James Howe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Howe
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Howe in 2022
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| Born | August 2, 1946 Oneida, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Juvenile fiction, picture books, young adult fiction, Horror |
| Spouse |
Deborah Howe
(m. 1969; Mark Davis
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
James Howe (born August 2, 1946) is an American author. He writes many books for children and young adults. He has written over 79 books. James Howe is most famous for his series about a vampire rabbit named Bunnicula. This special rabbit drinks the juice from vegetables!
Contents
About James Howe
Early Life and Writing
James Howe was born in Oneida, New York. When he was about nine or ten years old, he loved to write. He even wrote a play based on the "Blondie" comic strip. He also created his own short stories and newspapers. One of his favorite homemade newspapers was called The Gory Gazette. He made it for a club he started called the Vampire Legion.
Howe studied theater at Boston University. He continued to write plays there. Later, he moved to New York City. He worked as an actor and model. He also directed plays and helped writers find publishers.
How Bunnicula Began
In the mid-1970s, James Howe's mother-in-law gave him an idea. She suggested he and his wife, Deborah Howe, write a children's story. They had created a fun character while watching old Dracula movies. These movies often played late at night on TV.
Together, James and Deborah wrote Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery. This book is about a pet rabbit. The family suspects the rabbit might be a vampire. The book became very popular. It won more than ten Children's Choice awards. These included the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and the Nene Award. Bunnicula later became a whole series of books. Sadly, Deborah passed away ten months before Bunnicula was published. Her passing inspired James to write another book called The Hospital Book.
Full-Time Author and Other Works
In 1981, James Howe started writing full-time. Besides the Bunnicula series, he has written many other types of books. These include picture books, children's novels, and non-fiction books. He has also adapted classic stories. He even wrote screenplays for movies and television shows.
In 1997, he published his first novel for young adults, The Watcher. Another important book he wrote is The Misfits. This book was inspired by his child's difficult experiences in middle school. The Misfits later inspired GLSEN's annual No Name-Calling Week. This week helps promote kindness and stop bullying.
In 2007, James Howe received an important award. It was The E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books. He won it for his book Houndsley and Catina. Marie-Louise Gay illustrated this book. Candlewick Press published it.
On September 17, 2011, James Howe married Mark Davis. Mark is a lawyer.
James Howe also worked as a consulting producer. This was for the animated TV show based on his books.
