Karen Ackerman is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 of children's books.

Background

She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 and graduated from Woodward High School

Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Woodward High School is a public high school located in the Bond Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is part of the Cincinnati Public School District.-Old Woodward Building :Woodward was one of the first public schools in the country...

 in 1969.

Career

Ackerman's first children's book was published in 1982. She has since published over twenty-five books. Her books have won many awards including Parents' Choice, ABA Pick of the List, ALA Notable Books

ALA Notable Books

American Library Association Notable Book lists are announced yearly by the American Library Association . There are two lists, one for Adults and one for Children....

, Children's Book Council/NCSS Notable Books in the Field of Social Studies, New York Library Best List, Horn Book's Best, and School Library Journal Best Books. Her picture-book Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man is a children's picture book written by Karen Ackerman and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Published in 1988, the book is about a grandfather who tells his grandchildren about his adventures on the stage. Gammell won the 1989 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations.-References:...

, illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Stephen Gammell

Stephen Gammell is an American illustrator of children's books. His awards include the Caldecott Medal.Stephen Gammell grew up in Iowa. His father, an art editor for a major magazine, brought home periodicals that gave Stephen early artistic inspiration. His parents also supplied him with lots...

, won the 1989 Caldecott Medal

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...

.

Awards

Caldecott Medal

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...

, 1989, for the book Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man is a children's picture book written by Karen Ackerman and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Published in 1988, the book is about a grandfather who tells his grandchildren about his adventures on the stage. Gammell won the 1989 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations.-References:...

, illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Stephen Gammell

Stephen Gammell is an American illustrator of children's books. His awards include the Caldecott Medal.Stephen Gammell grew up in Iowa. His father, an art editor for a major magazine, brought home periodicals that gave Stephen early artistic inspiration. His parents also supplied him with lots...

, Knopf, 1988

Picture Books

• Flannery Row New York: Atlantic Monthly (1986)
• Song & Dance Man (1988)
• Theo's Vineyard (1989)
• Araminta's Paint Box, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. (1990)
• The Banshee illustrated by David Ray. New York: Philomel (1990)
• Just Like Max illustrated by George Schmidt. New York: Knopf (1990)
• The Tin Heart (1990)
• Moveable Mabeline (1990)
• When Mama Retires New York: Knopf (1992)
• I Know A Place, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray. New York: Houghton Mifflin (1992)
• This Old House New York: Atheneum (1992)
• By the Dawn's Early Light, illustrated by Catherine Stock (1994)
• The Sleeping Porchillustrated by Elizabeth Sayles. New York: Morrow (1995)
• Bingleman's Midway, illustrated by Barry Moser. Honesdale: Boyds Mills Press (1995)
• In the Park With Dad: A Story for Kids Whose Parents Don't Live Together illustrated by Linda Crockett-Blassingame. Boston: Pauline Books and Media (1996)
• Walking With Clara Belle illustrated by Debbie Mason. Boston: Pauline Books and Media (1996)
• Bean's Big Day (2004)

Fiction

• The Leaves in October (1991)
• The Broken Boy New York: Philomel (1991)
• The Night Crossing (1994)