Johnston, Tony 1942-

Personal

Born January 30, 1942, in Los Angeles, CA; daughter of David Leslie (a golf professional) and Ruth Taylor; married Roger D. Johnston (a banker), June 25, 1966; children: Jennifer, Samantha, Ashley. Education: Stanford University, B.A. (history), 1963, M.Ed., 1964. Hobbies and other interests: Archaeology, collecting dance masks and Latin American textiles, collecting children's books and children's book art, Western history, especially of California.

Addresses

Home—San Marino, CA.

Career

Children's book author. Fourth-grade teacher in public elementary school, Altadena, CA, 1964-66; McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York, NY, editing supervisor, 1966-68; Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, copy editor of children's books, 1969. University of California—Los Angeles Extension, teacher of picture-book writing. Active member, Friends of the Adobes.

Awards, Honors

Children's Choice Award, Harris County Public Library, 1979, for Four Scary Stories; Children's Choice designation, 1986, for The Quilt Story; Outstanding Literary Quality in a Picture Book honor, Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People, 1989, for Yonder; Parents' Choice Award for Children's Books, 1992, for Slither McCreep and His Brother, Joe; named Honorary Texan, 1993, for The Cowboy and the Black-eyed Pea; award from Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People (now California Literature Council), 1997, for body of work; Simon Wiesenthal Once upon a World Award, and City of Los Angeles plaque, both 1997, both for The Wagon; American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Henry Bergh Honor, 2000, for It's about Dogs; John and Patricia Beatty Award, Southern California Bookseller's Association, and Golden Dolphin Award, Southern California Booksellers Association, both 2003, both for Any Small Goodness; Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, 2004, for Isabel's House of Butterflies.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

The Adventures of Mole and Troll, illustrated by Wallace Tripp, Putnam (New York, NY), 1972.

Fig Tale, illustrated by Giulio Maestro, Putnam (New York, NY), 1974.

Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, illustrated by Wallace Tripp, Putnam (New York, NY), 1974.

Odd Jobs, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977.

Five Little Foxes and the Snow, illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977.

Night Noises, and Other Mole and Troll Stories, illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977.

Four Scary Stories, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1978.

Little Mouse Nibbling, illustrated by Diane Stanley, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.

Dedos de luna (title means "Moon Fingers"), illustrated by Leonel Maciel, Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico City, Mexico), 1979.

Conchas y caracoles (title means "Shells and Snails"), Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico City, Mexico), 1979.

Animales fantásticas (title means "Fantastic Animals"), Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico City, Mexico), 1979.

Happy Birthday, Mole and Troll, illustrated by Cindy Szekeres, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.

Odd Jobs and Friends, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.

The Vanishing Pumpkin, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

Mi Regalo (title means "My Present"), Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico City, Mexico), 1984.

The Witch"s Hat, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.

The Quilt Story, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1985.

Farmer Mack Measures His Pig, illustrated by Megan Lloyd, Harper (New York, NY), 1986.

Whale Song, illustrated by Ed Young, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Yonder, illustrated by Lloyd Bloom, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1988, reprinted, Gibbs Smith (Salt Lake City, UT), 2002.

Pages of Music, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

My Friend Bear, Ladybird Books (London, England), 1989.

The Badger and the Magic Fan: A Japanese Folktale, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

The Soup Bone, illustrated by Margot Tomes, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1990.

I'm Gonna Tell Mama I Want an Iguana (poems), illustrated by Lillian Hoban, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

Grandpa's Song, illustrated by Brad Sneed, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1991.

Goblin Walk, illustrated by Bruce Degen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

Little Bear Sleeping, illustrated by Lillian Hoban, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

The Promise, illustrated by Pamela Keavney, Harper (New York, NY), 1992.

The Cowboy and the Black-eyed Pea, illustrated by Warren Ludwig, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

Slither McCreep and His Brother, Joe, illustrated by Victoria Chess, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1992.

Lorenzo, the Naughty Parrot, illustrated by Leo Politi, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1992.

The Last Snow of Winter, illustrated by Friso Henstra, Tambourine (New York, NY), 1993.

The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

(Translator) My Mexico = Mexico mío, illustrated by F. John Sierra, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Three Little Bikers, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Knopf (New York, NY), 1994.

The Old Lady and the Birds, illustrated by Stephanie Garcia, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Little Rabbit Goes to Sleep, illustrated by Harvey Stevenson, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994.

Amber on the Mountain, illustrated by Robert Duncan, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Alice Nizzy Nazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

The Iguana Brothers, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Very Scary, illustrated by Douglas Florian, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

How Many Miles to Jacksonville?, illustrated by Bart Forbes, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Little Wild Parrot, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Bull and the Fire Truck, illustrated by R.W. Alley, East West Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Fishing Sunday, illustrated by Barry Root, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Dial Books for Young Readers, (New York, NY), 1996.

The Magic Maguey, illustrated by Elisa Kleven, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm, illustrated by Thomas B. Allen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

The Wagon, illustrated by James E. Ransome, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Day of the Dead, illustrated by Jeanette Winter, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

We Love the Dirt, illustrated by Alexa Brandenberg, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School, illustrated by Susannah Ryan, Scholastic Press (New York, NY), 1997.

The Chizzywink and the Alamagoozlum, illustrated by Robert Bender, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1998.

Boo!: A Ghost Story That Could Be True, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Sparky and Eddie: Trouble with Bugs, illustrated by Susannah Ryan, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo!, illustrated by Susannah Ryan, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, illustrated by James Warhola, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

An Old Shell: Poems of the Galápagos, illustrated by Tom Pohrt, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1999.

Big Red Apple, illustrated by Judith Hoffman Corwin, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 1999.

It's about Dogs, illustrated by Ted Rand, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Uncle Rain Cloud, illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2000.

The Barn Owls, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2000.

Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio, illustrated by Raúl Colón, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Desert Song, illustrated by Ed Young, Sierra Club Books for Children (San Francisco, CA), 2000.

The Whole Green World, illustrated by Elsa Kleven, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 2001.

Angel City, illustrated by Carole Byard, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2001.

Cat, What Is That?, illustrated by Wendell Minor, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

My Best Friend Bear, illustrated by Joy Allen, Rising Moon (Flagstaff, AZ), 2001.

Clear Moon, Snow Soon, illustrated by Guy Porfirio, Rising Moon (Flagstaff, AZ), 2001.

Desert Dog, illustrated by Robert Weatherford, Sierra Club Books for Children (San Francisco, CA), 2001.

Gopher up Your Sleeve, illustrated by Trip Park, Rising Moon (Flagstaff, AZ), 2001.

Sticky People, illustrated by Cyd Moore, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

That Summer, illustrated by Barry Moser, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Sunsets of the West, illustrated by Ted Lewin, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Alien and Possum Hanging Out, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Go Track a Yak!, illustrated by Tim Raglin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

The Mummy's Mother, Sky Blue Press (New York, NY), 2003.

A Kenya Christmas, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2003.

Isabel's House of Butterflies, illustrated Susan Guevara, Sierra Club Books for Children (San Francisco, CA), 2003.

The Ancestors Are Singing, illustrated by Karen Barbour, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 2003.

The Worm Family, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Harmonica, illustrated by Ron Mazellan, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2004.

Ten Fat Turkeys, illustrated by Rich Deas, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Noel, illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Chicken in the Kitchen, illustrated by Eleanor Taylor, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Off to Kindergarten, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Cartwheel Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Bone by Bone by Bone, Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT), 2007.

Contributor to textbooks. Contributor to periodicals, including Cricket. Contributor to numerous poetry anthologies.

Author's papers are housed in the Tony Johnston Collection, Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

Adaptations

The Last Snow of Winter and Fishing Sunday were adapted as electronic books by iPictureBooks (New York, NY), 2001.

Sidelights

Tony Johnston, named for the cowboy Tom Mix's horse, is a versatile author of books for preschool-and gradeschool-aged children whose works include fiction and nonfiction, picture books, poetry, and early readers. Johnston's novels are for middle-grade, young-adult, and older audiences. A number of her books, which include the picture books Go Track a Yak! and The Worm Family as well as the middle-grade Arthurian spoof The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, feature quirky characters—both human and animal—in a variety of unusual situations. Other books, such as The Quilt Story, focus on historical or contemporary themes, while still others feature bilingual texts in which Spanish words intermingle with a largely English text. In appraising the many books to her credit, it is difficult to pin Johnston down to a specific focus, in part due to her wide-ranging interests. "I am curious about everything," she said in an interview for the Harcourt Web site. "Since grammar school, I've been collecting newspaper articles about archaeology, legendary beings (Bigfoot, the Hodag, Yeti), bugs, history, dinosaurs, coelacanths,…—you name it. Maybe curiosity killed the cat, but it sure sustains this writer."

Johnston was born in Los Angeles and grew up in nearby San Marino. As a child, she loved reading and books, and was most impressed by the fantasies of J.R.R. Tolkien. As she recalled to a Junior Literary Guild contributor, her interest in writing was "partly a desire to be in that other world of fantasy and partly an attempt to transfer to paper the traces that keep popping up from time to time to take me back—traces of childhood." Johnston's fascination with T.H. White's novel quartet about King Arthur inspired her novel The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, in which fourth grader Martha Snapdragon discovers that her science teacher is raising dragons. As the school bully takes on the role of Martha's arch nemesis and school principal Mr. Klunk sets his evil designs on ruling the world (at least, the world of Horace E. Bloggins Elementary School), Martha finds her destiny in the prophecy surrounding a spoon that is wedged in the tile wall of the school's boy's bathroom. In School Library Journal, Terrie Dorio dubbed The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall an "entertaining story," and a Publishers Weekly critic concluded that, "with duly preposterous pomp, [Johnston's] … comically written caper builds to a crowning scene of glory."

After graduating from Stanford University, Johnston taught for two years at a public school in Altadena, California. When her husband's job required them to relocate, Johnston moved east to New York City, where she worked for a number of years as an editing supervisor and a copy editor for children's books. While working at Harper & Row, Johnston benefited from her job as private secretary to legendary editor Ursula Nordstrom. In 1972 Putnam published her first children's book, The Adventures of Mole and Troll.

Everyday childhood situations were the inspiration for the first of Johnston's popular "Mole and Troll" stories, while the second, Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, was based on the author's memories of her own real-life Christmases. Other books in the series include Night Noises, and Other Mole and Troll Stories and Happy Birthday, Mole and Troll. A Booklist reviewer, describing Johnston's endearing protagonists as "two of the more worthwhile recurring easy-reader actors," went on to call Mole and Troll "ingenious and distinct, and they regularly show evidence of a remarkable likeness-of-soul to their audience."

Animals are also cast in the title role of Five Little Foxes and the Snow, which was inspired by a Christmas the author spent in New Hampshire. In Little Mouse Nibbling Johnston introduces a very shy mouse who stays inside nibbling at this and that until a cricket brings Christmas carolers to her door, while The Worm Family finds a squirmy seven-member family proud of their worminess, despite the disdain of their less-twisty neighbors. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote of Little Mouse Nibbling that Johnston's "unabashedly sentimental Christmas fantasy should find its way under many a Yuletide tree for years to come," while School Library Journal writer John Sigwald praised The Worm Family as "a unique take on prejudice."

In her picture-book texts, Johnston often uses a rhythmic, poetic style. Whale Song, which a Kirkus Reviews contributor deemed "a stunningly beautiful evocation of the gentle giants of the deep," is a paen to Nature; the numbers only represent the song that travels from whale to whale. Children will "respond to the chanting beat" of Chicken in the Kitchen, predicted Booklist contribu- tor Gillian Engberg, the reviewer adding that Johnston's "folksy language is appealing." Yonder is based on a Johnston family tradition in which trees are planted to commemorate the births and deaths of family members. "With the eloquent simplicity of a Shaker hymn, Tony Johnston's words capture the cyclical pattern of a farming way of life," Hanna B. Zeiger stated in a review of Yonder for Horn Book. The author's other poetry books include I'm Gonna Tell Mama I Want an Iguana, which includes mostly humorous poems on such diverse subjects as sunset, frogs' eggs, skeletons, and jellyfish. The collection was described by Tiffany Chrisman in Children's Book Review Service as a collection that "does much to stretch the imaginative powers" of its readers.

It's about Dogs is a collection of forty short poems, including rhymed quatrains, haiku, and blank verse, while Cat, What Is That? finds Johnston taking a similar poetic look at felines. According to Margaret Bush in School Library Journal, It's about Dogs includes both contains "poignant … as well as funny" moments, resulting in a "richly rendered tribute" to man's best friend. "Johnston's compact rhymes [are] often aston-

ishingly apt," a Publishers Weekly critic wrote in a review of Cat, What Is That?

Johnston profiles a fascinating creature in The Barn Owls, which focuses on a family of owls living in an old barn in California, while An Old Shell: Poems of the Galápagos presents young readers with a poetic look at the remarkable creatures of these isolated islands. Johnston offers over thirty very short poems in Gopher up Your Sleeve, a verse collection that features all manner of creatures: from caterpillars and parrots to quetzals and sloths. Citing the "outlandish, computer-generated illustrations" by Trip Park, School Library Journal contributor Kathleen Kelly MacMillan wrote that in Gopher up Your Sleeve Johnston "plays with language and rhyme in a way that will draw kids in."

In the more humorous Slither McCreep and His Brother, Joe two siblings deal with the usual problems of fighting and sharing. Rather than human children, however, Slither and Joe are boa constrictors, and they go around squeezing, swallowing, and ruining each other's possessions. Wilson Library Bulletin reviewers Donnarae MacCann and Olga Richard commented that Slither McCreep and His Brother, Joe "offers family realism plus one of the most zany, surreal settings imaginable." Similarly, The Chizzywink and the Alamogoozlum, a story featuring the letter "z", presents the tale of a marauding giant mosquito whose intentions are foiled by a healthy dose of maple syrup. Writing in Booklist, Susan Dove Lempke complimented Johnston's use of "rich language and a rhythm" in the book, adding that The Chizzywink and the Almagoozlum is amply suited to reading aloud.

Not all of Johnston's stories cast animals as main characters. For example, Odd Jobs focuses on an enterprising young man who will take on any job that is offered, including washing the dirtiest dog in town, standing in for a friend at dance class, and guarding a balloon from a bratty child brandishing a sharp pin. A critic for Booklist praised the fact that in Odd Jobs Johnston has "created a resilient, inventive character and put him into laughable situations." In what Booklist contributor Gillian Engberg described as "moving lines that read like free-verse poetry," Johnston tells a more poignant story in Angel City, a tale about an old man who finds a baby abandoned in a dumpster. Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio is also set in Los Angeles, and finds Arturo and his family working to diminish the impact of gang violence on their lives.

In the more lighthearted The Vanishing Pumpkin a seven-hundred-year-old woman and an eight-hundred-year-old man meet a ghoul, a rapscallion, and a varmint as they search for their missing Halloween pumpkin. The headgear featured in The Witch's Hat—a tale School Library Journal contributor Kay McPherson dubbed "fresh and funny"—falls into the witch's magic pot and turns into a bat, a rat, and a cat before Johnston's entertaining Halloween tale winds to a close; while a less-

helpful witch send a frustrated father on a foolish errand in Go Track a Yak! According to Horn Book contributor Ann A. Flowers, The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe is a "not too spooky story" about a man whose bones are dug up by a dog and how, as a ghost, he must retrieve them. Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella follows Ella the Bigfoot and her romance with a prince, presenting youngsters with a "silly twist on a favorite fairy tale" that deals with the romance question "with humor and style," according to a Publishers Weekly contributor. Also praising Johnston's quirky tale, Ellen Mandel, in her Booklist review, deemed Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella a "howlingly funny take on the original."

Readers are introduced to life during different periods of history in several books by Johnston. She takes readers back to ancient Egypt in The Mummy's Mother, a humorous story that finds a boy mummy determined to track down his mummy mother, stolen by grave robbers. Including art by award-winning illustrator Tomie dePaola, The Quilt Story introduces readers to Abigail, a young girl who finds comfort and companionship in the midnight-blue appliquéd quilt her mother made especially for her. Abigail and her family travel West via covered wagon and make a new home on the American frontier. As the girl grows up, her treasured quilt is eventually stored away in the attic, where, a century later, it is discovered by another little girl, who also finds it a comfort when her family moves. The true-life experience of Holocaust survivor Henryk Rosmaryn is the focus of The Harmonica, in which a Polish boy shares his musical gifts with others during a dark time.

Setting is an important component of Amber on the Mountain, a novel for older elementary-grade readers. Amber lives in an isolated mountain community that has no school or teacher; she has never even learned to read. However, when a man comes to build a mountain road (a seemingly impossible task), his daughter sets herself the just-as-impossible task of teaching Amber to read. When the road is completed and the man and his daughter leave, Amber teaches herself to write so that she can keep in touch with her new friend. A Kirkus Reviews critic stated that "Johnston's beautifully honed narrative glows with mountain imagery and the warmth of the girls' friendship," and a reviewer in Publishers Weekly called the novel a "heartwarming story" with "lyrical images and picturesque and convincing dialogue."

The setting for several of Johnston's books, including Lorenzo, the Naughty Parrot, The Old Lady and the Birds, My Mexico = Mexico mío, Uncle Rain Cloud, Day of the Dead, The Ancestors Are Singing, and Isabel's House of Butterflies, reflects the fact that the author and her family lived in Mexico for fifteen years. Featuring a bilingual text, My Mexico = Mexico mío contains eighteen short poems in English and Spanish versions, while Uncle Rain Cloud and Day of the Dead insert Spanish vocabulary within a mostly English text. In Uncle Rain Cloud Johnston introduces a man who needs his nephew to translate for him, although this dependency causes him embarrassment. Booklist reviewer Hazel Rochman called Uncle Rain Cloud "funny" and "touching," adding that "Johnston's text is clear and poetic." "Brisk pacing, sympathetic characters, and clear prose … effectively make a winner," concluded Ann Welton in her School Library Journal of the same book. In Day of the Dead the customs surrounding a well-known Mexican tradition of celebrating ancestors are incorporated into a "dazzling little volume," according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, while Isabel's House of Butterflies introduces children to the annual monarch butterfly migration into the mountains of Mexico.

In addition to picture books, Johnston has also written beginning readers such as Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What and the "Sparky and Eddie" series: Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School, Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo, and Sparky and Eddie: Trouble with Bugs. In Alien and Possum a possum sees a spaceship crash near his home, then befriends his alien visitor and learns about tolerance. The characters return in Alien and Possum Hanging Out, which follows the growing friendship between the unlikely duo in three short stories. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, the "springy pace, lively dialogue and Alien's silly sound effects" in Alien and Possum will appeal to the younger set. In Booklist, Carolyn Phelan cited Johnston's "ready wit and understanding of a child's perspective" in the two books, while a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Johnston's "droll and expressive language helps to add a little humor" to each story. In Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School two close friends are looking forward to the first day of school until they learn they will be in different classrooms, while Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo, find the siblings competing in the class rodeo. In Booklist, Rochman described Johnston's text in the series opener as "exuberant," while Phelan judged Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo a "highly entertaining entry in a fine series."

Johnston once explained to SATA, "I write because I'd rather not iron (and also because I love to). My work habits are lousy. I sit either with a dog in my lap or a dog underneath me if she gets to the chair first. My goal in writing is simply to entertain—myself and someone else. If I manage to stir up a little love of language or make someone laugh or feel good about himself or go back to the library for another book along the way, well, that's all pink frosting on the cake." In addition to her writing, Johnston adopted Del Rey School, in King City, California, in 1999, with the ongoing goal of providing books for both classroom and library use. Her interest in California history has also inspired her active interest in Friends of the Adobes, a San Miguel-based volunteer organization dedicated to restoring and keeping up ancient adobe structures in the region.

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Authors of Books for Young People, Scarecrow Press (Metuchen, NJ), 1990.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 1974, review of Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, p. 244; March 15, 1977, review of Night Noises and Other Mole and Troll Stories, p. 1097; November 15, 1977, review of Odd Jobs, p. 559; May 15, 1996, Kay Weisman, review of Fishing Sunday, p. 1592; July, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, p. 1829; October 15, 1996, Annie Ayres, review of The Magic Maguey, pp. 435-436, and Michael Cart, review of How Many Miles to Jacksonville?, p. 435; January 1, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Wagon, p. 869; February 1, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Bull and the Fire Truck, p. 949; August, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School, p. 1910; September 15, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of Day of the Dead, p. 242; February 1, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Sparky and Eddie: The First Day of School, p. 926; May 1, 1998, Carolyn Phelan, review of Sparky and Eddie: Wild, Wild Rodeo, p. 1524; June 1, 1998, Susan Dove Lempke, review of The Chizzywink and the Alamagoozlum, pp. 1779-1780; December 1, 1998, Ellen Mandel, review of Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, p. 668; December 1, 1999, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of An Old Shell: Poems of the Galápagos, p. 700; February 15, 2000, Todd Morning, review of The Barn Owls, p. 1118; March 15, 2000, John Peters, review of It's about Dogs, p. 1383; October 1, 2000, Gillian Engberg, review of Desert Song, p. 336; January 1, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of The Harmonica, p. 857; February 15, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of Uncle Rain Cloud, p. 1134; July, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What, p. 2023; November 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Clear Moon, Snow Soon, p. 482; April 1, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of The Ancestors Are Singing, p. 1406; September 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of A Kenyan Christmas, p. 134; November 1, 2003, Ed Sullivan, review of The Mummy's Mother, p. 497, and Carolyn Phelan, review of Isabel's House of Butterflies, p. 600; January 1, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Chicken in the Kitchen, p. 870; June 1, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Angel City, p. 84.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 1974, review of Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, p. 64; November, 2003, Deborah Stevenson, review of A Kenya Christmas, p. 109; January, 2004, Elizabeth Bush, review of The Mummy's Mother, p. 195; September, 2004, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Worm Family, p. 23.

Catholic Library World, March, 1973, review of Mole and Troll, p. 512.

Children's Book Review Service, December 19, 1990, Tiffany Chrisman, review of I'm Gonna Tell Mama I Want an Iguana, p. 39.

Horn Book, July-August, 1988, Hanna B. Zeiger, review of Yonder, p. 480; May-June, 1996, Nancy Vasilakis, review of My Mexico = Mexico mio, p. 345; November-December, 1996, Ann A. Flowers, review of The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, pp. 725-726; January-February, 1997, Anne Deifendeifer, review of Once in the Country: Poems of a Farm, p. 74.

Junior Bookshelf, April, 1975, review of Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, p. 98.

Junior Literary Guild, September, 1974, review of Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, p. 23.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1974, review of Mole and Troll Trim the Tree, p. 1302; August 15, 1987, review of Whale Song, p. 1241; June 15, 1994, review of Amber on the Mountain, p. 847; August 1, 2001, review of Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What, p. 1126; March 15, 2003, review of The Ancestors Are Singing, p. 469; June 15, 2003, review of Go Track a Yak!, p. 860; September 1, 2003, review of Isabel's House of Butterflies, p. 1126; October 1, 2003, review of The Mummy's Mother, p. 1225; November 1, 2003, review of A Kenya Christmas, p. 1317; December 15, 2003, review of The Harmonica, p. 1451; October 1, 2004, review of The Worm Family, p. 963; January 1, 2005, review of Chicken in the Kitchen, p. 53; March 15, 2005, review of The Whole Green World, p. 353; April 15, 2005, review of The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, p. 475; November 1, 2005, review of Noel, p. 1194; May 1, 2006, review of Sticky People, p. 461; May 15, 2006, review of Angel City, p. 518.

Publishers Weekly, May 7, 1979, review of Little Mouse Nibbling, p. 83; June 16, 1994, review of Amber on the Mountain, p. 63; October 9, 1995, review of Little Wild Parrot, p. 85; October 21, 1996, review of The Magic Maguey, p. 82; September 1, 1997, review of Day of the Dead, p. 103; March 30, 1998, review of The Chizzywink and the Alamogoozlum, p. 81; November 2, 1998, review of Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, p. 81; October 4, 1999, review of The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, p. 77; November 8, 1999, review of An Old Shell, p. 67; January 31, 2000, review of The Barn Owls, p. 105; September 11, 2000, review of Day of the Dead, p. 93; September 25, 2000, review of Desert Song, p. 118; October 30, 2000, review of Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, p. 78; February 26, 2001, review of My Best Friend Bear, p. 84; July 30, 2001, review of Cat, What Is That?, p. 83; September 24, 2001, review of Clear Moon, Snow Soon, p. 52, review of Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What, p. 93; June 23, 2003, review of Go Track a Yak!, p. 66; September 22, 2003, review of A Kenya Christmas, p. 70; November 24, 2003, review of The Mummy's Mother, p. 65; January 26, 2004, review of The Harmonica, p. 254; May, 2004, Cris Riedel, review of The Harmonica, p. 116; December 6, 2004, review of The Worm Family, p. 58; February 28, 2005, review of Chicken in the Kitchen, p. 66; May 23, 2005, review of The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, p. 79; September 26, 2005, review of Noel, p. 89.

Quill & Quire, September, 1992, p. 78.

School Library Journal, October, 1978, review of Four Scary Stories, p. 135; December, 1984, Kay McPherson, review of The Witch's Hat, p. 72; March, 2000, Sue Sherif, review of The Barn Owls, p. 208; June, 2000, Margaret Bush, review of It's about Dogs, p. 167; December, 2000, Daryl Grabarek, review of Desert Song, p. 112; April, 2001, Ann Welton, review of Uncle Rain Cloud, p. 113; August, 2001, Susan Marie Pitard, review of My Best Friend Bear, p. 154; October, 2001, review of Clear Moon, Snow Soon, p. 66; November, 2001, Ruth Semaru, review of Desert Dog, p. 126; August, 2002, Kristin de Lacoste, review of Alien and Possum Hanging Out, p. 158; November, 2002, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, review of Gopher up Your Sleeve, p. 127; April, 2003, Sharon Korbeck, review of The Ancestors Are Singing, p. 183; October, 2003, Virginia Walter, review of A Kenya Christmas, p. 64, and Jennifer Ralston, review of Any Small Goodness, p. 98, and Angela J. Reynolds, review of The Mummy's Mother, p. 168; November, 2003, Catherine Threadgill, review of Go Track a Yak!, p. 102; December, 2003, Ann Welton, review of Isabel's House of Butterflies, p. 117; February, 2005, John Sigwald, review of The Worm Family, p. 104; April, 2005, Nina Lindsay, review of The Ancestors Are Singing, p. 56, and Bethany L.W. Hankinson, review of The Whole Green World, p. 99; May, 2005, Corrina Austin, review of Chicken in the Kitchen, p. 86; June, 2005, Terrie Dorio, review of The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, p. 117; June, 2006, Wendy Lukehart, review of Angel City, p. 120; July, 2006, Julie Roach, review of Sticky People, p. 79.

Teacher Librarian, March, 1999, Shirley Lewis, review of Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, p. 44.

Wilson Library Bulletin, September, 1992, Donnarae MacCann and Olga Richard, review of Slither McCreep and His Brother, Joe, p. 90.

ONLINE

Harcourt Web site,http://www.harcourtbooks.com/ (June 1, 2007), "Tony Johnston."

Children's Literature,http://www.childrenslit.com/ (February 3, 2002), Marilyn Courtot, "Tony Johnston."