Donna Jo Napoli (born February 28, 1948) is an American writer of

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

and

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

, as well as a linguist. She currently is a professor at Swarthmore College teaching

Linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

in all different forms (

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

Theater (structure) A theater, theatre or playhouse, is a structure where theatrical works, performing arts and musical concerts are presented. The theater building serves to define the performance and audience spaces. The facility usually is organized to provide ...

, dance,

Comparative Literature Studies ''Comparative Literature Studies'' (CLS) is an academic journal in the field of comparative literature. It publishes essays ranging across the traditions of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Articles also explore movements, themes ...

).She has also taught

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

at Smith College, the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, She has worked in syntax,

phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

phonology Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

, historical and comparative

Romance studies Romance studies or Romance philology ( an, filolochía romanica; ca, filologia romànica; french: romanistique; eo, latinida filologio; it, filologia romanza; pt, filologia românica; ro, romanistică; es, filología románica) is an acade ...

, structure of American Sign Language, poetics, writing for

ESL English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

students, and mathematical and linguistic analysis of folk dance. Her children's books have been translated into many languages, including different

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

s. Many of her children's books are retellings of fairy tales, including ''The Magic Circle'', ''Crazy Jack'', ''Spinners'', ''Zel'', ''Breath'', ''Bound'', ''Beast'', and ''The Wager'' for older children, and ''The Prince of the Pond'', ''Ugly'', and ''Mogo the Third Warthog'' for younger children. Other children's stories are historical fiction based in Italy, including ''Daughter of Venice'', ''For the Love of Venice'', and ''The Smile''. Napoli has won numerous awards for her work, including the Golden Kite Award given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (for ''Stones in Water'', and honor book ''Breath''), the Sydney Taylor Award given by the

Association of Jewish Libraries The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) is an international organization dedicated to the production, collection, organization and dissemination of Judaic resources and library/media/information service. AJL has members in the United States, Can ...

(for ''Stones in Water'', and, honor book, ''The King of Mulberry Street'' and the Parents' Choice Gold Award (for ''Alligator Bayou'' and Silver awards for ''North'' and ''The King of Mulberry Street''). Her publications in linguistics include ''Syntactic argumentation'' (with Emily Rando). (Washington, DC: Georgetown Univ. Press, 1979), ''Syntax: Theory and Problems'' (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1993), ''Linguistics: An introduction '' (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1996), ''Humour in sign languages: The linguistic underpinnings'' (with Rachel Sutton-Spence) (Dublin: Trinity Press, 2009), and ''L'animale parlante'' ("The speaking animal") (2004), written with

Marina Nespor Marina Nespor (born 3 November 1949 in Milan, Italy) is a Professor of linguistics at the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati in Trieste, Italy, and senior researcher in the ERC PASCAL Project, a project investigating language acquis ...

, along with dozens of articles in the scholarly journals.

Early life

Donna Jo Napoli was born the youngest of four children in Miami, February 28, 1948, to an Italian-American family. After correcting an eyesight problem left undiagnosed until the age of 10, Napoli became an avid reader. From then on she found solace in the escape provided by books, using reading as comfort during family troubles and instability stemming from her father's gambling problem. She was accepted to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

for undergraduate education and received both her B.S. (Mathematics, 1970) and M.A./Ph.D. (Romance Languages, 1973). A postdoctoral fellowship in linguistics at

M.I.T The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

. in 1974 led to her resulting career in the field. She is married and has five children. Napoli has dual citizenship in the U.S. and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Early linguistics career

Napoli began her linguistics career in

generative syntax Generative grammar, or generativism , is a linguistic theory that regards linguistics as the study of a hypothesised innate grammatical structure. It is a biological or biologistic modification of earlier structuralist theories of linguistics ...

, with a focus on

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and other

Romance languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language fam ...

. Her dissertation in 1973 was titled ''The Two Si's of Italian: An Analysis of Reflexive, Inchoative, and Indefinite Subject Sentences in Modern Standard Italian.'' Her subsequent work spanned many topics within generatic syntax on Romance languages and English, including its interfaces with intonation, morphology, and other areas.

Early writing career

Although Napoli always had a love of writing, she decided not to pursue it as a career in early life. Her professional writing career began with the publication of her first book, ''The Hero of Barletta,'' in 1988. Napoli's novels tackle real-world problems children of any age may face, including family hardships, anxiety, phobias, and illness. As explained in a 2012 TED Talk, Napoli finds it important that children read stories about real-life problems they may face, to help comfort those who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Work with Deaf communities

In the earlys 2000s, Donna Jo Napoli began a program of research on

s and developed connections within the Deaf community. Napoli has contributed to linguistic research on sign languages, including the publication of the book ''Primary movement in sign languages'' in 2011. Combining her interest in language and literature, Napoli has collaborated with others to create bimodal bilingual ebooks for hearing parents to read to their deaf children. These are ebooks and videos that are both conveyed in oral language, and conveyed in sign language in a video. Languages represented in this project include American Sign Language,

Brazilian Sign Language Brazilian Sign Language ( pt, Língua Brasileira de Sinais ) is the sign language used by deaf communities of urban Brazil. It is also known in short as Libras () and variously abbreviated as LSB, LGB or LSCB (; "Brazilian Cities Sign Language" ...

, Fijian Sign Language,

Korean Sign Language Korean Sign Language or KSL ( or ) is a sign language used for deaf communities of South Korea under the North-South Korean border. It is often referred to simply as , which means signing in general. KSL is currently one of two official language ...

Irish Sign Language Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...

Nepali Sign Language Nepalese Sign Language or Nepali Sign Language is the main sign language of Nepal. It is a partially Language standardization, standardized language based informally on the variety used in Kathmandu, with some input from varieties from Pokhara an ...

Swedish Sign Language Swedish Sign Language (SSL; ) is the sign language used in Sweden. It is recognized by the Swedish government as the country's official sign language, and hearing parents of deaf individuals are entitled to access state-sponsored classes that f ...

, and others. The books are translated into the oral language relevant for each signed language.

Fiction books

Young Adult novels

*''The Magic Circle'', 1993

Dutton Penguin E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...

, 1995

Puffin Books Puffin Books is a longstanding children's imprint of the British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s, it has been among the largest publishers of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. The imprint now belongs t ...

(Paperback) *'' Zel'', 1996

, 1998

(Paperback) *'' Song of the Magdalene'', 1996 Scholastic, 1998 (Paperback), 2004

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

(Paperback) *'' Stones in Water'', 1997, 1999 (Paperback)

*'' For the Love of Venice'', 1998, 2000 (Paperback)

Delacorte Press Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and so ...

*''Sirena'', 1998, 2000 (Paperback) Scholastic *'' Spinners'', 1999, 2001 (Paperback)

*'' Crazy Jack'', 1999, 2001 (Paperback)

*'' Beast'', 2000, 2002 (Paperback)

*'' Daughter of Venice'', 2002, 2003 (Paperback)

*''The Great God Pan'', 2003, 2005 (Paperback)

*''Breath'', 2003, 2005 (Paperback)

*''North'', 2004, 2005 (Paperback)

Greenwillow ''Greenwillow'' is a musical with a book by Lesser Samuels and Frank Loesser and music and lyrics by Loesser. The musical is set in the magical town of Greenwillow. It ran on Broadway in 1960. Overview Based on the novel by B. J. Chute, the ...

*''

Bound Bound or bounds may refer to: Mathematics * Bound variable * Upper and lower bounds, observed limits of mathematical functions Physics * Bound state, a particle that has a tendency to remain localized in one or more regions of space Geography *B ...

'', 2004, 2006

*'' The King of Mulberry Street'', 2005, 2007 (Paperback)

*''

Fire in the Hills Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

'', 2006, 2008 (Paperback) Dutton Press *'' Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale'', 2007, 2008 (Paperback)

*'' The Smile'', 2008, 2009 (Paperback) Dutton Press *'' Alligator Bayou'', 2009, 2010 (Paperback)

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

*''The Wager'', 2010, 2014 (Paperback) Henry Holt and Company *''Skin'', 2013 Skyscape *''Storm'', 2014

*''Hidden: An Irish Princess' Tale'', 2014 Paula Wiseman Books *''Dark Shimmer'', 2015

Elementary- and middle-school novels

*'' Soccer Shock'', 1991

, 1993

(Paperback) *'' The Prince of the Pond'', 1992

, 1994

(Paperback) *''

When the Water Closes over my Head When may refer to: * When?, one of the Five Ws, questions used in journalism * WHEN (AM), an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station in Syracuse, New York * WHEN-TV, the former call letters of TV station WTVH in Syracuse, New York Music * When (b ...

'', 1994

, 1996

(Paperback) *'' Shark Shock'', 1994

, 1997

(Paperback) *'' The Bravest Thing'', 1995

, 1997

(Paperback) *'' Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace'', 1995

, 1997

(Paperback) *'' On Guard'', 1997

, 1999

(Paperback) *'' Trouble on the Tracks'', 1998 Scholastic *'' Changing Tunes'', 1998

, 2000

(Paperback) *'' Shelley Shock'', 2000

, 2002

(Paperback) *'' Three Days'', 2001

, 2003

(Paperback) *'' Gracie, the Pixie of the Puddle'', 2004

*'' Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries'', 2005 Dial Press, 2007 Scholastic (Paperback) *'' Ugly'', 2006, 2008 (Paperback) Hyperion Books *'' Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries'', 2006 Dial Press *''S ly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries'', 2007 Dial Press *'' Mogo, the Third Warthog'', 2008 Hyperion Books *'' Sly the Sleuth and the Code Mysteries'', 2009 Dial Press *'' Lights On The Nile'', 2011

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

*'' Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters'', 2011 National Geographic *'' Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals'', 2013 National Geographic *'' Treasury of Norse Mythology: Stories Of Intrigue, Trickery, Love & Revenge'', 2015 National Geographic *'' Tales From the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal'', 2016 National Geographic *'' Treasury of Bible Stories'', 2019 National Geographic *'' Treasury of Magical Tales From Around the World'', 2021 National Geographic *'' Words to Make a Friend'', 2021

Random House Studio Random House Studio is a production company responsible for adapting books published by Penguin Random House to film and TV. The company, originally owned by Penguin Random House, was transferred to Bertelsmann sister company Fremantle North Ame ...

The ''Angelwings'' Series

Published by

1999-2001 *''Friends Everywhere'' *''Little Creatures'' *''On Her Own'' *''One Leap Forward'' *''Give and Take'' *''No Fair!'' *''April Flowers'' *''Playing Games'' *''Lies and Lemons'' *''Running Away'' *''Know-It-All'' *''New Voices'' *''Left Out'' *''Happy Holidays'' *''Partners'' *''Hang In There''

Picture books and early readers

*'' The Hero of Barletta'', Illustrations by Dana Gustafson, Carolrhoda Books, 1988 *''

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

'', Illustrations by Jim LaMarche, Harcourt, 2001 *'' How Hungry are You?'', Illustrations by Amy Walrod,

, 2001 *'' Rocky, the Cat who Barks'', Illustrations by Tamara Petrosino,

Dutton Children's Books Dutton Children's Books is a US publisher of children's books and a division of the Penguin Group. It is associated with the Dutton adult division. It was previously an imprint of E.P. Dutton, prior to 1986. They have been publishing books sinc ...

, 2002 *'' Flamingo Dream'', Illustrated by

Cathie Felstead Cathie Felstead, born 1954 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, in the UK, is an English illustrator. Early life and education Felstead attended Chelsea School of Art where she gained a BA in graphic design. She then studied illustration a ...

, 2002 *'' Hotel Jungle'', Illustrations by Kenneth J. Spengler
Mondo Publishing
2004 *'' Pink Magic'', Illustrations by Chad Cameron,

Clarion Books HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...

, 2005 *'' Bobby the Bold'', Illustrations by Ard Hoyt, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2006 *'' The Wishing Club: A Story About Fractions'', Illustrations by Anna Currey, Henry Holt and Company, 2007 *'' Corkscrew Counts: A Story About Multiplication'', Illustrations by Anna Currey, Henry Holt and Company, 2008 *'' Ready to Dream'', Illustrations by Bronwyn Bancroft,

Bloomsbury USA Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a ...

, 2009 *'' The Earth Shook: A Persian Tale'' Illustrations by

Gabi Swiatkowska Gabi Swiatkowska (born 1970) is a Polish-born artist, musician, and children's author and illustrator. She has shown up twice on the ALA Notable Book Award list. One of the books that she illustrated, ''My Name Is Yoon'', won the Ezra Jack Keat ...

Hyperion Books, 2009 *'' Handy Stories to Read and Sign'', Illustrations by Maureen Klusza,

Gallaudet University Press Gallaudet University Press (GUPress) is a publisher that focuses on issues relating to deafness and sign language. It is a part of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., and was founded in 1980 by the university's Board of Trustees. The press i ...

, 2009 *''Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya'', Illustrations by

Kadir Nelson Kadir Nelson (May 15, 1974) is a Los Angeles–based painter, illustrator, and author who is best known for his paintings often featured on the covers of ''The New Yorker'' magazine, and album covers for Michael Jackson and Drake. His work is foc ...

, 2010 *''The Crossing'', Illustrations by Jim Madsen,

, 2011 *''A Single Pearl'', Illustrations by Jim LaMarche, Hyperion Books, 2013 *''Hands & Hearts'', Illustrations by Amy Bates, Abrams Books, 2014 *''As Night Falls: Creatures That Go Wild After'', Illustrations by Felicita Sala,

, 2023

eBooks

*''Hang In There'', 2015 *''Left Out'', 2015 *''Partners'', 2015 *''Happy Holidays'', 2015 *''Know-It-All'', 2015 *''No Fair!'', 2015 *''Playing Games'', 2015 *''April Flowers'', 2015 *''One Leap Forward'', 2015 *''Give And Take'', 2015 *''On Her Own'', 2015 *''Song Of The Magdalene'', 2015 *''Friends Everywhere'', 2015 *''Little Creatures'', 2015

Early life

Early linguistics career

Early writing career

Work with Deaf communities

Fiction books

Young Adult novels

Elementary- and middle-school novels

The ''Angelwings'' Series

Picture books and early readers

eBooks

See also

References

External links