Bruce Larkin (born January 23, 1957) is a children's book

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, and ESL expert who writes in English and Spanish. Many of his works are published by Wilbooks, an educational

publishing company Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...

. Larkin's books are primarily used to teach young children how to read. Larkin has published more than 1,500 book titles, both fiction and non-fiction, for beginner readers. He has also written more than 3,000 poems. Bruce Larkin is known for his philanthropic efforts in the field of

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in Writing, written form in some specific context of use. In other wo ...

. In November and December 2009, Larkin donated over 400,000 books to

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...

s all around the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Larkin was named the 2012 Children's Poet of the Year by the Literacy Empowerment Foundation. Larkin has an interest in

jackalopes The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word ''jackalope'' is a portmanteau of ''jackrabbit'' and ''antelope''. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, ...

, and refers to himself as a "jackalopoligist" with a specialty in "flaggerdoots".

Biography

Bruce Larkin, a children's book author, and poet was born on January 23, 1957, in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neigh ...

. He attended the Saint Simon and Jude school in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania. Larkin also attended Henderson High School in West Chester. Larkin served for four years in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

, as a small boat crew member, and later as a search-and-rescue Air-crewman. After leaving the Coast Guard, Larkin attended The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, located in

Galloway Township, New Jersey Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At of total area of land and water, Galloway Township is the largest municipality in the state.Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

in West Chester.

AKA The Jackalope Man.

Bibliography

Poetry Bibliography

References

External links

Bruce Larkin's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Bruce 1957 births Living people American children's writers Poets from Pennsylvania Stockton University alumni 21st-century American poets