Marilyn Singer facts for kids

Marilyn Singer (born October 3, 1948) is a popular American author who writes many different kinds of books for children and young adults. She writes everything from fun picture books and exciting mysteries to fantasy stories and poetry. She's especially known for her unique reverso poems, which can be read forwards and then backwards to tell a different story!

Marilyn Singer, a well-known children's author.

About Marilyn Singer

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx, New York City, on October 3, 1948. She spent most of her childhood in North Massapequa, Long Island, New York. She studied English at Queens College, City University of New York and also spent a year studying in England at the University of Reading. Later, she earned a master's degree in communications from New York University.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Singer taught English in high schools in New York City for several years. In 1974, she decided to start writing. One day, while sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she got an idea for a story. It was about talking insect characters she had imagined when she was only eight years old! People liked her story, so she kept writing. In 1976, her very first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published.

Since then, Marilyn Singer has written over one hundred books! Her books cover many different styles, including realistic novels, fantasy adventures, non-fiction books, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries, and poetry. In 2023, she even appeared as a contestant on the TV show Jeopardy!. Today, Singer lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York.

Marilyn Singer's Books

Marilyn Singer has written many books for young readers. Here are some of her popular works, grouped by type:

Poetry Books

• Strange Place to Call Home (Chronicle, 2012)
• The Superheroes Employment Agency (Clarion, 2012)
• The boy who cried alien! (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)
• A Stick is an Excellent Thing (Clarion, 2012)
• Every Day’s a Dog’s Day (Dial, 2012)
• A Full Moon is Rising (Lee & Low, 2011)
• Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom (Knopf, 2011)
• Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (Dutton Children's Books, 2010)
• First Food Fight This Fall and Other School Poems (Sterling, 2008)
• Shoe Bop (Dutton Children's Books, 2008)
• Monday on the Mississippi (Holt, 2005)
• Central Heating: Poems about Fire and Warmth (Knopf, 2005)
• Creature Carnival (Hyperion, 2004)
• How to Cross a Pond: Poems About Water (Knopf, 2003)
• Fireflies at Midnight (Atheneum, 2003)
• The Company of Crows (Clarion, 2002)
• Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth (Knopf, 2002)
• Monster Museum (Hyperion, 2001)
• On the Same Day in March
• All We Needed to Say: Poems About School (Atheneum, 1996)
• The Morgans Dream (Holt, 1995)
• Please Don't Squeeze Your Boa, Noah! (Holt, 1995)
• Family Reunion (Macmillan, 1994)
• Sky Words (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
• It's Hard to Read a Map with a Beagle on Your Lap (Holt, 1993)
• In My Tent (Macmillan, 1992)
• Nine O'Clock Lullaby (HarperCollins, 1991)
• Turtle in July (Simon & Schuster, 1989)

Picture Books

• Tallulah's Tutu (Clarion, 2011)
• Tallulah's Solo (Clarion, 2012)
• Tallulah's Toe Shoes (Clarion, 2013)
• Tallulah's Nutcracker (Clarion, 2013)
• Tallulah's Tap Shoes (Clarion, 2015)
• Tallulah’s Ice Skates (Clarion, 2018)
• Have You Heard about Lady Bird? Poems about Our First Ladies (Disney-Hyperion, 2018)
• What is Your Dog Doing? (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2011)
• I'm Getting a Checkup (Clarion, 2009)
• I'm Your Bus (Scholastic, 2009)
• City Lullaby (Clarion, 2007)
• Let's Build a Clubhouse (Clarion, 2006)
• Block Party Today! (Knopf, 2004)
• Boo Hoo Boo-Boo (HarperCollins, 2002)
• Quiet Night (Clarion, 2002)
• Didi and Daddy on the Promenade (Clarion, 2001)
• Fred's Bed (HarperCollins, 2001)
• The One and Only Me (HarperCollins, 2000)
• Solomon Sneezes (HarperCollins, 1999)
• Good Day, Good Night (Marshall Cavendish, 1998)
• Chester, the Out-of-Work Dog (Holt, 1992)
• Minnie's Yom Kippur Birthday (Harper & Row, 1989)
• Archer Armadillo's Secret Room (Macmillan, 1985)
• Will You Take Me to Town on Strawberry Day? (Harper & Row, 1981)
• The Pickle Plan (E. P. Dutton, 1978)
• The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't (E. P. Dutton, 1976)

Non-Fiction Books

• Caterpillars (EarlyLight, 2011)
• Eggs (Holiday House, 2008)
• Venom (Darby Creek, 2007)
• Cats to the Rescue (Holt, 2006)
• What Stinks? (Darby Creek, 2006)
• Tough Beginnings: How Baby Animals Survive (Holt, 2001)
• A Pair of Wings (Holiday House, 2001)
• A Dog's Gotta Do What a Dog's Gotta Do: Dogs At Work (Holt, 2000)
• Prairie Dogs Kiss and Lobsters Wave: How Animals Say Hello (Holt, 1998)
• Bottoms Up! A Book About Rear Ends (Holt, 1997)
• A Wasp is Not a Bee (Holt, 1995)
• Exotic Birds (Doubleday, 1991)

Novels for Children

• The Circus Lunicus (Holt, 2000)
• Josie to the Rescue (Scholastic, 1999)
• Big Wheel (Hyperion, 1993)
• California Demon (Hyperion, 1992)
• Charmed (Atheneum, 1990)
• Twenty Ways to Lose Your Best Friend (HarperCollins, 1990)
• Mitzi Meyer, Fearless Warrior Queen (Scholastic, 1987)
• Ghost Host (HarperCollins, 1987)
• Lizzie Silver of Sherwood Forest (HarperCollins, 1986)
• Tarantulas on the Brain (HarperCollins, 1982)
• It Can't Hurt Forever (HarperCollins, 1978)

Mysteries for Children

• Sam and Dave Mysteries:
  • The Hoax on You (HarperCollins, 1989)
  • The Case of the Fixed Election (HarperCollins, 1989)
  • The Case of the Cackling Car (HarperCollins, 1985)
  • A Clue in Code (HarperCollins, 1985)
  • The Case of the Sabotaged School Play (HarperCollins, 1984)
  • Leroy is Missing (HarperCollins, 1984)
• Samantha Spayed Mysteries:
  • Where There's a Will, There's a Wag (Holt, 1986)
  • A Nose for Trouble (Holt, 1985)
  • The Fido Frame-up (Warne, 1983)

Fiction for Young Adults

• Make Me Over: Eleven Original Stories About Transforming Ourselves (E. P. Dutton, 2005)
• Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
• Shattered: Stories of Children and War (Random House, 2002)
• I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes With Religion (HarperCollins, 2000)
• Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls (Scholastic, 1998)
• Deal with a Ghost (Holt, 1997)
• Storm Rising (Scholastic, 1989)
• Several Kinds of Silence (HarperCollins, 1988)
• Horsemaster (Atheneum Books, 1985)
• The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth (HarperCollins, 1983)
• The First Few Friends (HarperCollins, 1981)
• No Applause, Please (E. P. Dutton, 1977)

Fairy Tales

• The Maiden on the Moor (Morrow, 1995)
• In the Palace of the Ocean King (Atheneum, 1995)
• The Painted Fan (Morrow, 1994)
• The Golden Heart of Winter (Morrow, 1991)

Awards and Recognition

Marilyn Singer's books have won many awards and honors over the years:

• Mirror, Mirror
  • Cybil Award for Poetry, 2011
  • ALA Notable, 2011
  • CLA/NCTE Notable, 2011
• Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, 2009 (for Eggs and First Food Fight This Fall)
• Orbis Pictus Honor Book, 2008 (for Venom)
• New York Public Library's One Hundred Best Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2007 (for Venom)
• Time Magazine's Top 10 Children's Books, 2007 (for City Lullaby)
• NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book, 2007 (for What Stinks?)
• ALSC Notable Book, 2005 (for Central Heating)
• Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005 (for Creature Carnival)
• NSTA-CBA Outstanding Science Trade Book, 2002 (for Tough Beginnings: How Baby Animals Survive)
• Animal Behavior Society Children's Book Award, 2001 (for A Pair of Wings)
• New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001 (for I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion)
• Finalist for the Edgar Award, 1998 (for Deal with a Ghost)
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983 (for The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth)
• Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983 (for It Can't Hurt Forever)
• Children's Choice Award (IRA/CBC) (for The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't)
• Turtle in July
  • NCTE Notable, 1989
  • New York Times Best Illustrated, 1989
  • Time magazine Best Children's Books of 1989

About Her Writing

Marilyn Singer loves writing about the natural world, which is why many people think of her as a "nature poet." But she also enjoys creating fun characters and writing silly poems. She often writes with a pen and paper for several hours each day. She likes to write in different places like cafes, restaurants, and even on subways!