Mara Rockliff (born 1970) is an American author of nonfiction and educational books for children. The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

selected her book ''Gingerbread for Liberty!'' as an

ALA Notable Children's Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...

. She also received the

Golden Kite Award The Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an international children's writing organization, to recognize excellence in children’s literature. The award is a golden medallion showing ...

for ''Me and Momma and Big John.''

Career

Rockliff specializes in historical picture books for children, especially true stories about people that are not included in traditional histories. For example, she has written books about the female magician Adelaide Herrmann, pioneering film-maker

Alice Guy Blaché Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

engineer

Beatrice Shilling Beatrice Shilling (8 March 1909 – 18 November 1990) was a British aeronautical engineer, motorcycle racer and sports car racer. In 1949, Shilling was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. During the Second World War Shi ...

'','' and Georgia Gilmore who helped feed participants in

Montgomery bus boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...

. Rockliff was inspired to write ''Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz'' when she realized female musicians were left out of the history of jazz music. Rockliff considers herself a "research geek." She studies interviews, newspapers, oral histories, and primary source materials to create her books, and also includes a list of primary sources in her history books. Rockwell got the idea to write ''Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat'' when looking through the Jewish Women's Archive. She said, "I realized that out of all these books I've never done one about a Jewish woman, even though I'm a Jewish woman. That seemed like an oversight."

Frieda Caplan Frieda Rapoport Caplan (August 10, 1923 — January 18, 2020) was an American businesswoman who was the founder of Frieda's Inc., a specialty produce company in Los Alamitos, California. She created the specialty produce industry in the ...

founded a specialty produce company and introduced foods such as kiwis, baby carrots, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, spaghetti squash, and mangos to consumers in the United States. Rockliff worked with Caplan's daughter to create ''Try It!'' which was selected as a 2021 Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Award Honor Title by the California Reading Association. It was also selected by '' Smithsonian'' magazine as one of the ten best children's books of 2021. In 2013, Rockliff was nominated for the

Ezra Jack Keats Book Award The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award is an annual U.S. literary award. At the Ezra Jack Keats Book Awards Ceremony every April, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation presents the New Writer Award (since 1985) and New Illustrator Award (since 2001) to an au ...

for her book ''My Heart Will Not Sit Down''. The picture book is about a young girl in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

who tried to raise money to help those who are starving in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

during the Great Depression. A reviewer noted that ''My Heart Will Not Sit Down'' "may motivate youngsters to find their own ways to help people in need." That same year, her book ''Me and Momma and Big John'' was nominated for the

Charlotte Zolotow Award The Charlotte Zolotow Award is an American literary award presented annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States during the preceding year. By contrast, the Caldecott Medal is for outstanding illustration in ...

and won the

from the

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...

. The Charlotte Zolotow Award is the highest honor for writing in children's picture books. The book is about an African American female stonecutter who helped build the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in

in the 1970s. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' noted, "This is the rare children's book that shows how a building is built with less of an emphasis on cranes and bulldozers and more on the difficult work of laboring hands. But it's not only about the grueling hardness of labor, ''Me and Momma and Big John'' is also about the rewards of a labor of love, and of a job well done." In 2016, Rockliff's ''Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution was selected as an

.'' The book is about

Christopher Ludwick Christopher Ludwick, known also as Ludwig, Ludowick, Ludwigg (17th October 1720, Germany– 17th June 1801, United States) was a German immigrant to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and worked as a baker general for the Continental Army during the A ...

, a

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

baker who was too old and portly to fight in the Revolutionary War, but supported General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's army by baking bread for the troops. Rockliff learned of Ludwick in a 1964 magazine article about Pennsylvania Dutch cooking traditions. She says, "That grabbed me right away since it combined fun stuff for kids—sneaky secret agent, gingerbread—with fun historical stuff for parents and teachers. Also, I live in a very German part of Pennsylvania, and my daughter has Hessian ancestors on her father's side, so the topic had special interest to me." ''Gingerbread for Liberty'' also won the Garden State Children's Book Award and the Land of Enchantment Book Award''.'' Also in 2016, her book ''Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France'' was selected as an Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book by the

National Council of Teachers of English The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a forum ...

. It also won the Cook Prize from the

Bank Street College of Education Bank Street College of Education is a private school and graduate school in New York City. It consists of a graduate-only teacher training college and an independent nursery-through-8th-grade school. In 2020 the graduate school had about 65 full ...

. The book tells how

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

used the scientific method to debunk the mysterious powers of Franz Mesmer's magic wand. One reviewer noted, "Although the book sounds heavy with facts and theories, the story zips along thanks to Mara Rockliff's lively, dramatic writing that holds even young readers in thrall." A more recent book, 2020's ''Jefferson Measures a Moose,'' tells how another founding father, Thomas Jefferson, used math counter misinformation in a book about animals found in the United States. Rockliff says, " I'd just published ''Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France'', and I thought this story could do for math and measurement what ''Mesmerized'' did for the scientific method." In addition, she was exploring the concept of misinformation through the lens of current events in 2020. In 2017, the

National Council for the Social Studies The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is a U.S.-based association devoted to supporting social studies education. It is affiliated with various regional or state level social studies associations, including: the Middle States Council ...

(NCSS) and the Children's Book Council (CBC) selected her book, ''Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles,'' as a Notable Trade Book for Young People. The NCSS-CBC book review committee selected "books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, have a pleasing format, and, where appropriate, include illustrations that enrich the text." ''Around America to Win the Vote'' was about Alice Burke and Nell Richardson who drove across the United States in 1916, speaking in 26 states to increase support for

women’s suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to gran ...

. In 2020, Rockliff's book ''Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope'' was chosen 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 the

Sydney Taylor Book Award The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. Medals are awarded annually for outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award was established in 1968 by the Association of Jewish L ...

as a Notable Picture Book. The book is about

L. L. Zamenhof L. L. Zamenhof (15 December 185914 April 1917) was an ophthalmologist who lived for most of his life in Warsaw. He is best known as the creator of Esperanto, the most widely used constructed international auxiliary language. Zamenhof first dev ...

f who invented the universal language of Esperanto to bring people together. In 2023, Rockliff's ''Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott'' received a Sibert Honor from the

. Rockliff also wrote the twelve books of the ''Milo and Jazz Mysteries'' series using the pen name Lewis B. Montgomery. ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' selected ''The Case of the Stinky Socks'' from the Milo and Jazz series for “100 Best Children’s and YA Mysteries of the Past 10 Years." The second book in the series, ''The Case of the Poisoned Pig,'' was nominated for an Agatha Award. One reviewer notes that these books have "the brief chapters, which are filled with earnest, clever kids being funny—and, more importantly, smart." Rockliff also uses the pen names Eleanor May and as Nan Walker, most notably writing books for the ''Mouse Math'' series which now includes more than fifteen titles. The ''Mouse Math'' series presents "basic concepts, thinking skills, and reading skills all wrapped up in engaging stories starring mouse siblings Wanda and Albert." ''Albert the Muffin Maker was the'' 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Bronze Medalist for Alphabet/Counting. As May and Walker, Rockcliff has also written books for other educational series, including ''Math Matters'', ''Science Solves It!'', and ''Social Studies Connects''.

Awards

* 2011 Green Earth Book Award Honor Book for ''Get Real: What Kind of World Are You Buying?'' * 2013 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Honor for ''My Heart Will Not Sit Down'' * 2013

for ''Me and Momma and Big John'' * 2013

Honor for ''Me and Momma and Big John'' * 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Bronze Medalist Alphabet/Counting for ''Albert the Muffin Maker'' * 2015 Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award for ''The Grudge Keeper'' * 2016 Cook Prize for ''Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France'' * 2016 Orbis Pictus Award Honor book for ''Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France'' * 2016

for ''Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution'' * 2017

- Children's Book Council Notable Trade Books for Young People for ''Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles'' * 2018 Garden State Children's Book Award for ''Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution'' * 2018 Land of Enchantment Book Award for ''Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution'' * 2020 Notable Picture Book,

for ''Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope'' * 2021 Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Award Honor Title for ''Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat'' * 2023 ALA Sibert Honor for ''Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott''

Publications

As Mara Rockliff

* ''Pieces of Another World.''

Arbordale Publishing Arbordale Publishing is an independent children's book publishing company located in Mount Pleasant, SC. History It was founded in 2004 by co-owners Lee and Donna German as "Sylvan Dell Publishing," named for Donna's ancestral family homestead i ...

, 2005. Arnold, Tonya. “Pieces of Another World Mara Rockliff.” ''Science and Children'', vol. 43, no. 5, Feb. 2006, p. 60. via ''EBSCOhost'', accessed July 3, 2022. * ''Next to an Ant.'' Rookie Readers, 2008. * ''Get Real: What Kind of World are YOU Buying?'' Running Press Kids, 2010. * ''The Busiest Street in Town.''

Knopf Books for Young Readers Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

, 2012. * ''Me and Momma and Big John.''

Candlewick Candlewick may refer to: *Candle wick, a part of a candle or oil lamp *Candlewick, a style of glassware made by the Imperial Glass Company * Candlewick (fabric), a thick, soft cotton fabric *Candlewick, an element in financial candlestick charts * ...

, 2012. * ''My Heart Will Not Sit Down.'' Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012. Saccardi, Marianne. “Rockliff, Mara. My Heart Will Not Sit Down.” ''School Library Journal'', vol. 58, no. 2, Feb. 2012. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''The Grudge Keeper.'' Peachtree, 2014. * ''Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution.'' Clarion Books, 2015. * ''Chik Chak Shabbat.'' Candlewick, 2016. * ''Anything But Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic.'' Candlewick, 2016. * ''Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France.'' Candlewick, 2017. * ''Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz.'' Calkins Creek, 2017. * ''Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker.'' Chronicle Books, 2018. Magyarody, Katherine. “Rockliff, Mara. Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker.” ''School Library Journal'', vol. 64, no. 9, Sept. 2018. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles.'' Candlewick, 2019. * ''Billie Jean!: How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women's Sports.'' G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books, 2019. * ''Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope.'' Candlewick, 2019. * ''Jefferson Measures a Moose.'' Candlewick, 2020. * ''The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer.'' Candlewick, 2021. * ''Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat.'' Beach Lane Books, 2021. * ''Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.''

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 ...

s, 2022. * ''A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion.'' Clarion Books, 2022.

As Lewis B. Montgomery

* ''The Case of the Stinky Socks'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #1), Kane Press, 2009, Woller, Scott, and Cathy Retzer. “Mysteries and Emergent Readers it’s elementary! Turn Readers on to the Thrill of Detective Work with the Engaging Milo and Jazz Mysteries Series.” ''Book Links'', vol. 20, no. 3, Mar. 2011, pp. 8–11. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''The Case of the Poisoned Pig'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #2), Kane Press, 2009, * ''The Case of the Haunted Haunted House'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #3) Kane Press, 2009, * ''The Case of the Amazing Zelda'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #4), Kane Press, 2009. * ''The Case of the July 4th Jinx'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #5), Kane Press, 2010, * ''The Case of the Missing Moose'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #6), Kane Press, 2011, * ''The Case of the Purple Pool'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #7), Kane Press, 2011, * ''The Case of the Diamonds in the Desk'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #8), Kane Press, 2012, Sawyer, Linda. “The Case of the Diamonds in the Desk.” ''Booklist'', vol. 108, no. 12, Feb. 2012, p. 54. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''The Case of the Crooked Campaign'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #9), Kane Press, 2012, * ''The Case of the Superstar Scam'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #10), Kane Press, 2013 * ''The Case of the Locked Box'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #11), Kane Press, 2013, * ''The Case of the Buried Bones'' (Milo & Jazz Mysteries #12), Kane Press, 2014,

As Eleanor May

* ''Real Me – Lib''. Tandem Library, 2006. * Ty's Triple Trouble. Kane Press 2007. * ''The Great Shape-Up (''Science Solves It) Kane Press, 2007. * ''Mac & Cheese, Pleeeeze!'' (Math Matters) Kane Press, 2008. * ''The Greatest Thing Ever.'' Catapult Learning, 2008. * ''A Visit From the King''. Catapult Learning, 2008. * ''Keesha's Bright Idea''. Astra Publishing, 2009. * ''Who Needs It?'' (Social Studies Connects), Kane Press, 2009. * ''The Best Mother's Day Ever'' (Social Studies Connects), Kane Press, 2010, * ''Albert's Amazing Snail'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2012, Corbin, Janene. “Albert’s Amazing Snail/The Mousier the Merrier/Albert Keeps Score..” ''School Library Journal'' 58, no. 11 (November 2012): 80–81. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''The Mousier the Merrier'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2012 * ''Albert Is Not Scared'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2013, * ''Albert's Bigger than Big Idea'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2013, Corbin, Janene. “Count Off, Squeak Scouts!/Albert’s Bigger Than Big Idea/Mice on Ice.” ''School Library Journal'' 59, no. 6 (June 2013): 80. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''A Beach for Albert'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2013, * ''Mice of Ice'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2013, * Count Off, Squeak Scouts! (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2013. * ''Albert the Muffin Maker'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2014, * ''Messy Mouse'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2014. * ''Albert Adds Up'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2014. * ''Albert Starts School'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2015, * ''Lost in the Mouseum'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2015, * ''Albert Helps Out'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2017, “Mouse Math: Albert Helps Out.” ''Children’s Bookwatch'', March 1, 2017. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''Albert Doubles the Fun'' (Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2017, * ''Where's Albert? (''Mouse Math) Kane Press, 2017, * ''Let's Go, Snow!'' (Math Matters), Kane Press, 2017, * ''Who Needs It'' (Social Studies Connects) Kane Press, 2021,

As Nan Walker

* ''We Fish''. Benchmark, 2004. * ''Stressbusters: Producers & Consumers''. Kane Press, 2006. * ''Check It Out! Historical Evidence''. Kane Press, 2006. * ''The Bay School Blogger'' (Social Studies Connects) Kane Press, 2008. * ''Follow That Clue!'' (Community Helpers) Kane Press, 2008. * ''The Yum Yum House'' (Math Matters), Kane Press, 2009, Cady, J. A. (2011). "Review of ''Math Matters: The Yum Yum House. Grades 1-3'', by N. Walker". ''Teaching Children Mathematics'', ''17''(6), 380–381. via JSTOR, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''The Messiest Room on the Planet'' (Social Studies Connects) with Monica Kulling. Kane Press, 2009. McClendon, S. “Kulling, Monica & Nan Walker. The Messiest Room on the Planet.” ''School Library Journal'', vol. 55, no. 8, Aug. 2009. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022. * ''Old School, New School''. Benchmark Education Company, 2010. * ''Rain Forest Food''. Benchmark Education Company, 2010. * ''Day Camp''. Benchmark Education Company, 2011. * ''Thanksgiving Now and Then.'' Benchmark Education Company, 2011. * ''On the Acronym and Initialization Assembly Line'' (Readers Theater World Plays) Benchmark Education Company, 2012. * ''Simile Ella'' (Readers Theater World Plays) Benchmark Education Company, 2012. * ''Our Nature Chart''. JY Books, 2014. * ''Spork Out of Orbit'' (How to be an Earthling 1), Kane Press, 2016, * ''Otto and the New Girl'' (Math Matters), Kane Press, 2017, * ''The Midnight Kid'' (Science Solves It!), Kane Press, 2017, Tormohlen, Anne L. “The Midnight Kid.” ''School Library Journal'' 53, no. 5 (May 2007): 110–11. via EBSCO, accessed July 3, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockliff, Mara 1970 births Living people Brown University alumni St. Anthony Hall American women children's writers American non-fiction children's writers 20th-century American women writers American women biographers Jewish women writers Jewish American non-fiction writers Writers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania American bakers Writers of Esperanto literature Jewish Esperantists American Esperantists