Amy Krouse Rosenthal facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Rosenthal speaking at the TEDx Waterloo conference, February 25, 2010
Born	Amy Renee Krouse (1965-04-29)April 29, 1965 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 13, 2017(2017-03-13) (aged 51) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Author, filmmaker
Alma mater	Tufts University
Genre	Children's literature
Spouse	Jason Brian Rosenthal
Children	3

Amy Krouse Rosenthal (born Amy Renee Krouse; April 29, 1965 – March 13, 2017) was a talented American writer. She wrote many books for both kids and adults. Amy was also a short filmmaker and a radio show host.

She is well-known for her memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. Her children's picture books are also very popular. She also created a film project called The Beckoning of Lovely. Amy was a very busy writer. She published over 30 children's books between 2005 and 2017. She is the only author to have three children's books on the Best Children's Books for Family Literacy list in the same year. She also contributed to Chicago's NPR radio station WBEZ and the TED conference.

Amazing Books by Amy

Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote books for all ages. Several of her books became New York Times bestsellers. These include I Wish You More, Uni the Unicorn, Plant a Kiss, Exclamation Mark, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, and Duck! Rabbit!.

Duck! Rabbit! at the White House

Her book Duck! Rabbit! was even read at the White House. This happened during the 2010 Easter Egg Roll event.

Global Read Aloud Author

In 2015, Amy was chosen as the author for 'The Global Read Aloud'. This program lasts eight weeks. Classrooms around the world read the same books together. It helps students connect and share ideas.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

Her memoir, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, came out in 2005. It was written like an alphabetized encyclopedia. Amazon named it one of the top ten memoirs of that decade.

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Her next book, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, was published in 2016. It was special because it was the first book to have an interactive text-messaging part.

Keepsake Journals

Besides her books, Amy also created a line of keepsake journals. There were ten different titles. Some examples are Encyclopedia of Me: My Life from A to Z and The Belly Book.

Yes Day! on Netflix

Amy's picture book Yes Day!, which she wrote with Tom Lichtenheld, became a live-action movie. It was released on Netflix in March 2021.

Creative Films and Projects

Amy Rosenthal also made short films. She used her iPhone or Flip camera for these. Some of her films asked viewers to join in. Others were like social experiments. Some films even built on each other to create something new.

Popular Short Films

Her films include 17 Things I Made, Today is a Gift, and ATM: Always Trust Magic. She also made The Kindness Thought Bubble and The Money Tree. One of her most famous projects was The Beckoning of Lovely.

The Beckoning of Lovely Events

Amy held 'Beckoning of Lovely' events in Chicago. These took place at the famous "bean" sculpture in Millennium Park. The events happened on special dates:

August 8, 2008 (8/8/08)
September 9, 2009 (9/9/09)
October 10, 2010 (10/10/10)
November 11, 2011 (11/11/11)

Chicago Magazine on The Beckoning of Lovely

Chicago Magazine described The Beckoning of Lovely as Amy's "masterpiece." It started with a YouTube video called 17 Things I Made. In the video, Amy invited people to meet her at Millennium Park. She suggested August 8, 2008, at 8:08 p.m. They would make an "18th thing" together.

Amy thought maybe 30 people would come. But about 400 curious people showed up! They were surprised to find themselves singing, dancing, and blowing bubbles. They even gave flowers to strangers. One couple met and fell in love at the event. Amy said, "I wish there was a word less obvious than 'magical' to describe that night." She felt it was meaningful for everyone there.

Other Cool Work

Amy Rosenthal was a frequent speaker and contributor at TED.

Experiential Designer at TED

In 2011, 2012, and 2015, she worked as an "experiential designer" for the TEDActive conference. This meant she created ideas and experiences for the attendees.

TED Talks

She also gave talks at TEDxSanDiego in 2011 and TEDxSMU in 2012. Her first and most famous TED talk was 'Notes on Life'. She gave it at TEDxWaterloo (Canada) in 2010.

Published Articles and Essays

Amy's essays and articles appeared in many well-known publications. These include The New York Times, Hallmark Magazine, Parenting, O: The Oprah Magazine, and McSweeney's.

Her Website

Her website, whoisamy.com, was recognized as one of the best official author websites. It was listed alongside sites for famous authors like Barbara Kingsolver and Stephen King.

Amy's Life

Amy Rosenthal graduated from Tufts University. She lived in Chicago, Illinois, which was also her hometown. She had three children named Justin, Miles, and Paris.

On March 3, 2017, Amy shared some personal news. She wrote an essay for New York Times "Modern Love" section. In it, she talked about her illness. She passed away ten days later at her home in Chicago.

Children's Books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Pea, illustrated by Jen Corace, Chronicle Books, 2005.
Little Hoot, illustrated by Jen Corace, Chronicle Books, 2009.
Little Oink, illustrated by Jen Corace, Chronicle Books, 2009.
The OK Book, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, HarperCollins, 2007.
Spoon, illustrated by Scott Magoon, Hyperion Books For Children, 2009.
One Of Those Days, illustrated by Rebecca Doughty, Putnam, 2005.
Yes Day!, with Tom Lichtenheld, HarperCollins, 2009.
It's Not Fair, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, HarperCollins, 2008.
Duck! Rabbit!, with Tom Lichtenheld, Chronicle Books, 2009.
Bedtime For Mommy, illustrated by Leuyen Pham, Bloomsbury, 2010.
The Wonder Book, illustrated by Paul Schmid, HarperCollins, 2010.
Cookies: Bite Size Life Lessons, illustrated by Jane Dyer, HarperCollins, 2005.
Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love, illustrated by Jane and Brooke Dyer, HarperCollins, 2010.
One Smart Cookie: Bite-Size Life Lessons For The School Years And Beyond, illustrated by Jane and Brooke Dyer, HarperCollins, 2010.
Al Pha's Bet, illustrated by Delphine Durand, Putnam, 2011.
This Plus That, illustrated by Jen Corace, HarperCollins, 2011.
Plant A Kiss, illustrated by Peter Reynolds, Harper Collins, Winter 2011.
Chopsticks, illustrated by Scott Magoon, Disney Hyperion, 2012.
Wumbers, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, Chronicle, 2012.
Exclamation Mark!, illus. Tom Lichtenheld, Scholastic, 2013 – winner of the 2015 California Young Reader Medal, primary grades
I Scream Ice Cream: A Book of Wordles, illustrated by Sergio Bloch, Chronicle, 2013.
Uni the Unicorn, illustrated by Brigette Barrager, Random House, 2014.
Little Miss, Big Sis, illustrated by Peter Reynolds, HarperCollins, 2015.
I Wish You More, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, Chronicle, 2015.
Friendshape, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, Scholastic, 2015.
Awake Beautiful Child, illustrated by Gracia Lam, McSweeney's, 2015.
That's Me Loving You, illustrated by Teagan White, Random House, 2016.
Uni the Unicorn and the Dream Come True, illustrated by Brigette Barrager, Random House, 2017.
Dear Girl,, with Paris Rosenthal, illustrated by Holly Hatam, 2017.
Don’t Blink! illustrated by David Roberts, Random House, 2018.

Adult Books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The Book of Eleven: An Itemized Collection of Brain Lint, Andrews McMeel, 1998.
Mother's Guide to the Meaning of Life: What I've Learned on My Never Ending Quest to Become a Dalai Mama, Rodale Press, 2001.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Crown/Random House, 2005.
Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Dutton/Penguin, 2016

Journal Line by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The Belly Book: A Nine Month Journal For Baby's First Year, Potter Style, 2006.
Karma Checks: 60 Checks To Keep The World In Balance, Potter Style, 2007.
Your Birthday Book: A Keepsake Journal, Potter Style, 2008.
Words To Remember: A Journal For Your Child's Sweet & Amusing Sayings, illustrated by Ida Pearl, Potter Style, 2008.
The Big Sibling Book: Baby's First Year According To Me, The Big Sib, Potter Style, 2009.
The Grandparent Book: A Keepsake Journal, Potter Style, 2010.
My Baby Book: A Keepsake Journal For Baby's First Year, Potter Style, 2010.
The Bride-to-Be Book: A Journal of Memories from the Proposal to "I Do", Potter Style, 2011.
Highlights of Your Life, with Sara Gillingham, Potter Style, 2014.
Encyclopedia of Me: My Life from A to Z, Potter Style, 2014.
A Week in the Life of Me, Chronicle, 2015.