Bethany Roberts
Born (1949-09-06) September 6, 1949
Wallingford, Connecticut
Other namesBarbara Snow Beverage
OccupationChildren's author
Years active1984–2009
Notable work
SpouseRobert Beverage
Children2 daughters

Barbara Snow Beverage, who uses the pen name Bethany Roberts, (born September 6, 1949) is an American children's author, known for her series of picture books informally marketed as Holiday Mice.

Personal life and education

Roberts was born in Wallingford, Connecticut.[1][2]: 153  She aspired to become a writer from the age of six,[1] and wrote her first stories at age eight;[3] she was also a "neighborhood storyteller" and "a bit of a[n outdoors] tomboy" while growing up.[3]

Roberts graduated from Lyman Hall High School, then attended Bates College and received a degree in early childhood education from Southern Connecticut State University.[1][2]: 153 

She is married to Robert Beverage and has two daughters: Krista and Melissa.[2]: 153  In 1994, she lived in Hamden, Connecticut.[1]

Career

"I write about things I like, things that are important to me—warm cozy families, friendships, seasons and holidays, furry little animals. There isn't much that I like better than writing."

Bethany Roberts, as quoted from her website[2]: 153 

Roberts was a teacher and children's librarian before her writing career began.[2]: 153  She taught children's literature at the Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury.[1]

Her first book, Waiting-for-Spring Stories, came out in 1984.[1][2]: 153  From the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, she and illustrator Doug Cushman collaborated on the informally named Holiday Mice picture-book series,[4][5] which featured the title family of four—two children plus their mother and father.[6]

As an animal lover, Roberts has included animal characters in many of her works, stating that they were "multicultural", highly relatable, and flexible in their use.[2]: 153  "Many of [her] story ideas," according to Gale's Something About the Author, "are generated from words that 'sound right' together, while others are inspired by her own experiences or by research."[2]: 154 

Accolades

In 2001, Roberts' Gramps and the Fire Dragon was honored as a Children's Choice selection by the International Reading Association and Children's Book Council.[2]: 153 [7]

Bibliography

Waiting-for series

Holiday Mice series

The Holiday Mice books are illustrated by Doug Cushman and published by Clarion.

Standalone books

  • The Two O'Clock Secret, illustrated by Robin Kramer (1992, Albert Whitman)[8]
  • Camel Caravan, co-written with Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Cheryl Munro Taylor (1996, Tambourine)
  • Cat Parade, illustrated by Diane Greenseid (1996, Clarion)
  • Eleven Elephants Going Up!, co-written with Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Minh Uong (1996, Whispering Coyote Press)
  • Monster Manners, illustrated by Andrew Glass (1996, Clarion)
  • A Mouse Told His Mother, illustrated by Maryjane Begin (1997, Little, Brown)
  • Follow Me!, illustrated by Diane Greenseid (1998, Clarion)
  • Gramps and the Fire Dragon, illustrated by Melissa Iwai (2000, Clarion)[9][n 1]
  • The Wind's Garden, illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg (2001, Henry Holt)
  • May Belle and the Ogre, illustrated by Marsha Winborn (2003, Dutton)
  • Rosie to the Rescue, illustrated by Kay Chorao (2003, Henry Holt)
  • Cat Skidoo, illustrated by R.W. Alley (2004, Henry Holt)
  • Ogre Eats Everything, illustrated by Marsha Winborn (2005, Dutton)[10]
  • Cookie Angel, illustrated by Vladimir Vagin (2007, Henry Holt)
  • Double Trouble Groundhog Day, illustrated by Lorinda Bryan Cauley (2008, Henry Holt)

Notes

  1. ↑ Something About the Author lists a 1997 date predating the official publication.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pettit, John (December 11, 1994). "Wallingford native reads her stories at library". Record-Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. p. B3. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kumar, Lisa, ed. (2010). "Roberts, Bethany 1949–". Something About the Author. Vol. 202. Gale Research. pp. 153–155. ISBN 978-1-4144-3499-5. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  3. 1 2 Peacock, Scot, ed. (2002). "Roberts, Bethany". Something About the Author. Vol. 133. Gale Research. p. 179. ISBN 0-7876-5205-9. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 Fletcher, Connie (May 2004). "Review: 'Fourth of July Mice!'". Booklist. Vol. 100, no. 18. p. 1626. ISSN 0006-7385. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  5. 1 2 Zaleski, Jeff (May 3, 2004). "Children's Notes: A Red-White-and-Blue Parade". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 251, no. 18. pp. 194–195. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  6. ↑ Fowler, Bonnie (June 27, 2004). "Children's Books: Flag-waving tales will make for amusing holiday reading". Winston-Salem Journal. p. A18. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Children's Choices for 2001: Young Readers: 'Gramps and the Fire Dragon'". The Reading Teacher. International Reading Association/Wiley. 55 (2): 178. October 2001. ISSN 0034-0561. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via JSTOR.
  8. ↑ Albert Whitman & Company (November 1992). "Albert Whitman & Company's Fall Harvest of Books 1992 (Advertisement)". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 46 (3): End Matter. ISSN 0008-9036. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via HathiTrust.
  9. ↑ Poe, Brenda (July 11, 2003). "Woman enjoys working for kids". Santa Maria Times. Santa Maria, California. p. C6. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Knickerbocker, Anne (June 2005). "Review: 'Ogre Eats Everything'". School Library Journal. Vol. 51, no. 6. p. 126. ISSN 0362-8930. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via ProQuest.
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