William Alfred Wise (born July 21, 1923) is an American writer of
children's literature. Among his well-known books are ''Christopher Mouse'': ''The Tale of a Small Traveller'' (2004) and ''Ten Sly Piranhas'' (1993).
Life and education
Born in
New York City on July 21, 1923, Wise graduated from
Lawrenceville School in 1941 where he was Editor-in-Chief of
literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...
, The Lit, and also wrote for school newspaper, The Lawrence. Wise received a Bachelor’s Degree from
Yale University in 1948 and published his first children’s book, ''Jonathan Blake: The Life and Times of a Very Young Man'', in 1956.
Writings
In addition to storybooks, Wise also published an abundance of
children’s nonfiction, including ''In the Time of the Dinosaurs'' (1963), ''Monsters from Outer Space?'' (1978), and ''Zany Zoo'' (2006), as well as several biographies of important historical figures such as
Albert Einstein,
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, and
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
. Wise also wrote the
children's poetry
Children's poetry is poetry written for, appropriate for, or enjoyed by children.
Children's poetry is one of the oldest art forms, rooted in early oral tradition, folk poetry, and nursery rhymes. Children have always enjoyed both works of p ...
collections ''No Sign of Santa!'' (1987) and ''Dinosaurs Forever'' (2000).
Wise’s career was not limited to children’s literature; he also wrote several books for an adult audience, including ''Massacre at Mountain Meadows'' (1976) a book about the
Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 that explores the consequences of
religious fanaticism. In 1980, Wise published ''The Amazon Factor'', an installation of
Harlequin’s “Raven House” mystery series. He also co-wrote the
teleplays ''Kasrilekva on the Mississippi'' (1955), ''The Enemy'' (1956), and ''A World Full of Strangers'' (1958) with James Yaffe.
Bibliography
Children's literature
Fiction
* ''Jonathan Blake: The Life and Times of a Very Young Man'' (1956)
* ''The House with the Red Roof'' (1961)
* ''The Story of Mulberry Bend'' (1963)
* ''Ten Sly Piranhas: A Counting Story in Reverse (A Tale of Wickedness—and Worse!)'' (1993)
* ''Nell of Branford Hall'' (1999)
* ''Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveller'' (2004, illustrated by Patrick Benson)
Nonfiction
= Biography and history
=
* ''Silversmith of Old New York: Myer Myers'' (1958)
* ''Alber Einstein: Citizen of the World'' (1960)
* ''Alexander Hamilton'' (1963)
* ''Two Reigns of Tutankhamen'' (1964)
* ''The Spy and General Washington'' (1965)
* ''Franklin Delano Roosevelt'' (1967)
* ''Aaron Burr'' (1968)
* ''Booker T. Washington'' (1968)
* ''Cities, Old and New'' (1973)
* ''Monster Myths of Ancient Greece'' (1981)
= Science
=
* ''In the Time of the Dinosaurs'' (1963)
* ''The World of Giant Mammals'' (1965)
* ''The Amazing Animals of Latin America'' (1969)
* ''The Amazing Animals of Australia'' (1970)
* ''Giant Snakes and Other Amazing Reptiles'' (1970)
* ''Monsters from Outer Space''? (1978)
Poetry collections
* ''No Sign of Santa!'' (1987)
* ''Dinosaurs Forever'' (2000)
Literature for adults
Nonfiction
* ''Secret Mission to the Philippines: The Story of the "Spyron" and the American-Filipino Guerillas of World War II'' (1968)
* ''Killer Smog: The World's Worst Air Pollution'' ''Disaster'' (1970)
* ''Massacre at Mountain Meadows: An American Legend and a Monumental Crime'' (1976)
Fiction
* ''The Amazon Factor'' (1981)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, William
1923 births
Living people
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American children's writers
Writers from New York City
Yale University alumni