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Few people in kindergarten know what they want to do with the rest of their life. Even fewer stick with those early dreams.Nancy Carlson was determined to be an artist from age five. As a child, Nancy would sit on her bed and draw for hours on end. These early drawings told stories about popular girls who rode horses. "I began creating characters and telling stories through my drawings,"Nancy relates. "I always had the need to communicate something through my art." Growing up in Minnesota, Nancy had a happy and fulfilling childhood surrounded by an outgoing family. Her parents read to her, her sister, and brother every night. The comic books she loved to read as a child have influenced her style of drawing and use of color. Inspiration for many of her lovable characters comes from childhood friends and neighbors. LoudmouthGeorge, the boastful bunny in five of her books, was inspired by a boy in her school whose white hair reminded her of a rabbit. He was always getting into trouble and was a braggart like George.Louanne Pig is based on another childhood friend who was an only child like Louanne. Nancy once had a neighbor whose experiences inspired some of the incidences that would later involve her character Arnie, the mouse-loving cat who wears glasses. And then there's Harriet. Everything that happens to Harriet happened to Nancy as a child— from Harriet's stage fright to learning to share Halloween candy to her interest in baseball. Even Nancy's own golden retriever got into the action. The dog, named Dame, was the visual inspiration for drawingHarriet. After graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art, Nancy's first job was dusting children's books and helping customers in the gift shop at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.She became fascinated with the books. Soon she found herself presenting her own sketches to a local publisher. They liked Nancy's style, but it took a year of persistent contact and two assignments illustrating other writers' books before she was ready to produce her first book, Harriet's Recital, in 1982. She went on to write four more Harriet books that year. These were followed by theLoudmouth George and Louanne Pig series. Nancy has illustrated more than 50 books, to the delight of parents and children alike. "My first draft of Harriet's Recital was 80 pages long,"Nancy recalled. "The words appeared in balloons out of the character's mouths, like in comic books. I had a lot to learn about writing books for young children, including the fact they are typically no longer than 32 pages." In 2010, Nancy Carlson was honored with the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota's Children's Literature Research Collection. Nancy lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with her husband and three children. She is an avid outdoorswoman, enjoying hiking, swimming, running, and bird watching. |
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Henry and the Bully Viking Juvenile, 2010 ages 4-8, ISBN 978-0670011483 When a bully starts stealing Henry’s soccer ball at recess, the little mouse doesn’t know what to do. He tries to ask his teacher for help, and his mom, too. But soon Henry realizes he’s got to find his own way to solve his bully problem. |
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Start Saving, Henry! Viking Juvenile, 2009 ages 4-8, ISBN 978-0670011476 Henry’s finally old enough to get an allowance, and he can’t wait to spend it every week on giant jawbreakers, a huge pencil, and other silly things. But when Henry finds something he really wants, he discovers that saving money can be more difficult—and more rewarding—than he ever imagined. With candy-bright artwork, a popular main character, and a story that every child will relate to, Nancy Carlson’s new book makes perfect “cents” for young readers! |
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Think Happy! Viking Juvenile, 2009 ages 4-8, ISBN 978-0822589402 Feeling sad? Think happy! You can cheer yourself up in lots of ways. Try being friendly to someone in need of a friend. Do something you think is fun, like riding a bike or putting on a show. And keep thinking happy thoughts. Even when you don't feel lovable, remember that you are loved by many people. When you think happy, anything can happen! |
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Henry and the Valentine Surprise Just before Valentine’s Day, Henry and his classmates discover a heart-shaped box on their teacher Mr. McCarthy’s desk. Who’s it for? As the students spy on Mr. McCarthy, they see him talking to the playground monitor, smiling at the lunch lady, and eating with the French teacher! How many girlfriends does Mr. McCarthy have? When Henry finally asks Mr. McCarthy just who that heart-shaped box is for—the class gets a big surprise! |
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Henry's Amazing Imagination Henry’s a little mouse...with a big imagination. Henry loves show and tell, because he can tell the class about his neighbor’s pet dinosaur, the snowman he built that’s as big as his house, and the alien that landed in his yard. But when his classmates start asking questions—and call him a fibber—Henry has to find a new outlet for his stories. |
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First Grade, Here I Come! After the first day of first grade, Henry’s not so sure how he feels about it. The teacher is not like his kindergarten teacher, the fifth-graders hog the monkey bars, and there are too many new things to learn! But as Henry tells his mother about the cool classroom science corner, a new friend who also likes soccer, and that he’ll learn to read books, he begins to realize that maybe first grade won’t be so bad after all. With friendly illustrations and an upbeat text, Nancy Carlson delivers a reassuring story that shows how exciting first grade can be. |
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Henry's Show and Tell Henry really likes kindergarten—there's painting, singing, story time and lots of new things to learn. But there's one thing Henry doesn't like: show and tell! His legs get all shaky and he's too shy to speak. And it doesn't help that his classmate Tony always asks, "Is Henry going to barf?" Just in time, Henry's kind teacher comes to the rescue with a great plan for helping him overcome his fears. |
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My Family is Forever Some families are formed by birth, and some families are formed by adoption. But as the narrator in this heartwarming story makes clear, being part of a family isn't about who you look like or even where you were born—it's about the special love that binds you together. Nancy Carlson's thoughtful, straightforward text and cheerful illustrations combine to give a reassuring look at how one little girl came into her parent's world through adoption and made them a family forever. |
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It's Not MyFault George is NOT having a good day. First he oversleeps, then he's late for class-soon mice are running loose throughout the school! One mishap leads to another until George is up to his ears in trouble. Yet somehow, none of it is George's fault. He has an excuse for everything. But as his bad choices catch up with him, George runs out of others to blame. |
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Copyright 2002- Children's Literature Network. |
