Welcome to "Meet the Authors & Illustrators." Here you'll find a quick one-page biography for our authors and illustrators, as well as links to their brochures and websites.
Peggy Perry Anderson says since the time I was old enough to hold a crayon I have been drawing. Since elementary school I have always wanted to illustrate children’s books. Since 7th grade I have dreamed of writing books.
Except for four years living on Signal Mountain in Tennessee, I am an Okie, born and raised (almost all of my life) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
I went to college for two years at Oklahoma Christian College and spent my last two years getting a bachelors degree in art at Tulsa University. I worked as a graphic artist for 16 years.
During that time I got married to Kurt and had 3 fantastic children; one boy and two girls. I continued submitting manuscripts to publishers and in 1985 I got my first children’s book published: Time for Bed the Babysitter Said.
I have illustrated other authors’ books including the Blue Bug series by Virginia Poulet and two books by my inspiration and mentor Bessie Heck. Having written and illustrated nine of my own stories, it is definitely one on my favorite things to do. The Governor of Oklahoma State of Excellence Award was presented to me in 1989 for my work on children’s books.
Another one of my favorite things to do is volunteer at the therapy horse riding ranch. You can read about it in my book We Go in a Circle. It became a 2005 Oklahoma Book Award finalist.
For six years I was an art teacher at an elementary school in Tulsa. I learned more than a lot there! The children and their artwork has inspired me ever since. My hats off to teachers. It is not an easy job although many of the experiences of teaching are rewarding beyond words. Read More...
Darleen Bailey Beard says she’s “a tall gal who writes short books” and claims to be an eighth-cousin to Franklin D. Roosevelt and to have slept in the same bed as Teddy Roosevelt, though he was NOT in the bed at the same time she was!
Visit her website for everything you’ll need to plan, promote, and prepare for a school author visit, including 30-Minute Bulletin Board Packets, announcement posters, a photo biography, readers’ theaters, ready-made book order forms and reminder notices to send home with students, a full-length play, craft and writing activities, information on how to order books at a 20-40% discount, videos, and much more!
Darleen fellin love with writing in fifth-grade when her teacher asked her class to write stories with their spelling words. She knew then that when she grew up, she wanted to be a writer. She graduated from Noble High School in Noble, Oklahoma, and received a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma. She has performed in hundreds of author visits, conferences, festivals, university panels, and book-related events throughout the nation. She enjoys speaking to ALL GRADE LEVELS and has many fun-filled and inspiring sessions to choose from with over 30 “kid-tested and teacher approved” HANDS-ON WRITING WORKSHOPS guaranteed to get students excited about writing and to prepare them for their statewide testing. Some of her workshops include costumes, food, music, and props.You just never know what she'll do to capture students’ interest. Read More...
Website:DarleenBaileyBeard.com Upcoming Books:Annie Glover is Not a Tree Lover , chapter book, August, 2009 Available for Speaking: YES--Darleen has done hundreds of school visits all over the U.S. Brochure:Darleen's Brochure
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Kim Doner was left by Gypsies on the front porch of Betty and Otto Doner on July 21, 1955 (at least, that was always their claim).As a small child, her favorite day was Saturday and her favorite activity on that day was to rise early (the only phase in her entire lifetime to have such a requirement) and watch “Jungle Theater”.This usually afforded her a weekly fix of a favorite character, Tarzan of the Apes (the only true Tarzan being the actor Johnny Weissmuller).She, too, wanted to live in a jungle treehouse and call elephants for taxi rides when she grew up.
Kim had big dreams of becoming a Ballerina Veterinarian Artist as an adult, and although she has not evolved in such concrete terms, she actually DOES perform on stage, rescue animals and create books!She is a Big Supporter of nurturing dreams, and is not shy about encouraging anyone and everyone to do the same. Kim snuck in the back door of publishing when, several years ago, a Tulsa-based small press approached her to illustrate their first picture book venture.She waffled her way into a contract, busted her fanny to learn all she could about the business, and hasn't looked back.Always one for a good story, Kim realized her place in life was to become an illustrator and writer.She is, and always will be, in the process of that “becoming”. Read More... Website:http://www.kimdoner.com Upcoming Books: a companion handbook to the series "The House of Night" by P.C. Cast, Spring 2010 Available for Speaking: Yes--Kim's visits are ahhh-mazing! Brochure: Kim Doner's Brochure
