CHESWORTH, Michael

Personal

Male.

Addresses

Home— P.O. Box 417, Amherst, MA 01004. E-mail— mike@crashbangboom.com.

Career

Author and illustrator.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Rainy Day Dream, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1992.

Archibald Frisby, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1994.

Monsters on the Loose, WhistleStop (Mahwah, NJ), 1996.

Alphaboat, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

ILLUSTRATOR

Dwight L. Holden, Gran-gran's Best Trick, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1989.

Roberta Chaplan, Tell Me a Story, Paint Me the Sun: When A Girl Feels Ignored by Her Father, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Saxby Pridemore, Julia, Mungo, and the Earthquake: A Story for Young People about Epilepsy, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Patricia O. Quinn, Putting on the Brakes: Young People's Guide to Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Magination Press (New York, NY), 1991.

William Harry Harding, Alvin's Famous No-Horse, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Joyce C. Mills, Little Tree: A Story for Children with Serious Medical Problems, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1992.

Dian Curtis Regan, The Curse of the Trouble Dolls, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Burton Marks, Duck's Truck, Reader's Digest Association (Pleasantville, NY), 1993.

Burton Marks, Pig's Car, Reader's Digest Association (Pleasantville, NY), 1993.

Joyce C. Mills, Gentle Willow: A Story for Children about Dying, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1993.

Susan Beth Pfeffer, The Riddle Streak, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1993.

Jonathan H. Weiss, Breath Easy: Young People's Guide to Asthma, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Steve Charney, Six Thick Thumbs: A Tongue-twisting Tale, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1994.

Justine Korman, The Monster in Room 202, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1994.

Steven Kroll, Doctor on an Elephant, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1994.

John M. Lexau, Trouble Will Find You, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

Joyce C. Mills, Gentle Willow: A Story for Children about Dying, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 1994.

B. G. Hennessy, Olympics!, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking's After-Christmas Party, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.

W. Carter Merbreier, Television: What's behind What You See, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1996.

Louis Phillips, Keep 'em Laughing: Jokes to Amuse and Annoy Your Friends, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.

Judith M. Stern, Many Ways to Learn: Young People's Guide to Learning Disabilities, Magination Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Astrid Lindgren, The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, Viking (New York, NY), 1997.

Bonnie S. Mark-Goldstein, I'll Know What to Do: A Kid's Guide to Natural Disasters, Magination Press (Washington, DC), 1997.

Bill Martin, Swish!, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1997.

Mordecai Richler, Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 1997.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Goes to School, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.

Sara Swan Miller, Better than TV, Bantam Doubleday Dell (New York, NY), 1998.

Maggie Lewis, Morgy Makes His Move, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1999.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Goes to the Circus, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi's Extraordinary Ordinary Day, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.

Nancy Matson, The Boy Trap, Front Street/Cricket Books (Chicago, IL), 1999.

Mary Quattlebaum, Aunt CeeCee, Aunt Belle, and Mama's Surprise, Doubleday Book for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1999.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi to the Rescue, Viking (New York, NY), 2000.

Pat McKissack, Miami Gets It Straight, Golden Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Peggy Wethered, Touchdwon Mars!: An ABC Adventure, Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

Bill Martin, Little Granny Quarterback, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

Pat McKissack, Miami Makes the Play, Golden Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Pat McKissack, Miami Sees It Through, Golden Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Laurence P. Pringle, Come to the Ocean's Edge: A Nature Cycle Book, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2003.

Jonathan H. Weiss, Breathe Easy: Young People's Guide to Asthma, Magination Press (Washington, DC), 2003.

Patricia Newman, Jingle the Brass, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

Teresa Bateman, Fluffy, Scourge of the Sea, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2005.

Maggie Lewis, Morgy Coast to Coast, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2005.

Kathleen Pelley, Inventor McGregor, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York, NY), 2005.

Sidelights

Children's author and illustrator Michael Chesworth has animated the pages of numerous books, among them stories by Bill Martin, Astrid Lindgren, and Pat McKissack, just to name a few. While title such as Jingle the Brass, Touchdown Mars!: An ABC Adventure, Pippi tothe Rescue, and Rainy Day Dream, feature Chesworth's engaging artwork, books such as Alphaboat also includes the illustrator's original text.

Alphaboat engages readers in both a playful and educational tale that follows Mellow D's quest to find a hidden treasure chest on the I-land, with the help of all the letters of the alphabet, both upper and lower case. Each letter is personified in a colorful illustration that distinguishes its unique characteristics. In addition, Chesworth utilizes a rhyme scheme to keep kids entertained and the story enjoyable. "The lighthearted play will make you giggle as you read this tale to your children," commented Childhood Education reviewer Lisa Bilansky. A Publishers Weekly contributor also enjoyed the work, dubbing Alphaboat "Witty," and noting that Chesworth's "brain-teasing voyage … should tickle the newly literate and old salts as well."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 1994, Hazel Rochman, review of Archibald Frisby, p. 1458; April 1, 1994, Carolyn Phelan, review of Trouble Will Find You, p. 1448; November 15, 1994, Carolyn Phelan, review of Doctor on an Elephant, p. 607; October 15, 1999, Kay Weisman, review of Pippi's Extraordinary Ordinary Day, p. 446; October 1, 2000, Lauren Peterson, review of Pippi to the Rescue, p. 340; October 15, 2002, Julie Cummins, review of Alphaboat, p. 410.

Childhood Education, spring, 2003, Lisa Bilansky, review of Alphaboat, p. 178.

Children's Playmate, July-August, 1995, Christine De la Croix, review of Archibald Frisby, p. 31.

Horn Book, September-October, 2004, Peter D. Sieruta, review of Jingle the Brass, p. 573.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2002, review of Alphaboat, p. 1124.

Publishers Weekly, November 9, 1992, review of Rainy Day Dream, p. 82; April 4, 1994, review of Archibald Frisby, p. 78; July 21, 1997, review of Swish!, p. 200; August 12, 2002, review of Alphaboat, p. 299.

School Library Journal, October, 2000, Carolyn Stacey, review of Touchdown Mars!: An ABC Adventure, p. 154; September, 2002, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of Alphaboat, p. 182; June, 2004, Steven Engelfried, review of Alphaboat, p. 56.

ONLINE

Michael Chesworth Web site, http://www.crashbangboom.com (March 19, 2005).