Sandra Boynton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandra Boynton
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Boynton around 2005
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| Born | April 3, 1953 Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
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Sandra Keith Boynton (born April 3, 1953) is an American artist, writer, and songwriter. She is famous for her funny and unique cartoon animals. Sandra has created over 85 books for children and seven books for grown-ups. She has also designed more than 4,000 greeting cards. Her work includes music albums, calendars, and even plush toys!
Contents
Sandra's Early Life and School
Sandra Boynton was born in Orange, New Jersey. She grew up in Philadelphia. Her dad, Robert W. Boynton, was a well-known teacher and publisher.
When Sandra was two, her parents became Quakers. Quakers are a religious group known for their peaceful beliefs. Sandra and her sisters went to Germantown Friends School from kindergarten through high school. Her father taught English there. Sandra says this school helped her develop her "upbeat offbeat" style. It also taught her about pacifism (being against war) and thinking for herself. She even spent some time studying in England.
In high school, Sandra studied Latin for five years. She mostly did this to avoid science classes!
She went to Yale University in 1970. This was only the second year that girls were allowed to attend Yale. She studied in Paris for a semester during college. At Yale, she studied English and sang in the Yale Glee Club. She even sang in a big concert at Carnegie Hall.
After Yale, Sandra wanted to become a theater director. She studied drama at the University of California, Berkeley and then at Yale School of Drama. But when her first child was born in 1979, she decided to focus on raising her family. She felt that being a theater director would be too hard with young children.
Sandra's Creative Work
Sandra Boynton is known for her funny and simple drawings. Her work often features cartoon animals.
Greeting Cards
Sandra started designing greeting cards in the mid-1970s. Her cards were very popular and helped start a new trend in greeting cards. Her funny cards have sold hundreds of millions of copies! One famous card shows four animals and says "Hippo Birdie Two Ewes." This is a funny way to say "Happy Birthday to You." It has sold over ten million copies!
Books for Kids and Grown-ups
Since 1977, Sandra has written many children's books. Her first book was Hippos Go Berserk!. Most of her children's books are board books. These are books with thick, laminated pages, perfect for very young children.
Many of her books have been huge hits! Five of them have been on the New York Times Best Seller List. Philadelphia Chickens even reached the number one spot! Some of her most popular children's books include Moo, Baa, La La La!, The Going to Bed Book, and Barnyard Dance. Over 90 million copies of her books have been sold!
Music and Albums
In 1996, Sandra started writing and producing songs. She calls her music "renegade children's music." She works with composer Michael Ford. They have released several albums, often as book and audio disc sets.
Many famous singers and actors have performed on her albums. These include Meryl Streep, Alison Krauss, Kevin Kline, and "Weird Al" Yankovic. She even got a Grammy nomination in 2003 for her album Philadelphia Chickens. Three of her albums have been certified gold, meaning they sold a lot of copies!
In 2010, Sandra produced a funny version of Maurice Ravel's famous song Boléro. It was called Boléro Completely Unraveled. It featured a 300-kazoo orchestra! She even played a solo kazoo part herself.
She is currently working on a Christmas album called Cows and Holly. It will feature artists like Lyle Lovett and Yo-Yo Ma. It is expected to come out in 2024.
Music Videos
In 2008, Sandra started making music videos for her songs. Her first video, "One Shoe Blues," came out in 2009. It starred the famous blues singer B.B. King and a cast of sock puppets! She also directed videos for "Penguin Lament" and "Philadelphia Chickens."
Awards and Honors
Sandra Boynton has won many awards for her creative work.
- She received the Irma Simonton Black Award for Chloe and Maude.
- She won the National Parenting Publications Gold Medal for Barnyard Dance and Your Personal Penguin.
- She was nominated for a Grammy Award for Philadelphia Chickens.
- In 2008, she received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest honor from the National Cartoonists Society.
- Her book Hippos Go Berserk! was added to the Mathical Hall of Fame.
She has also won several film festival awards for her music videos.
Sandra's Personal Life
Sandra Boynton was married to writer Jamie McEwan from 1978 until he passed away in 2014. Jamie was also an Olympic Bronze medalist in canoeing. He wrote some children's books that Sandra illustrated.
Sandra and Jamie had four children: Caitlin, Keith, Devin McEwan, and Darcy. All four of their children sang on her Philadelphia Chickens and BLUE MOO albums. Devin is a famous Whitewater Slalom racer and was on the U.S. Olympic Team in 2016.
In 1991, Sandra and her family lived in France for a year. This was so Jamie could train for the 1992 Olympics.
Sandra works in a renovated 120-year-old barn at her home in Connecticut.
Albums
- Rhinoceros Tap (1996)
- Grunt: Pigorian Chant (1996)
- Philadelphia Chickens (2002)
- Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side (2005)
- Blue Moo: 17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never (2007)
- Boléro Completely Unraveled (2010)
- Sandra Boynton's Frog Trouble (2013)
- Hog Wild!: A Frenzy of Dance Music (2017)
- Cows and Holly (2024)
Books
Children's books
- Hippos Go Berserk! (1977)
- Hester in the Wild (1979)
- If At First (1980)
- A to Z (1982)
- Blue Hat, Green Hat (1982)
- Doggies (1982)
- Horns to Toes (1982)
- The Going to Bed Book (1982)
- Moo, Baa, La La La! (1982)
- Opposites (1982)
- But Not the Hippopotamus (1982)
- A is for Angry (1983)
- Good Night, Good Night (1985)
- Chloe and Maude (1985)
- The Story of Grump & Pout (written by Jamie McEwan) (1988)
- Birthday Monsters! (1993)
- Barnyard Dance! (1993)
- One, Two, Three! (1993)
- Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (1993)
- Snoozers (1997)
- Dinosaur's Binkit (1998)
- Bob and 6 More Christmas Stories (1999)
- Dinos To Go (2000)
- Hey!, Wake Up! (2000)
- Pajama Time! (2000)
- The Heart of Cool (written by Jamie McEwan) (2001)
- Snuggle Puppy! (2003)
- Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy (2003)
- Moo Cow Book (cloth) (2004)
- Belly Button Book! (2005)
- Your Personal Penguin (book with song download) (2006)
- What's Wrong, Little Pookie? (2007)
- Bath Time! (2007)
- Fifteen Animals! (2008)
- Barnyard Bath! (2008)
- Let's Dance, Little Pookie (2008)
- Night-Night, Little Pookie (2009)
- One Shoe Blues (book and DVD) (2009)
- Happy Birthday, Little Pookie (2010)
- Perfect Piggies (2010)
- Are You a Cow? (customizable board book) (2010)
- Amazing Cows (2010)
- Happy Hippo, Angry Duck: a book of moods (2011)
- Little Pookie (2012)
- Christmas Parade (2012)
- Tickle Time! (2012)
- Are You a Cow? (2012)
- The Bunny Rabbit Show (2014)
- Spooky Pookie (2015)
- Eek! Halloween! (2016)
- Dinosaur Dance! (2016)
- But Not the Armadillo (2018)
- Merry Christmas, Little Pookie (2018)
- I Love You, Little Pookie (2018)
- Dinosnores (2019)
- Silly Lullaby (2019)
- Your Nose! (2020)
- How Big is Zagnodd? (2020)
- Christmas Parade (2020)
- Jungle Night (Soundtrack with Yo Yo Ma on cello) (2021)
- Boo!, Baa, La La La! (2021)
- Woodland Dance! (2021)
- Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! (2022)
- Pookie's Thanksgiving (2022)
- Peekaboo Rex! (2023)
- Happy Easter, Little Pookie (2023)
- Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! (2023)
- Snow, Snow, Snow! (2023)
- Ooo, Baby Baby! (2023)
- Hippos Remain Calm (2023)
- Hey! What’s That? (2024)
- Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? (2024)
- Hey! Look at You! (2024)
- Little Night Songs (2024)
- Little Love Songs (2024)
- Banana Bop! (2025)
General market books
- Gopher Baroque (1979)
- The Compleat Turkey (1980)
- Chocolate: The Consuming Passion (1982)
- Don't Let The Turkeys Get You Down (1986)
- Christmastime (1987)
- Yay, You! (2001)
- Consider Love (2002)
