Marsha Wilson Chall (born November 7, 1953) is an American educator and author of children's picture books. Several of her books were inspired by her home state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

."Marsha Wilson Chall." ''Something About the Author'', edited by Lisa Kumar, vol. 257, Gale, 2013, pp. 27-31. ''Gale Literature: Something About the Author''. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Biography

Early life and education

Chall was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

on November 7, 1953. She was an only child. She earned a Bachelor of Science from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

in 1975 and a Master of Arts from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in 1984."Marsha Wilson Chall." ''Gale Literature:

Contemporary Authors ''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work which has been published by Gale since 1962. It provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers. ''Contemporary Authors'' does not have selective inclusion cr ...

'', Gale, 2005. ''Gale Literature Resource Center''. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Career

Chall published her first book, ''Mattie'', in 1992. She received a Smithsonian Notable Children's Book citation in 2000 for ''Bonaparte''. ''Bonaparte'' received a

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', which said the book was "fresh as a newly baked croissant" and "Chall's narrative strikes just the right balance between humor and feelings of loss in this captivating dog-loses-boy, dog-gets-boy tale". Chall works at

Metropolitan State University Metropolitan State University (Metro State) is a public university in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

as an adult literacy instructor.

Personal life

Chall is married and has two children. She lives on a farm near

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Selected works

* ''Mattie''. Illustrated by Barbara Lehman. 1992. * ''Up North at the Cabin''. Illustrated by Steve Johnson. 1992. * ''Rupa Raises the Sun''. Illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger. 1998. * ''Sugarbush Spring''. Illustrated by Jim Daly. 2000. * ''Bonaparte''. Illustrated by

Wendy Anderson Halperin Wendy Anderson Halperin (born April 10, 1952) is an American illustrator and author of Children's literature, children's books. Biography Education Halperin was born on April 10, 1952, in Joliet, Illinois. She attended Syracuse University, 19 ...

. 2000. * ''Prairie Train''. Illustrated by John Thompson. 2000. * ''Happy Birthday, America''. Illustrated by Guy Porfirio. 2000. * ''One Pup's Up''. Illustrated by

Henry Cole Sir Henry Cole FRSA (15 July 1808 – 18 April 1882) was a British civil servant and inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. Cole is credited with devising the concept of ...

. 2010. * ''Pick a Pup''. Illustrated by Jed Henry. 2011. * ''A Secret Keeps''. Illustrated by Heather M. Solomon. 2012. * ''The Secret Life of Figgy Mustardo''. Illustrated by Alison Friend. 2016.

References

External links

*
Marsha Wilson Chall
on

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...

Papers
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chall, Marsha Wilson 1953 births American women children's writers American children's writers 21st-century American women educators Drake University alumni University of Minnesota alumni Writers from Minneapolis Living people