Sandra Keith Boynton (born April 3, 1953) is an American humorist, songwriter, director, music producer,
children's author
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated over seventy-five books for children and seven general audience books,
as well as over four thousand
greeting card
A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthday ...
s, and five music albums. She has also designed calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys for various companies.
Early life and education
The third of the four daughters of Jeanne () and Robert W. Boynton, Sandra was born in
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
, and grew up in the
Mount Airy section of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
Her father was a noted progressive educator, scholar (collaborating on textbooks with
Shakespearean
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
scholar
Maynard Mack
Maynard Mack (October 27, 1909 – March 17, 2001) was an American literary critic and English professor. Mack earned both his bachelor's degree (1932; Alpheus Henry Snow Prize) and Ph.D. (1936) at Yale. An expert on Shakespeare and Alexander ...
), and publisher and co-founder of Boynton/Cook Publishers. Boynton/Cook Publishers is now owned by
Heinemann Heinemann may refer to:
* Heinemann (surname)
* Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company
* Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
See also
* Heineman
* Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...
.
Boynton's parents became
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
when she was two years old. From kindergarten through 12th grade, she and her sisters attended
Germantown Friends School
Germantown Friends School (GFS) is a coeducational independent PreK–12 school in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States under the supervision of Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Fri ...
, where their father taught English and was Head of the Upper School. Boynton has frequently cited Germantown Friends' arts-centered curriculum as central to her own "upbeat offbeat" sensibility as well as its thorough integration of the values of
pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
, independent inquiry, and
individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...
. She also spent part of her 10th grade year at
Ackworth School near
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, England.
Boynton studied
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for five years in high school, mostly in order to avoid science classes, the scheduling of which invariably conflicted with Latin.
She went to
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, entering in 1970 in the college's second year of coeducation.
She spent the second semester of her junior year studying in Paris through
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...
's program. At Yale, she majored in English and also sang sporadically with the Yale Glee Club. She had joined the Glee Club when additional singers were needed for a performance of
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and musi ...
at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
, under the direction of
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appeara ...
. Boynton has described herself as "an enthusiastic but undistinguished alto".
At her graduation from Yale in 1974, she received a Special Master's Magna solemnly bestowed by Charles Davis, the Master of Boynton's residential college,
Calhoun College
John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States.
Calhoun can also refer to:
Surname
* Calhoun (surname)
Inhabited places in the United States
*Calhoun, Georgia
* Calhoun, Illinois
*Calhoun, Kansas
*Calhoun, Kentucky ...
. Unbeknownst to the graduation audience, the honor was actually a fiction. Boynton's grade point average did not in fact entitle her to any degree honor; but shortly before the ceremony, she had told Professor Davis in mock earnest that "my parents are here, so I'd really appreciate it if you could just mumble some Latin after my name".
Boynton intended to become a theater director. She attended the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
for a year for graduate studies in drama, then transferred to the
Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
D.F.A. program, however she did not complete the program. With the birth of her first child in 1979, Boynton postponed indefinitely a career in the theater, judging the demands of that profession not easily compatible with raising a family.
During her undergraduate and graduate years, her teachers included
Cleanth Brooks
Cleanth Brooks ( ; October 16, 1906 – May 10, 1994) was an American literary critic and professor. He is best known for his contributions to New Criticism in the mid-20th century and for revolutionizing the teaching of poetry in American higher ...
,
Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was described as "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking wor ...
,
Richard B. Sewall, Maynard Mack,
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...
,
Richard Gilman
Richard Martin Gilman (April 30, 1923 – October 28, 2006) was an American drama and literary critic.
Early life
On April 30, 1923, Gilman was born as Richard Martin Gilman in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Gilman's family is Jewish.
,
Rocco Landesman
Rocco Landesman (born July 20, 1947) is a long-time Broadway theatre producer. He served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from August 2009 to December 2012. He is a part owner of Jujamcyn Theaters.
Early life
Landesman was bor ...
,
David Milch
David Sanford Milch (born March 23, 1945) is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's ''NYPD Blue'' (1993-2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's '' Deadwood'' (2004 ...
,
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann (April 24, 1916 – October 9, 2013) was an American writer, editor, and critic of film and theater.
Career
Kauffmann started with ''The New Republic'' in 1958 and contributed film criticism to that magazine for the next fifty ...
, and
William Arrowsmith
William Ayres Arrowsmith (April 13, 1924 – February 21, 1992) was an American classicist, academic, and translator.
Life
Born in Orange, New Jersey, the son of Walter Weed Arrowsmith and Dorothy (Ayres) Arrowsmith, William grew up in Wellesle ...
. In an autobiographical talk given at Yale in 2002, "The Curious Misuse of a Yale Education", Boynton refers to her book ''Grunt'' (an illuminated book and recording of
plainchant
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. ...
in Latin and
Pig Latin
Pig Latin is a language game or argot in which words in English are altered, usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable ...
) as "the culmination of a lifetime spent joyfully squandering an expensive education on producing works of no apparent significance".
Career
Greeting cards
Boynton's greeting card designs for
Recycled Paper Greetings
Recycled Paper Greetings, Inc. (RPG) is a Chicago-based greeting card company founded by Phil Friedmann and Mike Keiser in 1971. They became successful as one of the first greeting card companies to print their product on recycled paper, and to gi ...
were at the forefront of the Alternative Cards commercial movement that began in the mid-1970s. According to RPG co-founder and president Mike Keiser, nearly 500 million copies of Boynton's distinctive humorous cards—featuring an assortment of unnamed cartoon animal characters, spare layout, and droll messages—sold between 1973 and 2003. The best known of these is a 1975
birthday card
A birthday card is a greeting card given or sent to a person to celebrate their birthday. Similar to a birthday cake, birthday card traditions vary by culture but the origin of birthday cards is unclear. The advent of computing and introduction of ...
bearing images of four animals and the message "Hippo Birdie Two Ewes", a
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
playing on the phrase "Happy Birthday to You". The card has sold over ten million copies to date.
Books
Since the 1977 release of ''Hippos Go Berserk!'', Boynton has published many children's books, as well as several illustrated humor books for the general market. Her books are most typically for very young children, offered in the laminated paperboard format known as
board books. Nearly all of Boynton's books have been published by either
Workman Publishing
Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American publisher of trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company is comprised of either imprints: Workman, Workman Children’s, Workman Calendars, Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and Algonq ...
or
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 ...
. Four of her books have been
''New York Times'' best sellers: ''Chocolate: The Consuming Passion'' (1982); ''Yay, You!'' (2001); ''Consider Love'' (2002); and ''Philadelphia Chickens'' (2002), which reached the number one position on the list, and was on the list for nearly a year. Six Boynton books were on the 2001 ''
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 ...
'' All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list: ''
Moo, Baa, La La La!'', ''The Going to Bed Book'', ''Barnyard Dance'', ''A to Z'', ''Blue Hat, Green Hat'', and ''Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!''.
More than 85 million copies of her books have been sold.
Theater
In May 1995, Boynton wrote and directed a benefit reading, ''On Stage''—featuring
Jill Clayburgh
Jill Clayburgh (April 30, 1944 – November 5, 2010) was an American actress known for her work in theater, television, and cinema. She received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Ac ...
, Joe Pacheco, and
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for ...
—for Sharon Stage in Connecticut. In November 2005, and again in November 2007 she presented songs from ''Philadelphia Chickens'', ''Dog Train'', and ''Blue Moo'' at the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
's Millennium Stage, co-hosting in 2007 with
Davy Jones of the
Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...
. In November 2006, she directed her son Keith in his own play, ''The Quotable Assassin'',
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...
at Alternate Stages.
Music
In 1996, Boynton began writing and producing songs—which she has described as "renegade children's music" — with composer Michael Ford; these songs have been released as albums (''
Rhinoceros Tap'' 1996, ''
Philadelphia Chickens
''Philadelphia Chickens'' is a book/music CD combination by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, published in 2002. The first half of the book contains lyrics and illustrations, while the second half contains musical notation for each song. It was re ...
'' 2002, ''Dog Train'' 2005, ''BLUE MOO: 17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never'' 2007, ''FROG TROUBLE'' Fall 2013 and Hog Wild in 2017) and also published as book and audio disc sets. The tracks were recorded, under Boynton's direction and Ford's musical direction, by an eclectic roster of actors and musicians, including
Blues Traveler,
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
,
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...
,
Steve Lawrence
Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and fr ...
, and
Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to:
* Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer.
* Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet,
* Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C.
* The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Law ...
,
John Ondrasik
Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not ...
of
Five for Fighting
Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not ...
,
Kevin Kline,
Laura Linney,
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
duetting with
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
,
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...
,
The Bacon Brothers
The Bacon Brothers is an American music duo consisting of brothers Michael Bacon (musician), Michael Bacon and Kevin Bacon. Although they have played music together since they were boys, the brothers have only been a working band since 1994. Ha ...
with
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...
,
Eric Stoltz, the
Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and No. 17, respec ...
,
Mark Lanegan,
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band w ...
,
Natasha Richardson
Natasha Jane Richardson (11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009) was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaugh ...
,
Billy J. Kramer
William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney composition ...
,
Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in two science-fiction television series: as Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' and as Captain Jonathan Archer on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. For ''Quantum L ...
,
Eric Bazilian
Eric M. Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote " One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 19 ...
and
Rob Hyman
Robert Andrew Hyman (born April 24, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard and accordion player, producer, arranger and recording studio owner, best known for being a founding member of the rock band The Hooters.
Early life
Hyman st ...
,
The Phenomenauts
The Phenomenauts are a musical band from Oakland, California, that combine several styles of music with a futuristic science fiction theme. Their sound uses elements from rock and roll, punk, glam, garage rock and new wave styles of music. Th ...
,
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
,
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
,
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After g ...
,
Steve Lawrence
Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and fr ...
,
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-e ...
,
Gerry & The Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...
,
Davy Jones of
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
,
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...
,
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...
,
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...
,
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams left ...
,
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
,
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
,
Josh Turner
Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an American country and gospel singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his debut album's title track, "Long Black Train", was his breakthrough single ...
,
Darius Rucker
Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...
, and
Linda Eder
Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...
. Boynton received a 2003
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination for ''Philadelphia Chickens''. The first three of these albums have been
certified gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. In November 2010, Boynton produced and released a full-length 300-
kazoo
The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifi ...
plus orchestra performance of
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
's
Boléro, titled ''Boléro Completely Unraveled, performed by the Highly Irritating Orchestra''. Boynton played solo kazoo on this recording noting "I am at the perfect level of musical incompetence for this."
She has written the text for four choral pieces composed by Fenno Heath, Director Emeritus of the
Yale Glee Club
The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in ...
, all of which have been performed by the Yale Alumni Chorus on international tour.
Music videos
In 2008, Boynton ventured into filmmaking, creating and directing music videos of her most popular recorded songs. Her first music video released in November 2009 as a book/DVD combination, was "One Shoe Blues", starring B.B. King and a cast of assorted
sock puppet
A sock puppet or sockpuppet is a puppet made from a sock or a similar garment. The puppeteer wears the sock on a hand and lower arm as if it were a glove, with the puppet's mouth being formed by the region between the sock's heel and toe, and ...
s. Then she directed "Penguin Lament" starring
John Ondrasik
Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not ...
of
Five for Fighting
Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not ...
, "Philadelphia Chickens" which is mostly animation and includes cameos by
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
and
Michael Bacon, and "Be Like a Duck" which features all four of her children.
Awards
Boynton received the
Irma Simonton Black Award for ''Chloe and Maude'', the National Parenting Publications Gold Medal for ''Barnyard Dance'' and for ''Your Personal Penguin'', a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
Award Nomination for ''Philadelphia Chickens'', the Eustace D. Theodore Fellowship (Yale University), the
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...
Greeting Card Award for 1992, and the
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...
Book Illustration Award for ''Blue Moo: 17 Jukebox Hits From Way Back Never'', in 2008. She is the 2008 recipient of the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award, the
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...
's highest honor. ''Hippos Go Berserk!'' was awarded Mathical Hall of Fame status.
She has received the following film festival awards for her film shorts: the
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state.
History
Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the ...
Providence Prize 2010 for ''One Shoe Blues'' starring
B. B. King; the Flickers North Country Film Festival 2010 Crystal Image Award for emerging artist, as director of all four films; the 2D or Not 2D Animation Festival 2011 Golden Pencil Award for ''Philadelphia Chickens''; the Forster Film Festival 2012 Winner of Song Category for "Be Like a Duck"; and the Wilmette International Children's Film Festival 2012 Best of Fest Live Action Short Film Winner for ''One Shoe Blues''.
Personal life
Boynton was married to writer and Olympic Bronze medalist (and fellow
Yale graduate)
Jamie McEwan
James Patrick McEwan (September 24, 1952 – June 14, 2014) was an American slalom canoeist who competed in the 1970s and then again in the 1980s and early 1990s. He teamed up with his son Devin to compete in the 2000s. Competing in two Su ...
from 1978 until his death from cancer in 2014.
In 1991, Boynton and McEwan moved with their children to the
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...
region of France for a year so McEwan and his Whitewater Slalom doubles partner, Lecky Haller, could train with the French team for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. McEwan/Haller ended in 4th Place. McEwan was a member of several whitewater expeditions to Mexico,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
, British Columbia, and a
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
–sponsored descent of part of the Tsang-Po River (
Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...
) in
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, an ill-fated trip detailed in ''The Last River'' by Todd Balf, and in ''Courting the Diamond Sow'' by expedition leader Wickliffe W. Walker. Boynton has illustrated two of McEwan's five children's books. They have four children: Caitlin McEwan, an actress and director; Keith Boynton, a playwright and filmmaker;
Devin McEwan, a Whitewater Slalom racer and member of the 2001-2016 U.S. Teams, including the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team; and Darcy Boynton, a writer and teacher. All four children sang on ''
Philadelphia Chickens
''Philadelphia Chickens'' is a book/music CD combination by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, published in 2002. The first half of the book contains lyrics and illustrations, while the second half contains musical notation for each song. It was re ...
'' and ''BLUE MOO''.
Boynton has appeared on numerous national television, newspaper and radio programs. Media include ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'', ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', ''
American Profile
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
'',
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's ''
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'', ''
CBS Sunday Morning
''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original host ...
'', ''
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 ...
,''
and ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''.
Boynton works in a reconstructed 120-year-old barn on her property in rural Connecticut.
Albums
* ''
Rhinoceros Tap'' (1996)
* ''GRUNT Pigorian Chant'' (1996)
* ''
Philadelphia Chickens
''Philadelphia Chickens'' is a book/music CD combination by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, published in 2002. The first half of the book contains lyrics and illustrations, while the second half contains musical notation for each song. It was re ...
'' (2002)
* ''Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side'' (2005)
* ''BLUE MOO: 17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never'' (2007)
* ''Boléro Completely Unraveled'' (2010)
* ''FROG TROUBLE Country Music'' (2013)
* ''HOG WILD: A Frenzy of Dance Music'' (2017)
Partial bibliography
Children's books
* ''Hippos Go Berserk!'' (1977, renewed 1996, 2019, 2022)
* ''Hester in the Wild'' (1977)
* ''If At First'' (1980)
* ''A to Z'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''Blue Hat, Green Hat'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''Doggies'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''Horns to Toes'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''The Going to Bed Book'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''
Moo, Baa, La La La!'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''Opposites'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''But Not the Hippopotamus'' (1982, renewed 1995)
* ''A is for Angry'' (1983, renewed 2015)
* ''Good Night, Good Night'' (1985, renewed 2021)
* ‘’Chloe and Maude’’ (1985)
* ''The Story of Grump & Pout'' (written by Jamie McEwan) (1988)
* ''Birthday Monsters!'' (1993)
* ''Barnyard Dance!'' (1993)
* ''One, Two, Three!'' (1993)
* ''Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!'' (1993)
* ''RHINOCEROS TAP and 14 Other Seriously Silly Songs'' (book and audio CD) (1996)
* ''Snoozers'' (1997)
* ''Dinosaur's Binkit'' (1998)
* ''BOB and 6 More Christmas Stories'' (1999)
* ''Dinos To Go'' (2000)
* ''Hey!, Wake Up!'' (2000)
* ''Pajama Time!'' (2000)
* ''The Heart of Cool'' (written by Jamie McEwan) (2001)
* ''
PHILADELPHIA CHICKENS
''Philadelphia Chickens'' is a book/music CD combination by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, published in 2002. The first half of the book contains lyrics and illustrations, while the second half contains musical notation for each song. It was re ...
'' (book and audio CD) (2002)
* ''Snuggle Puppy!'' (2003)
* ''Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy'' (2003)
* ''Moo Cow Book'' (cloth) (2004)
* ''Belly Button Book!'' (2005)
* ''DOG TRAIN: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side'' (book and audio CD) (2005)
* ''Your Personal Penguin'' (book with song download) (2006)
* ''What's Wrong, Little Pookie?'' (2007)
* ''Bath Time!'' (2007)
* ''BLUE MOO: 17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never'' (book and audio CD) (2007)
* ''Fifteen Animals!'' (2008)
* ''Barnyard Bath!'' (2008)
* ''Let's Dance, Little Pookie'' (2008)
* ''Night-Night, Little Pookie'' (2009)
* ''One Shoe Blues'' (book and DVD) (2009)
* ''Happy Birthday, Little Pookie'' (2010)
* ''Perfect Piggies'' (2010)
* ''Are You a Cow?'' (customizable board book) (2010)
* ''Amazing Cows'' (2010)
* ''Happy Hippo, Angry Duck: a book of moods'' (2011)
* ''Little Pookie'' (2012)
* ''Christmas Parade'' (2012)
* ''Tickle Time!'' (2012)
* ''Are You a Cow?'' (2012)
* ''FROG TROUBLE Country Music'' (book and audio CD) (2013)
* ''The Bunny Rabbit Show'' (2014)
* ''Spooky Pookie'' (2015)
* ''EEK! Halloween!'' (2016)
* ''Dinosaur Dance!'' (2016)
* ''HOG WILD!'' (book and audio CD) (2017)
* ''But Not the Armadillo '' (2018)
* ''Merry Christmas, Little Pookie'' (2018)
* ''I Love You, Little Pookie'' (2018)
* ''Dinosnores'' (2019)
* ''Silly Lullaby'' (2019)
* ''Your Nose!'' (2020)
* ''How Big is Zagnodd?'' (2020)
* ''Christmas Parade'' (2020)
* ''Jungle Night'' (Soundtrack with Yo Yo Ma on cello) (2021)
* ''Boo!, Baa, La La La!'' (2021)
* ''Woodland Dance!'' (2021)
* ''Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La!'' (2022)
* ''Pookie's Thanksgiving'' (2022)
* ''Peekaboo Rex!'' (2023)
General market books
* ''Gopher
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
'' (1979)
* ''The Compleat Turkey'' (1980)
* ''Chocolate: The Consuming Passion'' (1982)
* ''Don't Let The Turkeys Get You Down'' (1986)
* ''Christmastime'' (1987)
* ''GRUNT Pigorian Chant'' (book and audio CD) (1996)
* ''Yay, You!'' (2001)
* ''Consider Love'' (2002)
* ''Chocolate: The Consuming Passion'' NEW EDITION (2015)
References
External links
*
NCS Awards"Kids' Favorite Sandra Boynton Makes Music Video" ''
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'', December 21, 2009 – a short interview
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boynton, Sandra
1953 births
American children's writers
American pacifists
American Quakers
American women children's writers
Germantown Friends School alumni
Living people
People from Orange, New Jersey
Quaker children's writers
Wesleyan University people
American women cartoonists
American women illustrators
Women religious writers
Writers from New Jersey
Writers from Philadelphia
Yale School of Drama alumni
American cartoonists
21st-century American women