Kathi Appelt (born July 6, 1954) is an American author of more than forty books for

children 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 younger ...

and young adults. She won the annual PEN USA award for Children's Literature recognizing '' The Underneath'' (2008).

Biography

Kathi Appelt was born in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

, and grew up in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. She graduated from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and lives in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin. ...

. Appelt is the author of more than 30 books. She writes novels, picture books, poetry, and

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

for children and young adults. Her books have been translated into several languages: Spanish, Chinese,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

. Her first novel was ''The Underneath'', illustrated by

David Small David Small (born February 12, 1945) is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. His books have been awarded a Caldecott Medal and two Caldecott Honors, among other recognition. Biography David Small ...

and published by

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 publ ...

in 2008. It features a cat and dog who live mainly beneath an old house in the Louisiana–Texas

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

. For that work she received the annual Children's Literature award from

PEN Center USA PEN Center USA was a branch of PEN, an international literary and human rights organization. It was one of two PEN International Centers in the United States, the other being the PEN America in New York City. On March 1, 2018, PEN Center USA unifi ...

"2009 Lit Awards"
PEN Center USA (penusa.org). Archived 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2014-09-24. and she was also a runner-up for the National Book Award (

National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".< ...

finalist) and the American Library Association Newbery Medal (Newbery Honor Book). Her papers are held in the

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection The McCain Library and Archives is the chief reserve library for The University of Southern Mississippi. It houses the items in Southern Mississippi's possession that are not available for checkout. Besides being the archives, the building also h ...

at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

(unprocessed manuscripts collection, 1985–2005).

Selected works

* ''The Underneath'', illustrated by David Small (Simon & Schuster, 2008) * ''Brand-New Baby Blues'', illustrated by

Kelly Murphy Kelly Murphy is an American author, illustrator and educator. She is based in Providence, Rhode Island. Early life Murphy was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in southeastern Massachusetts. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design ...

(HarperCollins, 2009) * '' Keeper'', illus. August Hall ( Atheneum Books, 2010) * ''Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky'', co-authored by Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer (HarperCollins, 2001; Purple House Press 2019) * '' Max Attacks'', illus. Penelope Dullaghan (

Atheneum Books for Young Readers Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and Hiram Haydn. Simon & Schuster has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Athene ...

, 2019)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Appelt, Kathi 1954 births American children's writers Newbery Honor winners People from Fayetteville, North Carolina Texas A&M University alumni Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women children's writers American women novelists Novelists from Vermont American women academics