Patrick Skene Catling is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 children's book 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:...

 and book reviewer best known for writing The Chocolate Touch

The Chocolate Touch

The Chocolate Touch is a children's book by Patrick Skene Catling, first published in the USA in 1952. The story is patterned after the myth of King Midas, whose magic turned everything he touched into gold.-Summary:...

in 1952.

Background

Catling was born and schooled in London and was educated there and at Oberlin College

Oberlin College

Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...

 in the United States. Catling served in the Royal Canadian Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force

The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

 as a navigator

Navigator

A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...

 and as a journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 at The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....

and The Manchester Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

.

He has traveled extensively. His present home is in the Republic of Ireland. He continues writing books, and writes reviews for The Spectator

The Spectator

The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...

, The Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

, and other publications.

Reception

His first publication of The Chocolate Touch

The Chocolate Touch

The Chocolate Touch is a children's book by Patrick Skene Catling, first published in the USA in 1952. The story is patterned after the myth of King Midas, whose magic turned everything he touched into gold.-Summary:...

in 1952 received enthusiastic responses from several reviewers. The New York Herald Tribune

New York Herald Tribune

The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...

remarked, "it has already proved a hilarious success with children," and The Saturday Review said, "it is told with an engaging humor that boys and girls will instantly discover and approve." Catling has since written dozens of books, and has developed the popular The Chocolate Touch character John Midas into the children's book series: John Midas in the Dreamtime (1986), John Midas and the Vampires (1994), John Midas and the Radio Touch (1994), and John Midas and the Rock Star (1995). Of John Midas in the Dreamtime, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...

 wrote, "...children who have been dragged around tourist sights will relate to John's boredom".

Partial bibliography

• The Chocolate Touch
  The Chocolate Touch
  The Chocolate Touch is a children's book by Patrick Skene Catling, first published in the USA in 1952. The story is patterned after the myth of King Midas, whose magic turned everything he touched into gold.-Summary:...
  
  
• Better Than Working
• John Midas in the Dreamtime
• The Exterminator
• Jazz, Jazz, Jazz
• The Experiment
• Best Summer Job
• Tourist Attraction
• Freddy Hill: The Story of a Modern Man of Pleasure
• Eskimo Surprise
• Chocolate Magic
• The Catalogue
• John Midas and the Vampires
• John Midas and the Radio Touch
• A Trunkful of Tricks
• John Midas and the Rock Star

Journalism

Review of