Goldfinger, Jennifer P. 1963–

Personal

Born February 1, 1963; married (husband a radiologist); children: two daughters. Hobbies and other interests: Cross-country skiing, playing squash, mountain biking.

Addresses

Home and office—Lexington, MA. E-mail—evaesme@rcn.com.

Career

Author and illustrator of books for children. Abstract painter, working in oils, acrylics, and encaustic paints.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Children's Book Council, Picture Book Artists Association.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

A Fish Named Spot, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2001.

My Dog Lyle, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2007.

ILLUSTRATOR

Eleanor Florence, The Mystery of the Ancient Coins, Guild Press Emmis Books (Zionsville, IN), 2003.

Charlie Thomas, I Need Glasses, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Linda Hayward, The King's Chorus, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

In her work as an author and illustrator, Jennifer P. Goldfinger entertains young readers with fun artwork and engaging stories. In addition to creating artwork for her original stories in My Dog Lyle and A Fish Named Spot, Goldfinger has also created illustrations for text by other writers, as in The King's Chorus, written by Linda Hayward, I Need Glasses, by Charlie Thomas, and The Mystery of the Ancient Coins by Eleanor Florence. In The King's Chorus a cocky rooster named Kadoodle loves to hear himself crow. Crowing day and evening, he keeps the rest of the barnyard awake all night. Hoping to silence the noisy rooster, Honketta the goose tells Kadoodle a story about a king who owns some of the world's most renowned roosters—roosters who only crow at dawn. Kadoodle, in his pride, wants to be considered among these premier roosters and appropriately crows only at dawn. Shelle Rosenfeld, writing in School Library Journal, commented of the book that Goldfinger mirrors the energy of Hayward's text in "charming, richly hued and textured illustrations [which] incorporate plenty of playful perspectives." According to a Kirkus Reviews critic, the illustrations for The King's Chorus "radiate colorful, quirky appeal."

In My Dog Lyle Goldfinger creates art to pair with her original story about a little girl who boasts proudly about all the wonderful and unusual characteristics of her beloved dog Lyle. My Dog Lyle includes "vibrant illustrations" that help give the story's doggy hero "a well-defined personality," according to a Kirkus Reviews critic. Rachel Kamin, in her School Library Journal review of My Dog Lyle, applauded the book's child-friendly story and wrote that Goldfinger's "lively text matches perfectly with [her] … vibrant, playful illustrations."

"I think my biggest advantage as a writer is the ability to see things the way children do," Goldfinger told SATA. "I feel like I can really connect with children when I read them my books, and also in talking to them about funny stories that I remember as a child. I bring this attitude to everything I do. I love to create in all ways, although originally I did so as an artist."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2001, review of A Fish Named Spot, p. 2019; February 15, 2007, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of The King's Chorus; June 1, 2007, Julie Cummins, review of My Dog Lyle, p. 83.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of My Dog Lyle, p. 25.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2007, review of The King's Chorus, p. 1072; June 15, 2007, review of My Dog Lyle.

Publishers Weekly, April 9, 2001, review of A Fish Named Spot, p. 74.

School Library Journal, June, 2001, Shawn Brommer, review of A Fish Named Spot, p. 114; June, 2007, review of My Dog Lyle, p. 100.

ONLINE

Jennifer P. Goldfinger Home Page,http://www.jennifergoldfinger.com (November 17, 2007).

Children's Bookwatch Web site,http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (January 1, 2007), review of The King's Chorus.

Picture Book Artists Association Web site,http://www.picturebookartists.org/ (January 2, 2008), profile of Gold-finger.