Children's Author/Illustrator Biographies

Adoff, Arnold
Author
www.arnoldadoff.com
 
Biography provided by Simon and Schuster.

Arnold Adoff grew up in the Bronx where he discovered his love for writing. After graduating from New York's City College, he went on to study at Columbia University and the New School for Social Research. He was a teacher and counselor for twelve years and has taught in other educational projects at New York University and Connecticut College. Adoff lives with his wife, celebrated writer Virginia Hamilton and says his own writings reflect our diverse world and "go beyond the so-called 'American' literature texts I encountered as a student and teacher."

"I want these poems to sing into your eyes, crinkle your nose, slide down to wiggling toes. Through all seasons, indoors and out, there has to be a balance between head and heart. Words remind us to chew that sweet apple taste into our brains. In the middle of an itch, please remember to scratch. And touch these poems, as these poems touch you. Just feel good and enjoy."

Winner of the 1988 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children and the author of over 30 books for children and young adults, Arnold Adoff discovered his love for words as a child growing up in the Bronx. "I read everything in the house and then all I could carry home each week from the libraries I could reach on Bronx buses," Adoff remembers.

After graduating from New York's City College, Adoff went on to study at Columbia University and the New School for Social Research. He was a teacher and counselor in New York City public schools for twelve years and has taught in educational projects at New York University and Connecticut College - experiences that help him capture the reality of childhood in his work.

Adoff's goal is to create real characters that kids can relate to. In addition to his own writings, he has edited several anthologies of African-American poetry. His works are an effort to reflect the diversity of the world. Adoff tries to create a multi-cultural portrait of the world, in order to paint an accurate picture of America today for his readers.

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