Schwartz, Amy 1954-

Personal

Born April 2, 1954, in San Diego, CA; daughter of I. Henry (a writer) and Eva (a professor of chemistry) Schwartz; married Leonard Marcus (a children's book author), May 20, 1990; children: Jacob Henry. Education: Attended Antioch College; California College of Arts and Crafts, B.F.A., 1976.

Addresses

Home and office—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—Jane Feder, 305 E. 24th St., New York, NY 10010.

Career

Freelance illustrator, 1976—, and author of children's books. Windrush School, Berkeley, CA, art teacher, 1977-78; Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, NY, production assistant, 1981.

Awards, Honors

100 Best Children's Books citation, New York Public Library, 1982, for Bea and Mr. Jones; National Jewish Book Award for Illustrated Children's Books, and Association of Jewish Libraries Award for Best Picture Book, both 1984, and Sydney Taylor Book Award, 1985, all for Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks; Parents' Choice Award, Parents' Choice Foundation, and 100 Best Children's Books citation, New York Public Library, both 1984, and Children's Choice citation, International Reading Association/Children's Book Council (IRA-CBC), 1985, all for The Crack-of-Dawn Walkers; Children's Choice citation, IRA/CBC, 1985, for Her Majesty, Aunt Essie; Christopher Award, 1987, for The Purple Coat; Parents' Choice Award, 1989, for The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee, and 1991, for Magic Carpet; New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book designation, 1995, for A Teeny Tiny Baby; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Book Award, 2007, for Oscar.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Bea and Mr. Jones, Bradbury (Scarsdale, NY), 1982, reprinted, Harcourt (New York, NY), 2006.

Begin at the Beginning: A Little Artist Learns about Life, Harper (New York, NY), 1983, published with new illustrations, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks, Jewish Publication Society, 1983.

Her Majesty, Aunt Essie, Bradbury (Scarsdale, NY), 1984.

Yossel Zissel and the Wisdom of Chelm, Jewish Publication Society, 1986.

Oma and Bobo, Bradbury (Scarsdale, NY), 1987.

Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner, Orchard (New York, NY), 1988.

(Adaptor) Lucretia Hale, The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee: From the Peterkin Papers, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor, with husband Leonard S. Marcus) Mother Goose's Little Misfortunes, Bradbury (Scarsdale, NY), 1990.

Camper of the Week, Orchard (New York, NY), 1991.

A Teeny Tiny Baby, Orchard (New York, NY), 1994.

(With father, Henry Schwartz) Make a Face: A Book with a Mirror, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1994.

Old MacDonald, Scholastic Press (New York, NY), 1997.

How to Catch an Elephant, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1999.

Some Babies, Orchard (New York, NY), 2000.

The Boys Team, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2001.

What James Likes Best, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2003.

Things I Learned in Second Grade, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2004.

A Glorious Day, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2004.

(And author with Leonard S. Marcus) Oscar: The Big Adventures of a Little Sock Monkey, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

A Beautiful Girl, Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT), 2006.

Starring Miss Darlene, Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT), 2007.

ILLUSTRATOR

Elizabeth Metzger, The Breakfast Book, Chronicle (San Francisco, CA), 1979.

Diana Saltoon, The Common Book of Consciousness, Chronicle (San Francisco, CA), 1979.

Henry Schwartz, Tales of Old Town, Associated Creative Writers, 1980.

Amy Hest, The Crack-of-Dawn Walkers, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1984.

Eve Bunting, Jane Martin, Dog Detective, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1984.

Joanne Ryder, The Night Flight, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1985.

Donna Guthrie, The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1985.

Amy Hest, The Purple Coat, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1986.

Mary Stolz, The Scarecrows and Their Child, Harper (New York, NY), 1987.

Elizabeth Lee O'Donnell, Maggie Doesn't Want to Move, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1987.

Larry L. King, Because of Lozo Brown, Viking (New York, NY), 1988.

Henry Schwartz, How I Captured a Dinosaur, Orchard (New York, NY), 1989.

Nancy White Carlstrom, Blow Me a Kiss, Miss Lilly, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1990.

Amy Hest, Fancy Aunt Jess, Morrow (New York, NY), 1990.

Stephanie Calmenson, Wanted: Warm, Furry Friend, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

Pat Brisson, Magic Carpet, Bradbury (Scarsdale, NY), 1991.

Henry Schwartz, Albert Goes Hollywood, Orchard (New York, NY), 1992.

David Gale, editor, Funny You Should Ask: The Delacorte Book of Original Humorous Short Stories, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1992.

Kathryn Lasky, My Island Grandma, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.

Amy Hest, Nana's Birthday Party, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.

Kathleen Krull, Wish You Were Here: Emily Emerson's Guide to the Fifty States, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1997.

Amy Hest, Gabby Growing Up, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Sidelights

Author and artist Amy Schwartz is known for creating gently humorous tales that she brings to life in distinctive illustrations. Her stories, which include A Teeny Tiny Baby, Begin at the Beginning: A Little Artist Learns about Life, What James Likes Best, and Starring Miss Darlene, "have been praised for accurately capturing a child's point of view," as Maureen O'Brien summarized in Publishers Weekly. Schwartz explained her insight into childhood in a Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS) essay: "All of my stories begin with something real and important to me, something

that has struck an emotional chord in me. A specific incident or relationship may be my starting point, or some set of feelings about a situation in my current life, which melds with childhood memories to produce a story and a set of characters reflective of both past and present." The author then uses her trademark rounded and elongated drawings, rendered in pen-and-ink and watercolors, to add detail and atmosphere to her tales. "Characterized by her comically droll illustrations," wrote O'Brien, "virtually all of Schwartz's books include one overriding theme: that anything is achievable if you just put your mind to it."

Schwartz grew up in Southern California, the third of four sisters in an extended family which included her grandmother. Her parents, who had their own interests in writing and painting, fostered a love for tales by reading and storytelling. "Every summer my family took a long car trip," Schwartz recounted in SAAS. "I remember deliberating which parent to ask for a story during these lengthy drives. If I asked my mother I was sure to hear a long, comforting tale…. On the other hand, if I asked my father, the story would be short, but probably quite wild and preposterous." Books also played a vital part in her family's life. "We always had stacks of library books at home and my father could not go near a bookstore without making several purchases," Schwartz recalled. "Sometimes, for an evening's entertainment, we would all be given twenty minutes to decide on a literary selection, then reconvene in the living room to read aloud to each other. My parents also organized play readings with their friends now and then, and we children would be given small parts."

A quiet, studious child, Schwartz spent much of her time reading and drawing. "Some of my strongest memories from my childhood involve books," the author once told SATA. "I remember attempting to read as I walked home from school every day, trying not to run into someone's hedge, or fall off the curb, or lose my place in my book when I crossed the street." Graduating from high school early, she then attended Antioch College for a year and a half before returning to California to study art. After obtaining her degree in drawing, a friend introduced her to children's book illustration, and she began to consider the field as a possible career. Although a trip to New York City did not result in job offers, the encouragement she received motivated her to relocate to the city permanently to continue pursuing her goal. After several editors suggested she might have a better chance selling her illustrations if she wrote a story to accompany them, Schwartz took several classes in writing and illustration.

Schwartz's first picture book, Bea and Mr. Jones, was published in 1982. The self-illustrated work introduces a kindergartner who, tired of the childish activities in class, switches places with her father, a burned-out advertising executive. While a Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that Schwartz's "talent for satire" "goes overboard in burlesquing the characters" in her story, Kenneth Marantz noted in School Library Journal that the "efficiently trimmed and noncondescending story" in Bea and Mr. Jones serves as "a parable about the way we organize our lives." "Best of all are the pictures," Janice Prindle declared in a Village Voice review. "Full of chubby little dumpling people bearing purposive expressions, they form an extended cartoon satire."

Begin at the Beginning similarly uses "a refreshingly unique style" in portraying young Sara's frustration in trying to complete an art assignment, wrote Nancy Palmer in School Library Journal. The little girl's problems in starting her project and her family's bothersome attempts to help "will all strike a sympathetic chord," the critic added, "as will the lesson to bite off what you can chew." Reviewing the 2005 edition of the book, which features new illustrations, Booklist contributor Gillian Engberg noted that the author/illustrator's "watercolor-and-pencil drawings … extend the spot-on emotions in the smooth, well-paced text."

Schwartz's Jewish upbringing informs several of her books, among them Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks. Asked by a publisher to write a book about the Jewish Sabbath, the author recalled her own experiences of the weekly day of rest and worship, in particular the welcoming feelings she got from observing the day at a friend's home after moving to New York. Schwartz explores those feelings of "home" through the elderly Mrs. Moskowitz, who has just downsized from her house to a small city apartment and believes it will never feel like "home." When her son arrives with a misplaced box of belongings, the woman discovers her Sabbath candlesticks and recalls the happy times her family shared around them. After she polishes the candlesticks, Mrs. Moskowitz begins to fix up her new quarters to match, and soon her new home is ready for a family Sabbath dinner. The "warm story" is complemented by Schwartz's drawings of "the appealing characters and their neighborhood," wrote a Publishers Weekly critic. These illustrations are "full of emotion and humor," stated Booklist critic Ilene Cooper; "even more than the text, they show that when one door is closed, another can be opened."

Family life is portrayed in a more lighthearted fashion in Her Majesty, Aunt Essie. Here young Ruthie is so certain that her visiting Aunt Essie is of royal blood that she makes a bet with her best friend—with her beloved pet dog as the prize. Ruthie's attempts to prove Essie's royalty to Maisie make for "a funny story that will tickle American children who share the fantasy" of royal lineage, Lillian N. Gerhardt of School Library Journal remarked. While Cooper felt the book's "premise is far too sophisticated" for its audience, she noted that "all ages will enjoy Schwartz' roundly shaped people, who manage to pack a good deal of emotion into their small features." Colin Mills had similar praise for Schwartz's pictures, adding in Books for Keeps that the ending "has irony and pathos that is still too rare in books for the age group."

A multi-generational tale also unfolds in Oma and Bobo, Schwartz's tribute to her own grandmother. The story of Oma's growing acceptance for her granddaughter Alice's new dog Bobo "is a fresh portrait of an unlikely friendship that allows room for both humor and dignity," according to Roger Sutton in a review for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Calling the "vividly written" story "insightful as well as entertaining," Cooper also praised Schwartz's illustrations as "unusual in the best sense of the word." The critic cited details such as cross-hatching and patterns as things that "add to the visual interest." Oma and Bobo "has all of the elements that a picture book should have," Trev Jones concluded in School Library Journal: "A strong story, memorable characters, and pictures that are self-explanatory. Like Bobo, it deserves a blue ribbon."

The author's next two original stories follow young girls dealing with situations away from home. In Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner, Annabelle's first day at school is complicated by her big sister Lucy's bad advice—until Annabelle turns out to be the only one who can count the class's milk money, a skill also taught to her by Lucy. "This engaging story has tremendous appeal for young children" just starting school, Ellen Fader commented in Horn Book, and Schwartz's "ability to highlight Annabelle's eventual triumph makes the book exceptional." In addition, the author/illustrator's "well-designed, cartoonish illustrations are brightly colored and wonderfully expressive," a Kirkus Reviews critic noted, calling Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner an "exceptionally perceptive look" at childhood concerns. Schwartz's "droll illustrations perfectly capture Annabelle's expressions," a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded, dubbing the work "a sweetly endearing tale, told very much from a child's perspective."

Camper of the Week similarly shows a young girl trying to fit in with her peers. Rosie's good behavior has earned her the title of "Camper of the Week," so when she helps her friends stage a prank against the camp bully, she feels guilty when they are caught and punished. "Schwartz once again shows her ability to evoke children's half-submerged fears, and readers will empathize," a Publishers Weekly critic observed. While some critics believed Rosie's feelings about her problem are unclear—does she feel guilty, or just left out?—School Library Journal contributor Karen James deemed Rosie's solution to be "satisfying." In addition, the critic praised Schwartz's illustrations which, while "showing minimal facial features," are "surprisingly expressive." Young readers "are likely to respond" to Rosie's dilemma and solution, Zena Sutherland concluded in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, the critic also commenting on the book's "textual simplicity, and the brightness of [its] … spacious line-and-wash pictures."

In What James Likes Best a little boy is seen in four vignettes: traveling to a country fair, riding in a city cab to visit Grandma, taking a bus trip, and walking next door to play with his friend. In each circumstance, James—as well as the reader—has the chance to offer an opinion as to what part of each excursion was the most enjoyable. "For young children, the ability to express opinions is an exciting measure of independence," observed Christine M. Heppermann in her Horn Book review, and in What James Likes Best Schwartz shows that everyone has a different view of the same circumstances. Writing that the author/illustrator "is known for capturing the moods and motivations of young ones," Cooper praised the book's "signature paintings" as "simple, bright, and touched with patterns." Another young boy is the star of Things I Learned in Second Grade, which features Andrew's narrative of how second grade enriched his life and how third grade promises even more adventure, learning, and fun. Giving the red-haired boy's recollections a "dignity usually reserved for grownups, Schwartz introduces to young readers the idea that their memories are worth preserving," concluded a Publishers Weekly contributor. In School Library Journal Linda L. Walkins praised the book's "precisely drawn, softly colored illustrations" and "optimistic and cheerful ending," while Mattson dubbed Things I Learned in Second Grade a "tribute to the fruits of second-grade labor."

Turning from boys to girls, Schwartz's A Beautiful Girl finds a spunky young girl in a flowered dress traveling to the market. On the way, Jenna meets up with a series of animals—a baby elephant, a robin, a fly, and a gold-fish—each of whom attempts to find in Jenna a physical characteristic it also possesses. The elephant asks about her trunk, the robin her beak, the fly her many eyes, and the goldfish her gills, but all are tolerant of her differences when Jenna answers that she has none of these characteristics. "Jenna's explanations are a zesty and realistic mix of sugar and spice," concluded Jennifer M. Brabander in Horn Book, the critic adding that the animals' "matter-of-fact curiosity sounds genuinely childlike." In Publishers Weekly a contributor described Jenna as "a ponytailed gal with oodles of personality and an answer for everything," while Cooper concluded that in A Beautiful Girl Schwartz "adds a whimsical touch to the literal place where kids often live."

The female presence in Starring Miss Darlene is that of a young hippo who is following her dream of becoming an actress. In three chapters, readers can follow Darlene as she takes an acting class, attends auditions, and is ultimately cast in a series of humorous stage shows. Despite Darlene's worries that her performances are inadequate (cast in the title role of Sleeping Beauty, she snored through the prince's fateful kiss, for example), a local theatre critic praises the play. In the pastel-tinted line drawings she contributes to the story, "Schwartz indicates the full array of the hippo's emotions … in a perfect extension of her brisk, uncomplicated but goofy text," according to School Library Journal contributor Kate McClelland. In Publishers Weekly a reviewer wrote of Starring Miss Darlene that Schwartz's "abundant [artistic] funny flourishes are matched by a droll, perkily paced narrative." The "straight-faced animal cast" of Starring Miss Darlene "is stellar," maintained Brabander, noting the book's reassuring message that "you can make mistakes and still be a star."

Inspired by the birth of her own child, Schwartz's A Teeny Tiny Baby finds a two-week-old infant relating how he commands the family's attention and can "get anything I want." The author/illustrator's "pitch-perfect ear and her comedienne's timing find visual expression in her upbeat, inviting gouaches," a Publishers Weekly reviewer remarked, creating work "sure to be appreciated and enthusiastically revisited." A companion book, Some Babies, attracted equal praise. Writing in School Library Journal, Joy Fleishhacker commented that "the soothing tone of [Schwartz's] … repetitive text balances nicely with the high-energy illustrations," making Some Babies "an engaging choice for toddlers who like to look at other toddlers."

In addition to her original stories, Schwartz has also adapted several familiar stories for the picture-book for-

mat. In Yossel Zissel and the Wisdom of Chelm she brings to life the foolish village of Chelm, a place well known to readers of Jewish folklore, and retells the story of how Yossel Zissel spread their brand of wisdom all over the world. Cooper hailed Schwartz's "always pleasing illustrations" whose "highly distinctive style … [is] one that is perfect for the story's humor." In The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee: From the Peterkin Papers, the author/illustrator takes an episode from Lucretia Hale's classic The Peterkin Papers, about a charming but foolish Victorian family. In adapting the story of how the family searches for a remedy to salty coffee, Schwartz "has succeeded brilliantly, showing respect for her material and appreciation for the time and place in which it is set," according to Horn Book reviewer Mary M. Burns. In School Library Journal, Susan Scheps also praised Schwartz's revision as "more accessible to today's children" and hailed the artist's "whimsical characters with [their] wonderfully expressive faces."

No matter what the inspiration for her stories, Schwartz tries to invest each work with a personal feeling. As she explained once in an interview, "I assume that my heroine's emotions are the same as my own, only the situations which provoke these emotions might be different for a child than for myself." Illustrating these story ideas is a creative art as well, she told Jim Roginski in Parents' Choice. "It's creative problem solving. It's not as simple as just fitting pictures to words, because you could make a very small book with stick figures or you could make a very large book with lush oil paintings. If you look at the same story—for example, a fairy tale—illustrated by two different artists, it becomes clear what power the illustrator has to present a specific viewpoint to the reader." The artist continued: "You do want your pictures to match the words in books, but it's so much more than that. You're creating a world for the reader."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 25, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991, pp. 183-192.

Silvey, Anita, editor, Children's Books and Their Creators, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1995.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 18, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1994, pp. 277-289.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 1984, Ilene Cooper, review of Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks, p. 1629; January 1, 1985, Ilene Cooper, review of Her Majesty, Aunt Essie, p. 643; January 1, 1987, Ilene Cooper, review of Yossel Zissel and the Wisdom of Chelm, p. 788; April 1, 1987, Ilene Cooper, review of Oma and Bobo, p. 1210; June 1, 1997, April Judge, review of Wish You Were Here: Emily's Guide to the Fifty States, pp. 1692-1693; January 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Gabby Growing Up, pp. 822-823; May 15, 1999, Lauren Peterson, review of Old MacDonald, p. 1700; November 15, 1999, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of How to Catch an Elephant, p. 639; December 15, 2000, Ilene Cooper, review of Some Babies, p. 82; November 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of The Boys Team, p. 485; March 1, 2003, Ilene Cooper, review of What James Likes Best, p. 1196; February 1, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of A Glorious Day, p. 982; August, 2004, Jennifer Mattson, review of Things I Learned in Second Grade, p. 1948; May 15, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Begin at the Beginning: A Little Artist Learns about Life, p. 1667; May 15, 2006, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey, p. 52; August 1, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of A Beautiful Girl, p. 94; August, 2007, Carolyn Phelan, review of Starring Miss Darlene, p. 86.

Books for Keeps, November, 1986, Colin Mills, review of Her Majesty, Aunt Essie, p. 15.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June, 1987, Roger Sutton, review of Oma and Bobo, p. 196; July, 1991, Zena Sutherland, review of Camper of the Week, p. 274; September, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of Starring Miss Darlene, p. 53.

Horn Book, March-April, 1988, Ellen Fader, review of Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner, pp. 194-195; January-February, 1990, Leonard S. Marcus, interview with Schwartz, pp. 36-45; January-February, 1990, Mary M. Burns, review of The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee: From the Peterkin Papers, p. 51; November-December, 1990, Ellen Fader, review of Mother Goose's Little Misfortunes, p. 755; March, 1999, Mary M. Burns, review of Old MacDonald, p. 200; January-February, 2002, Lauren Adams, review of The Boys Team, p. 72; May-June, 2003, Christine M. Heppermann, review of What James Likes Best, p. 337; May-June, 2004, Christine M. Heppermann, review of A Glorious Day, p. 332; September-October, 2006, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of A Beautiful Girl, p. 569; July-August, 2007, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Starring Miss Darlene, p. 385.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 1988, review of Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner, p. 59; June 15, 1990, review of Mother Goose's Little Misfortunes, p. 879; October 1, 2001, review of The Boys Team, p. 1433; March 15, 2003, review of What James Likes Best, p. 478; March 1, 2004, review of A Glorious Day, p. 229; June 15, 2004, review of Things I Learned in Second Grade, p. 580; May 15, 2004, review of Begin at the Beginning, p. 595; May 15, 2006, review of Oscar, p. 523; July 15, 2006, review of A Beautiful Girl, p. 730; July 15, 2007, review of Starring Miss Darlene.

New York Times Book Review, November 9, 1986, p. 60; May 17, 1987, p. 40; November 11, 1990, p. 31; November 13, 1994, p. 29; March, 1999, Mary M. Burns, review of Old MacDonald, p. 200; November 12, 2006, Patricia T. O'Conner, "The Secret Life of Toys," review of Oscar, p. 23.

Parent's Choice, Volume 12, number 1, 1989, Jim Roginski, interview with Schwartz, p. 1.

Publishers Weekly, May 28, 1982, review of Bea and Mr. Jones, p. 71; May 11, 1984, review of Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks, p. 272; January 15, 1988, review of Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner, p. 94; February 26, 1988, Maureen O'Brien, interview with Schwartz, pp. 176-177; July 12, 1991, review of Camper of the Week, p. 66; August 29, 1994, review of A Teeny Tiny Baby, p. 78; July 26, 1999, review of How to Catch an Elephant, p. 90; February 24, 2003, review of What James Likes Best, p. 70; June 28, 2004, review of Things I Learned in Second Grade, p. 49; June 26, 2006, review of Oscar, p. 50; July 24, 2006, review of A Beautiful Girl, p. 56; July 16, 2007, review of Starring Miss Darlene, p. 164.

School Library Journal, August, 1982, Kenneth Marantz, review of Bea and Mr. Jones, p. 105; August, 1983, Nancy Palmer, review of Begin at the Beginning, p. 58; November, 1984, Lillian Gerhardt, review of Her Majesty, Aunt Essie, pp. 117-118; March, 1987, Trev Jones, review of Oma and Bobo, p. 150; October, 1989, Susan Scheps, review of The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee, pp. 85-86; September, 1991, Karen James, review of Camper of the Week, p. 241; October, 2000, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Some Babies, p. 136; March, 2003, Janet M. Bair, review of What James Likes Best, p. 206; August, 2004, Linda L. Walkins, review of Things I Learned in Second Grade, p. 93; July, 2005, Mary Elam, review of Begin at the Beginning, p. 82; June, 2006, Wendy Lukehart, review of Oscar, p. 126; August, 2006, Julie Roach, review of A Beautiful Girl, p. 98; August, 2007, Kate McClelland, review of Starring Miss Darlene, p. 90.

Village Voice, December 14, 1982, Janice Prindle, review of Bea and Mr. Jones, p. 76.