Clyde Robert Bulla (born January 9, 1914, near

King City, Missouri King City is a city in southwest Gentry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 799 at the 2020 census. History John Pittsenbarger was the first European settler when he set up a tent in town in 1856. His application to name the tow ...

, United States, d. May 23, 2007,

Warrensburg, Missouri Warrensburg is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 20,313 at the 2020 census. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. The city is a college town as it is ...

) was an American writer who wrote over fifty books for children. He received his early education in a one-room schoolhouse where he began writing stories and songs. He finished his first book shortly after his graduation from high school and then went to work on a newspaper as a columnist and a typesetter. His first book, ''The Donkey Cart'', was published in 1946. His autobiography, ''A Grain of Wheat: A Writer Begins'', was published in 1985. The book referred to an essay he wrote in 1924 for the St. Joseph Gazette in which he tied with 100 others for third-place to write about a grain of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. The manuscripts for many of his historical novels are in University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives. There are also materials held at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library at the

University of Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...

, whose Children's Literature Festival welcomed him as a presenter twenty-two times. These materials include his grand piano which is located on the first floor of the library, original illustrations from the illustrators of several of his books, including works from

Don Freeman Don Freeman (August 11, 1908 – February 1, 1978) was an American painter, printmaker, cartoonist, and an illustrator and writer of children's books. He was active from the 1930s to the 1970s and often used Times Square as the backdrop of hi ...

and

Lois Lenski Lois Lenore Lenski Covey (October 14, 1893 – September 11, 1974) was a Newbery Medal-winning author and illustrator of picture books and children's literature. Beginning in 1927 with her first books, ''Skipping Village'' and ''Jack Horner's Pie: ...

, and personal correspondence.

Awards and recognitions

In 1962, Mr. Bulla received the first award of the Southern California Council on Children's Literature. He was the first recipient of the Southern California Council on Children's Literature award for distinguished contribution to the field.

Selected publications

* ''Riding the Pony Express'' (1948) * ''The Secret Valley'' (1949) * ''Eagle Feather'' (1953) * ''Star of Wild Horse Canyon'' (1953) * ''Squanto, Friend of the White Men'' (1954) (later retitled ''Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims'') * ''The Sword in the Tree'' (1956) * ''Ghost Town Treasure'' (1957) * ''Pirate's Promise'' (1958) * ''The Valentine Cat (1959) * ''A Tree Is A Plant'' (1960) * ''Benito'' (1961) * ''Viking Adventure'' (1963) * ''White Bird'' (1966) * ''The Ghost of Windy Hill'' (1968) * ''The Moon Singer'' (1969) * ''Pocahontas and the Strangers'' (1971) * ''Shoeshine Girl'' (1975) * ''Marco Moonlight'' (1976) * ''The Beast of Lor'' (1977) * ''A Lion to Guard Us'' (1981) * ''The Chalk Box Kid'' (1987) * "The Christmas Coat" (1989) * ''A Place for Angels'' (1995) * ''The Paint Brush Kid'' (1999) * ''Daniel's Duck'' * ''Charlie's House''

References

External links

Guide to the Clyde Robert Bulla papers at the University of OregonAuthor donates books to University of Central Missouri
* (10 "from old catalog") * 1914 births 2007 deaths American children's writers People from King City, Missouri {{US-child-writer-stub