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Mara Rockliff
Born1970
Pen nameLewis B. Montgomery
Eleanor May
Nan Walker
OccupationWriter
Alma materBrown University
GenreChildren's literature
Picture books
SubjectHistorical nonfiction educational books
Notable awardsALA Notable Children’s Book
Golden Kite Award
Website
mararockliff.com/me.html

Mara Rockliff (born 1970) is an American author of nonfiction and educational books for children.[1][2] The American Library Association selected her book Gingerbread for Liberty! as an ALA Notable Children's Book.[3] She also received the Golden Kite Award for Me and Momma and Big John.[4]

Early life

She attended Brown University where she joined the social and literary fraternity St. Anthony Hall.[5] After college during her twenties, she lived in New York City.[6]

Career

Rockliff specializes in historical picture books for children, especially true stories about people that are not included in traditional histories.[2][1] For example, she has written books about the female magician Adelaide Herrmann, pioneering film-maker Alice Guy Blaché, World War II engineer Beatrice Shilling, and Georgia Gilmore who helped feed participants in Montgomery bus boycott.[7][8][9][10] Rockliff got the idea to write Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz when she realized female musicians were left out of the history of jazz music.[11]

Rockliff considers herself a "research geek."[1] She studies interviews, newspapers, oral histories, and primary source materials to create her books, and also includes a list of primary sources in her history books.[12] Rockwell got the idea to write Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat when looking through the Jewish Women's Archive.[2] She said, "I realized that out of all these books I've never done one about a Jewish woman, even though I'm a Jewish woman. That seemed like an oversight."[2] Frieda Caplan founded a specialty produce company and introduced foods such as kiwis, baby carrots, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, spaghetti squash, and mangos to consumers in the United States.[2][13][14] Rockliff worked with Caplan's daughter to create Try It! which was selected as a 2021 Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Award Honor Title by the California Reading Association.[15] It was also selected by Smithsonian magazine as one of the ten best children's books of 2021.[16]

In 2013, Rockliff was nominated for the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for her book My Heart Will Not Sit Down.[17] The picture book is about a young girl in Cameroon who tried to raise money to help those who are starving in New York City during the Great Depression.[18] A reviewer noted that My Heart Will Not Sit Down "may motivate youngsters to find their own ways to help people in need."[19]

That same year, her book Me and Momma and Big John was nominated for the Charlotte Zolotow Award and won the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.[4][20] The Charlotte Zolotow Award is the highest honor for writing in children's picture books.[21] The book is about an African American female stonecutter who helped build the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in the 1970s.[22][23] The New York Times noted, "This is the rare children's book that shows how a building is built with less of an emphasis on cranes and bulldozers and more on the difficult work of laboring hands. But it's not only about the grueling hardness of labor, Me and Momma and Big John is also about the rewards of a labor of love, and of a job well done."[22]

In 2016, Rockliff's Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution was selected as an ALA Notable Children's Book.[3] The book is about Christopher Ludwick, a Philadelphia baker who was too old and portly to fight in the Revolutionary War, but supported General George Washington's army by baking bread for the troops.[24][25] Rockliff learned of Ludwick in a 1964 magazine article about Pennsylvania Dutch cooking traditions.[1] She says, "That grabbed me right away since it combined fun stuff for kids—sneaky secret agent, gingerbread—with fun historical stuff for parents and teachers. Also, I live in a very German part of Pennsylvania, and my daughter has Hessian ancestors on her father's side, so the topic had special interest to me."[1] Gingerbread for Liberty also won the Garden State Children's Book Award and the Land of Enchantment Book Award.[26][27]

Also in 2016, her book Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France was selected as an Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book by the National Council of Teachers of English.[28] It also won the Cook Prize from the Bank Street College of Education.[29] The book tells how Benjamin Franklin used the scientific method to debunk the mysterious powers of Franz Mesmer's magic wand.[30] One reviewer noted, "Although the book sounds heavy with facts and theories, the story zips along thanks to Mara Rockliff's lively, dramatic writing that holds even young readers in thrall."[31] A more recent book, 2020's Jefferson Measures a Moose, tells how another founding father, Thomas Jefferson, used math counter misinformation in a book about animals found in the United States.[32] Rockliff says, " I'd just published Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France, and I thought this story could do for math and measurement what Mesmerized did for the scientific method."[12] In addition, she was exploring the concept of misinformation through the lens of current events in 2020.[12]

In 2017, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children's Book Council (CBC) selected her book, Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles, as a Notable Trade Book for Young People.[33] The NCSS-CBC book review committee selected "books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, have a pleasing format, and, where appropriate, include illustrations that enrich the text."[33] Around America to Win the Vote was about Alice Burke and Nell Richardson who drove across the United States in 1916, speaking in 26 states to increase support for women’s suffrage.[34]

In 2020, Rockliff's book Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope was chosen by the Association of Jewish Libraries for the Sydney Taylor Book Award as a Notable Picture Book.[35] The book is about L. L. Zamenhoff who invented the universal language of Esperanto to bring people together.[35][36]

Rockliff also wrote the twelve books of the Milo and Jazz Mysteries series using the pen name Lewis B. Montgomery.[37] Booklist selected The Case of the Stinky Socks from the Milo and Jazz series for “100 Best Children’s and YA Mysteries of the Past 10 Years."[37] The second book in the series, The Case of the Poisoned Pig, was nominated for an Agatha Award.[37] One reviewer notes that these books have "the brief chapters, which are filled with earnest, clever kids being funny—and, more importantly, smart."[38]

Rockliff also uses the pen names Eleanor May and as Nan Walker, most notably writing books for the Mouse Math series which now includes more than fifteen titles.[39][40] The Mouse Math series presents "basic concepts, thinking skills, and reading skills all wrapped up in engaging stories starring mouse siblings Wanda and Albert."[41] Albert the Muffin Maker was the 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Bronze Medalist for Alphabet/Counting.[42]

As May and Walker, Rockcliff has also written books for other educational series, including Math Matters, Science Solves It!, and Social Studies Connects.[43][44][45]

Awards

  • 2011 Green Earth Book Award Honor Book for Get Real: What Kind of World Are You Buying?[46]
  • 2013 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Honor for My Heart Will Not Sit Down[17]
  • 2013 Golden Kite Award for Me and Momma and Big John[4]
  • 2013 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor for Me and Momma and Big John[20]
  • 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Bronze Medalist Alphabet/Counting for Albert the Muffin Maker[42]
  • 2015 Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award for The Grudge Keepers[47]
  • 2016 Cook Prize for Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France[29]
  • 2016 Orbis Pictus Award Honor book for Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France[28]
  • 2016 ALA Notable Children's Book for Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution[3]
  • 2017 National Council for the Social Studies-Children's Book Council Notable Trade Books for Young People for Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles[33]
  • 2018 Garden State Children's Book Award for Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution[26]
  • 2018 Land of Enchantment Book Award for Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution[27]
  • 2020 Notable Picture Book, Sydney Taylor Book Award, Association of Jewish Libraries for Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope[35]
  • 2021 Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Award Honor Title for Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat[15]

Publications

As Mara Rockliff

  • Pieces of Another World. Arbordale Publishing, 2005. ISBN 9780976494324[48]
  • Next to an Ant. Rookie Readers, 2008. ISBN 0516268309
  • Get Real: What Kind of World are YOU Buying? Running Press Kids, 2010. ISBN 9780762437450[49]
  • The Busiest Street in Town. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012. ISBN 9780375985522[50][51]
  • Me and Momma and Big John. Candlewick, 2012. ISBN 9780763643591[22][23]
  • My Heart Will Not Sit Down. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012. ISBN 9780375987281[19][18]
  • The Grudge Keeper. Peachtree, 2014. ISBN 9781682634776[52]
  • Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution. Clarion Books, 2015. ISBN 9780544130012[24]
  • Chik Chak Shabbat. Candlewick, 2016. ISBN 9780763688950[6][53]
  • Anything But Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic. Candlewick, 2016. ISBN 9780763668419[8]
  • Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France. Candlewick, 2017. ISBN 9780763695156[30]
  • Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz. Calkins Creek, 2017. ISBN 9781629795553[11]
  • Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker. Chronicle Books, 2018. ISBN 9781452141343[7]
  • Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles. Candlewick, 2019. ISBN 9781536208368[34][54]
  • Billie Jean!: How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women's Sports. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books, 2019. ISBN 9780525517795[55]
  • Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope. Candlewick, 2019. ISBN 9780763688950[36]
  • Jefferson Measures a Moose. Candlewick, 2020. ISBN 9780763688950[32]
  • The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer. Candlewick, 2021. ISBN 9781536212525[10]
  • Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat. Beach Lane Books, 2021. ISBN 9781534460072[2][14]
  • Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Random House Studios, 2022. ISBN 9781524720643 [56][9]
  • A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion. Clarion Books, 2022. ISBN 9780358125433[57]

As Lewis B. Montgomery

As Eleanor May

As Nan Walker

Personal

Rockliff is Jewish.[2] Rockliff lives with her family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[1][73] She has a daughter.[73] She is an avid baker and usually includes baked goods in her books.[1][56] Starting in 2014, she learned Esperanto and uses it daily to talk with people around the world.[74]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lodge, Sally (December 9, 2014). "'Gingerbread for Liberty' Serves Up Slice of Revolutionary History". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Castaneda, Vera (2021-04-02). "Children's book honors Frieda Caplan and the attitude that changed American pantries". Daily Pilot. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  3. ^ a b c "2016 Notable Children's Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  4. ^ a b c "Past Golden Kite Recipients". Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. ^ "Alumni in Print" (PDF). (2013) The Review. St. Anthony Hall. Winter: 11.
  6. ^ a b BarbaraBietz (2014-10-07). "Welcome Mara Rockliff". Jewish Books For Kids…and more!. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  7. ^ a b Magyarody, Katherine. “Rockliff, Mara. Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker.” School Library Journal, vol. 64, no. 9, Sept. 2018. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Anything But Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. April 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  9. ^ a b "Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  10. ^ a b "The Girl Who Could Fix Everything". Kirkus Reviews. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2017. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  12. ^ a b c Bober, Tom (August 20, 2020). "Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Mara Rockliff, Author of Jefferson Measures a Moose". Knowledge Quest: Journal of the American Association of School Librarians. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  13. ^ Bird, Betsy (January 18, 2021). "Just Try It: An Interview with Mara Rockliff". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  14. ^ a b "Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  15. ^ a b "Eureka Book Award Honors, 2021". Teaching Books. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  16. ^ Gambino, Megan (December 10, 2021). "The Ten Best Children's Books of 2021". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  17. ^ a b "2013 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Winners". The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  18. ^ a b "My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2012. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  19. ^ a b Saccardi, Marianne. “Rockliff, Mara. My Heart Will Not Sit Down.” School Library Journal, vol. 58, no. 2, Feb. 2012. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Peterson, Karyn M. (January 11, 2013). "Jacqueline Woodson's 'Each Kindness' Wins 2013 Charlotte Zolotow Award". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  21. ^ "Charlotte Zolotow Award". Cooperative Children's Book Center. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  22. ^ a b c Paul, Pamela (2012-08-08). "New York Kids' Stories". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  23. ^ a b "Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. August 2012. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  24. ^ a b "Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2015. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  25. ^ Russo, Maria (2015-02-11). "Tales of the Founders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  26. ^ a b "Garden State Children's Book Award 2009 - 2013" (PDF). Old Bridge Library. 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Dekle, Deanne (May 11, 2018). "Land of Enchantment Book Award Winners for 2018". Hitchhiker. New Mexico State Library. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  28. ^ a b "NCTE Orbis Pictus Award: Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 2010 - Present" (PDF). National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Past Winners". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  30. ^ a b "Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. February 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  31. ^ Lamy, Nicole (March 2, 2015). "The Short Stack: Picture Book Picks". The Boston Globe. pp. G2. Retrieved July 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ a b "Jefferson Measures a Moose by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. August 2020. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  33. ^ a b c Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People: Supplement to Social Education. National Council for the Social Studies. 2017. p. 10.
  34. ^ a b Schrefer, Eliot. "These election-year kids' books get our vote". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  35. ^ a b c "Sydney Taylor Book Awards" (PDF). The Association of Jewish Libraries. p. 8. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope". Kirkus Reviews. December 22, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c "Mara Rockliff". Highlights Foundation. 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  38. ^ a b Sawyer, Linda. “The Case of the Diamonds in the Desk.” Booklist, vol. 108, no. 12, Feb. 2012, p. 54. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  39. ^ "Lewis B Montgomery". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  40. ^ a b "Albert Doubles the Fun". Kirkus Reviews. February 1, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  41. ^ a b c Corbin, Janene. “Albert’s Amazing Snail/The Mousier the Merrier/Albert Keeps Score..” School Library Journal 58, no. 11 (November 2012): 80–81. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  42. ^ a b "2014 Winners". Moonbeam Awards. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  43. ^ a b c McClendon, S. “Kulling, Monica & Nan Walker. The Messiest Room on the Planet.” School Library Journal, vol. 55, no. 8, Aug. 2009. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  44. ^ a b Cady, J. A. (2011). "Review of Math Matters: The Yum Yum House. Grades 1-3, by N. Walker". Teaching Children Mathematics, 17(6), 380–381. via JSTOR, accessed July 3, 2022.
  45. ^ a b Tormohlen, Anne L. “The Midnight Kid.” School Library Journal 53, no. 5 (May 2007): 110–11. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  46. ^ "2005-2021 Green Earth Book Award Winners" (PDF). The Nature Generation. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  47. ^ "The Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award" (PDF). Westchester Library Association. 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  48. ^ Arnold, Tonya. “Pieces of Another World Mara Rockliff.” Science and Children, vol. 43, no. 5, Feb. 2006, p. 60. via EBSCOhost, accessed July 3, 2022.
  49. ^ "My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. January 2012. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  50. ^ Cohen, Rich (2009-11-06). "When Bulldozers Roamed the Earth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  51. ^ "The Busiest Street in Town by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. October 2012. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  52. ^ "The Grudge Keeper by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. April 2014. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  53. ^ "Chik Chak Shabbat by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. September 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  54. ^ "Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. August 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  55. ^ "Billie Jean! How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women's Sports by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. August 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  56. ^ a b Rosenstrach, Jenny (2022-01-28). "A Cooks Tour: 3 Picture Books About Famous Foodies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  57. ^ "A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion by Mara Rockliff". Publishers Weekly. April 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  58. ^ a b c d e f Woller, Scott, and Cathy Retzer. “Mysteries and Emergent Readers it’s elementary! Turn Readers on to the Thrill of Detective Work with the Engaging Milo and Jazz Mysteries Series.” Book Links, vol. 20, no. 3, Mar. 2011, pp. 8–11. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  59. ^ Engberg, Gillian. “Fall Youth Preview, 2011.” Booklist, vol. 108, no. 1, Sept. 2011, pp. 129–42. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  60. ^ Children’s Bookwatch (2012) ‘The Mystery/Suspense Shelf’, 1 August. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  61. ^ Cooper, Ilene. “The Case of the Superstar Scam.” Booklist, vol. 109, no. 17, May 2013, p. 45. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  62. ^ “Children’s Books for Fall.” Publishers Weekly, vol. 260, no. 28, July 2013, pp. 27–142. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  63. ^ Cooper, Ilene. “The Case of the Buried Bones.” Booklist, vol. 110, no. 17, May 2014, p. 57. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  64. ^ Buckley, Carol. "Give the Gift of Books." Teaching Children Mathematics 15, no. 5 (2008): 314–314. via JSTOR, accessed July 3, 2022.
  65. ^ Phelan, Carolyn. 2010. “The Best Mother’s Day Ever.” Booklist 106 (12): 79. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  66. ^ a b c Corbin, Janene. “Count Off, Squeak Scouts!/Albert’s Bigger Than Big Idea/Mice on Ice.” School Library Journal 59, no. 6 (June 2013): 80. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  67. ^ "Albert the Muffin-Maker". Kirkus Review. March 15, 2014.
  68. ^ a b "Eleanor May: A Mousy Mess". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  69. ^ "Albert Adds Up". Kirkus Reviews. July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  70. ^ "Albert Starts School". Kirkus Reviews. May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  71. ^ “Mouse Math: Albert Helps Out.” Children’s Bookwatch, March 1, 2017. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.
  72. ^ "Spork Out of Orbit". Kirkus Reviews. January 20, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  73. ^ a b Kalb, Deborah (2018-03-20). "Q&A with Mara Rockliff". Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  74. ^ Rockliff, Mara (2019-03-19). "Learning How Language Works". Nerdy Book Club. Retrieved 2022-07-06.


Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American writers Category:People from Pennsylvania Category:Brown University alumni Category:St. Anthony Hall

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