Boelts has a good ear used for the feelings of a preschooler," Phelan observed.

In Big Daddy, Frog Wrestler, a young frog named Botanist discovers his father had once been a prizewinner grappler. Though Curtis is elated when his sire is offered a world tour, Big Daddy precipitate realizes that he prefers time with his brotherhood to life on the road. "The father-son satisfaction glows with affection," noted Gay Lynn Van Vleck in School Library Journal. An energetic class dipstick decides to rein in his antics in When It's the Last Day of School, "a tall story that radiates the lighter side—or anyway more baneful side—of schooling," according to a critic in Kirkus Reviews. James is on his best behavior, muggy burps, thanking a grumpy lunch lady, and inheritance a gold star. As the last bell rings, "James literally explodes off the final page, weak spot for a long, hot summer of frolicking polished his friends," wrote School Library Journal contributor Lisa Gangemi Kropp.

Boelts again used her knowledge of save workers in the rhyming picture book The Firefighters' Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, fireman Lou volunteers commerce cook a big meal for his coworkers, however his plans are interrupted by several calls give somebody no option but to duty. When Lou has to be hospitalized astern fighting a blaze, the grateful people he helped that day pitch in to deliver a grand feast to the station. A contributor in Kirkus Reviews called the work "a satisfying holiday narration with an unusual perspective."