Hegel, Claudette 1959- (Claudette Hegel Comfort)

PERSONAL:

Surname is pronounced "Hay-gl"; born March 17, 1959, in Bismarck, ND; daughter of Reuben (a farmer, rancher, and handyman) and Alma Lydia (a farmer and homemaker) Hegel; married Daniel Comfort, February 9, 1980 (divorced March 11, 1999). Ethnicity: "German American." Education: Attended University of Minnesota, 1989-91, and Minnesota School of Business, 1992. Politics: "Vote for candidate, not affiliation." Religion: "Nondenominational Protestant." Hobbies and other interests: Reading, walking, listening to music, enjoying nature.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Boomington, MN. E-mail—ClaudetteHegell@comcast.net.

CAREER:

Freelance writer and editor, 1988—. Worked as a bookkeeper in Bismarck, ND, and Minneapolis, MN, 1977-94. Volunteer at public libraries, elementary schools, churches and other organizations.

MEMBER:

Randolph Canldecott Society UK, Randolph Caldecott Society of America, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (regional advisor, 1993, 2003-05), Friends of Minneapolis Public Library, Friends of the Penn Lake Library, Kerlan Friends.

WRITINGS:

(As Claudette Hegel Comfort) Distinguished Children's Literature, T.S. Denison (Minneapolis, MN), 1990, revised edition, 1992.

(As Claudette Hegel Comfort) The Newbery and Caldecott Books in the Classroom, Incentive Publications (Nashville, TN), 1991, revised edition, 1997, 2002.

Newbery and Caldecott Trivia and More for Every Day of the Year, Libraries Unlimited (Englewood, CO), 2000.

Bookmarks across the Curriculum, Linworth Publishing (Worthington, OH), 2002.

Randolph Caldecott: An Illustrated Life, Avisson Press (Greensboro, NC), 2004.

John Newbery: A Life in Books, Avisson Press (Greensboro, NC), 2007.

Scriptwriter for the videotape Los animales, Peapod Productions, 1993. Author of "Book Shop News," a column in Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library Newsletter, 1989; a human interest column in the South Minneapolis, MN Sun-Current, 1991-92; and a column for Once upon a Time, 2006—. Contributor of articles and short stories to magazines and newspapers, including In Touch, Equal Time, Hopscotch, Let's Live, Purrrrr!, Book News & Views, Children's Literature Network E-Magazine, Cygnet, Library Media Connection, Library Talk, MAST, High Adventure, and Once Upon a Time. Editor of FM/FMA Newsupdate, 1997-98.

SIDELIGHTS:

Claudette Hegel has contributed short stories to periodicals for children as well as articles that explore children's literature to mainstream magazines and newspapers. Her main focus has been on award-winning books for children, and her own library collection includes all of the Newbery and Caldecott winners and honor books.

Hegel's books include Distinguished Children's Literature, The Newbery and Caldecott Books in the Classroom, and Newbery and Caldecott Trivia and More for Every Day of the Year. They focus on children's literature and the major prizes given out for outstanding children's literature. In Randolph Caldecott: An Illustrated Life, Hegel writes about the British artist for whom the Caldecott Award for children's book illustration was named. Caldecott (1846-1886), whose own drawings are included in the book, created book and magazine illustrations, oil paintings, and sculptures. He suffered from ill health all of his life and died at the age of thirty-nine in Florida while visiting the United States. In addition to chronicling Caldecott's life, Hegel offers detailed back matter, including a list of all of the Caldecott winners and honor books.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2004, Carolyn Phelan, review of Randolph Caldecott: An Illustrated Life, p. 321.

ONLINE

Once upon a Time Online,http://www.onceuponatime.com/ (November 30, 2006), brief biography.