James Solheim

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James Solheim decided on a writing career when he had just finished second grade. He still has many of his childhood writings, and he even revised a poem he wrote in fifth grade for his book It's Disgusting—and We Ate It! (Simon & Schuster). His picture books are written for all ages, not just children. Even great-grandparents will enjoy books like Born Yesterday, a baby’s wacky commentary on being new to the world, or Santa’s Secrets Revealed, exposing how Santa uses relativity and radar (and maybe even a little magic) to navigate the world in a single night.

Besides writing books, James Solheim performs Norwegian folk dance and has written folk music in the four-part-harmony shape-note tradition. He is a self-taught speaker of Norwegian. He has a Master of Fine arts degree from The University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, and has taught creative writing at Southern Illinois University and Washington University in Saint Louis.

James Solheim was born in North Dakota and grew up in Missouri. He now lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and travels all over the country speaking at schools and conferences.

Born Yesterday
illustrated by Simon James
Philomel, 2010
ages 3 to 8, ISBN 978-0399251559

Born Yesterday is the diary of a baby’s first year of life—written from Day One by the baby herself! Though she hasn’t learned to talk, she scribbles out a yearlong memoir of her reactions to the world—from her surprise at being born in public (Horror! Even her mom and dad were there!) to her plans to start a worldwide writing club with her dog (if only she could get out of her playpen to let him know he’s the club president).

At once a hilarious look at a baby’s first view of the world and a sweet celebration of family, Born Yesterday is a laugh-out-loud funny book about an infant’s arrival with a talent that no one will be expecting!

Santa's Secrets Revealed: All Your Questions Answered About Santa's Super Sleigh, His Flying Reindeer, and Other Wonders
Carolrhoda, 2004
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-1-57505-600-5

Just how does Santa get to every house in the world in one night? And how can reindeer fly? If these questions have been waking you up in a cold sweat every December 24 just when you should be dreaming of sugarplums and shiny new bikes, here is the perfect antidote for Yuletide insomnia.

Santa's Secrets Revealed takes you on a tour of Santa's top-secret facilities, introducing you to elf scientists at the Reindeer Propulsion Laboratories (headed by Mrs. Claus, PhD), and giving you a peek into the computers at Elf Intelligence International to see just who's naughty and nice.

You'll even ride in Santa's sleigh as he shows a young skeptic how Christmas magic fits into the world's biggest high-tech multinational charity. Santa's Secrets Revealed will be in the stores in Fall, 2004.

It's Disgusting and We Ate It!
Simon & Schuster, 1998
ages 5 to 11, ISBN 978-0-689-80675-9

It's Disgusting—and We Ate It! explores every continent's wildest food traditions—from ancient Romans eating rose pie to modern Americans slurping down live oysters. Author James Solheim talked to people from all over the planet and combed through hundreds of books in his search for the world's strangest foods. Research meant picking violets for 500-year-old royal recipes, telephoning Australia to ask if any people there eat worms (they do), and pondering deep philosophical questions like "Which fried insects make the best after-school snack?" (Aristotle recommends cicadas fat with eggs.) James Solheim even interviewed a scientist who ate meat from a 36,000-year-old bison found frozen in Alaska.

It's Disgusting—and We Ate It! was a Junior Library Guild selection, an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, and a Blue Ribbon Book of the Center for Children's Books. The Washington Post chose it as one of the nine best books in its age group for summer reading.