Barbara Bottner facts for kids

Barbara Bottner is an American author and artist. She has written more than 50 books for children. She is also an award-winning teacher who helps others learn to write for kids. Besides books, she has written for TV shows, movies, and magazines. She even writes short plays and performs spoken word in Los Angeles.

Barbara Bottner's Journey

Barbara Bottner started her career as a painter. Her love for art led her to design sets for plays. This then got her into acting. She performed in plays in New York City and toured Europe. She even appeared in London's famous West End theater district. A short film called Time and No Time was made about her.

Later, Barbara began writing and illustrating books for children. She also created short films for kids. She made award-winning short films for popular shows like Sesame Street and the Electric Company. She also wrote songs for Jim Henson's Fair is Fair album, which featured the Muppets.

Books for Young Readers

Barbara Bottner has written over 50 books for children and young adults. These include books for different age groups, such as young adult (YA) novels, middle grade books, chapter books, and easy-to-read books. She is also known for her award-winning picture books. Some of her books have even been turned into animated shows or children's plays.

One of her recent books, Miss Brooks Loves Books, became a New York Times best-seller. She has won many awards and her books have appeared on "Best Of" lists. Children have also chosen her books for special awards.

Writing for TV and Magazines

Barbara Bottner enjoys writing for young audiences. She wrote for TV shows like Winnie the Pooh for Disney. She also wrote for Showtime's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. She was a staff writer for the CBS sitcom Scorch.

She has also written articles for magazines. Her art has been used in the New York Times and MS. Magazine. She has reviewed children's books for the New York Times Sunday Book Review. Her short stories have appeared in magazines like Cosmopolitan.

Teaching and Legacy

Barbara Bottner is also a respected teacher. She won an award for her teaching at the New School for Social Research, Parsons School of Design. She has taught at UCLA and Miami Dade College. She has also given talks across the United States about children's literature. She presented at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, a big event for children's books.

Her writings and papers are kept in a special collection at the Arne Nixon Centre for Children's Literature at Fresno State. She has also helped at many conferences and judged national contests for children's literature. She continued to teach classes on writing for children as late as 1990.