Welcome
Frog and Ball, by Kathy Caple.
Holiday House 2021.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review.
This is my nineteenth book for children, Frog and Ball, which is a Holiday House "I Like to Read Comic." I hope this book brings a few moments of joy to new readers.
Frog and Ball, was inspired by my experience as a Children's Librarian where I witnessed first hand how bouncing balls could cause a lot of unintended commotion in a library setting.
The Illustration to the left is from Duck & Company, which was also published by Holiday House, and was inspired by my love of bookstores as well as my work as a librarian. Like Duck, I enjoy bringing books and readers together. I also like writing stories and creating pictures to go with them.
I grew up in Longview, Washington where I developed an early love of stories and books. In college I studied short story writing and literature, as well as painting, drawing, and graphic design in order to prepare for a career in children's books. I graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Art. I moved to New York City where my first book was published by Windmill Books. During that period I learned the ups and downs of children's book publishing. I also worked as a graphic artist and in other assorted jobs. Later, I moved to Cambridge, MA. and five years after publication of my first book, my second book, The Biggest Nose, was published by Houghton Mifflin.
My enthusiasm for children's literature eventually led to my pursuit of a dual career as a Children's Librarian. I earned my Masters Degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Rhode Island and divided my time between working as a Librarian and writing and illustrating children's books.
My current focus is on developing new stories. I will keep you posted.
Titles and Honors:
Frog and Ball. Holiday House, 2021.
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Kirkus Starred Review
A Night at the Zoo. Holiday House, 2014.
Duck & Company Christmas. Holiday House, 2011.
Termite Tales. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Candlewick, 2009.
Duck & Company. Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices and ALSC "Great Elementary Reads." Holiday House, 2007.
Termite Trouble. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Candlewick, 2005.
Worm Gets a Job. Junior Library Guild Selection, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, CBC Children's Choices. Candlewick, 2004.
Wow, It's Worm! Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award. Candlewick, 2001.
Well Done, Worm! Candlewick, 2000.
The Friendship Tree. American Booksellers Association Pick of the List. Holiday House, 2000. Scholastic Bookclub selection 2001.
Hillary to the Rescue. American Booksellers Association Pick of the list, Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year. Carolrhoda, 2000.
Starring Hillary. Carolrhoda, 1999. and TumbleBooks.
The Wimp. CBC Children's Choices. Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Fox and Bear. Houghton Mifflin, 1992.
The Coolest Place in Town. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
Harry's Smile. Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
The Purse. Houghton Mifflin, 1986.
The Biggest Nose. Houghton Mifflin, 1985. A Weekly Reader Book Club selection.
Inspector Aardvark and the Perfect Cake. Windmill Books.
Several of my stories from "WELL DONE, WORM!" and "WOW IT'S WORM" and "TERMITE TROUBLE," which were published as part of the Candlewick Press Brand New Readers series have appeared on PBS Kids Between the Lions.