Abercrombie, Barbara 1939- (Barbara Mattes Abercrombie)

PERSONAL:

Born April 6, 1939, in Evanston, IL; daughter of William F. (a businessman and writer) and Grace (a pianist) Mattes; married second husband, Robert V. Adams, 1997; children: Brooke, Gillian, three stepchildren. Education: Attended Briarcliff College and Los Angeles Harbor College.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Santa Monica, CA; Twin Bridges, MT. E-mail—Barbara@BarbaraAbercrombie.com.

CAREER:

Actor, educator, and author. Actor in stage and television productions, including on television series Ironside and Route 66; freelance writer. University of California, Los Angeles, Extension, teacher in The Writers' Program; teacher of creative writing to children. Conductor of workshops for Wellness Community.

AWARDS, HONORS:

University of California, Los Angeles, Extension Outstanding Teacher Award, 1994,

WRITINGS:

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

(Editor) The Other Side of a Poem, Harper (New York, NY), 1977.

Amanda and Heather, and Company, illustrated by Mimi St. John, Dandelion (New York, NY), 1979.

Cat-Man's Daughter, Harper (New York, NY), 1981.

Charlie Anderson, illustrated by Mark Graham, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Michael and the Cats, illustrated by Mark Graham, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

Bad Dog, Dodger!, illustrated by Adam Gustavson, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Show-and-Tell Lion, illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2006.

OTHER

(With Norma Almquist and Jeanne Nichols) Traveling without a Camera (poems), Peck Street Press, 1978.

Good Riddance (adult novel), Harper (New York, NY), 1979.

Run for Your Life (adult novel), Morrow (New York, NY), 1984.

Writing out the Storm: Reading and Writing Your Way through Serious Illness or Injury, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story, New World Library, 2007.

Contributor of articles, essays, and poems to newspapers and magazines, including Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and United Airlines Hemisphere magazine.

SIDELIGHTS:

Barbara Abercrombie is the author of two adult novels and several books for children, as well as of Writing out the Storm: Reading and Writing YourWay through Serious Illness or Injury, which is based on the author's personal struggle with breast cancer. "I write to make things clear to myself," she once explained in discussing her work for children, which includes picture books such as Charlie Anderson and The Show-and-Tell Lion. "I write about the things that happen in my own family from my own viewpoint," she added, noting that, as an adult, that viewpoint is "not very different from the way I was in terms of thoughts and feelings at age ten."

In Abercrombie's picture book Michael and the Cats, a young boy visiting his aunt tries to befriend the woman's two cats by attempting "things that would make him happy if he were a cat," as Ellen Fader explained in Horn Book. Nothing the boy tries seems to work, until he learns what it is that cats actually like. Emily Melton, reviewing the work for Booklist, noted that in Michael and the Cats "children will learn … that imposing their own ideas of friendship may not work, but putting themselves in another's place usually produces the desired response." "Abercrombie perfectly captures the tenuous nature of friendship between pets and small children," Fader concluded, "she never preaches, yet manages to convey the necessity of accepting animals on their own terms."

Another child befriends an animal in Bad Dog, Dodger!, which features oil paintings by illustrator Adam Gustavson. Abercrombie's story introduces readers to Sam, a nine year old who wants to have a dog. Sam's parents insist that he prove he is responsible enough, but when he does so, and the dog is acquired, a new problem begins. The rambunctious new pup, aptly named Dodger, is full of energy. He knocks over the garbage, chews things, and even follows Sam to school, until the boy begins to get up early each morning and put the puppy through a training program. A critic for Kirkus Reviews called Bad Dog, Dodger! "a perfect cautionary tale for a youngster about to get a first dog." According to Dorian Chong, reviewing the book for School Library Journal, Abercrombie presents readers with "a well-written, charmingly illustrated story with a satisfying, happy ending."

Critters of a different sort are the focus of both Charlie Anderson and The Show-and-Tell Lion. In Charlie Anderson two sisters think that they are adopting a stray cat, until they learn that the cat has, in fact, adopted their family as its second home. Accompanied by what Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper described as "imaginative, wonderfully child-friendly artwork" by Lynne Avril Cravath, The Show-and-Tell Lion finds Matthew at a loss when his turn for show-and-tell arrives, until his vivid imagination solves the problem. Everyone in class is impressed to learn that Matthew shares his house with a baby lion named Larry. When the boy embellishes his tall tale with daily updates about his house-lion, however, his classmates ask to see the creature, creating something of a quandary for the imaginative boy. Reviewing Charlie Anderson for School Library Journal, Shirley Wilton noted the story's gentle message and praised the "soft-toned, realistic paintings" by illustrator Mark Graham. In School Library Journal, Grace Oliff noted that The Show-and-Tell Lion "could spark discussions about the value of honesty and facing up to bad decisions," and a Kirkus Reviews writer praised the fact that Abercrombie's tale "perfectly embodies the importance of creativity, honesty and acceptance."

In Writing out the Storm Abercrombie draws on her own experience of having breast cancer to show others how writing can be a faith-building activity for those going through a serious illness. A critic for Publishers Weekly praised the work as "a moving, unsentimental portrait of the author with breast cancer," noting that the book includes excerpts from such writers as Raymond Carver, Gilda Radner, Andre Dubus, and other who have weathered adversity. In an article for the Baltimore Sun, Abercrombie discussed her bout with cancer. She does not refer to herself as a "survivor" because, for her, that term is "overly dramatic, implying courage that hadn't been earned." "The majority of women I know who are diagnosed with breast cancer get treatment and go on with their lives," Abercrombie added, "and many of these women don't want to be identified for all time as a breast cancer survivor."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Baltimore Sun, October 30, 2002, Barbara Abercrombie, "A Brighter Outlook on Breast Cancer," p. 11A.

Booklist, December 15, 1993, Emily Melton, review of Michael and the Cats, p. 762; September 15, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of The Show-and-Tell Lion, p. 193.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 1981, review of Cat-Man's Daughter, p. 61.

Horn Book, February, 1982, Karen M. Klockner, review of Cat-Man's Daughter, p. 49; January-February, 1994, Ellen Fader, review of Michael and the Cats, p. 58.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2002, review of Bad Dog, Dodger!, p. 560; June 1, 2006, review of The Show-and-Tell Lion, p. 567.

New York Times Book Review, March 18, 1984, Newgate Callendar, review of Run for Your Life, p. 27.

Publishers Weekly, August 29, 1980, review of Good Riddance, p. 364; December 2, 1983, review of Run for Your Life, p. 81; June 24, 2002, review of Writing out the Storm: Reading and Writing Your Way through Serious Illness or Injury, p. 52.

School Library Journal, October, 1981, Karen Stang Hanley, review of Cat-Man's Daughter, p. 148; October, 1990, Shirley Wilton, review of Charlie Anderson; October, 1993, Nancy Seiner, review of Michael and the Cats, p. 90; November, 2002, Dorian Chong, review of Bad Dog, Dodger!, p. 110; July, 2006, Grace Oliff, review of The Show-and-Tell Lion, p. 68.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), June 23, 2002, review of Bad Dog, Dodger!, p. 5.

ONLINE

Barbara Abercrombie Home Page,http://www.barbaraabercrombie.com (August 8, 2007).

Writing Time Web site,http://www.writingtime.net/ (August 27, 2007).