William Kotzwinkle facts for kids

William Kotzwinkle is an American writer. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, on November 22, 1938. He writes novels, books for children, and movie scripts.

William Kotzwinkle won the World Fantasy Award in 1977 for his novel Doctor Rat. He also received the National Magazine Award for his fiction writing. Many people know him for writing the book version of the famous movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

He has been married to another author, Elizabeth Gundy, since 1965.

Books by William Kotzwinkle

William Kotzwinkle has written many different kinds of books. He has written novels for adults and many fun stories for kids. He has also written scripts for movies.

Novels for Older Readers

• Hermes 3000 (1972)
• The Fan Man (1974)
• Night Book (1974)
• Swimmer in the Secret Sea (1975)
• Doctor Rat (1976)
• Fata Morgana (1977)
• Herr Nightingale And the Satin Woman (1978) (This is a graphic novel with pictures by Joe Servello.)
• Jack in the Box (1980) (This book was later called Book of Love when a movie was made from it.)
• Christmas at Fontaine's (1982)
• Superman III (1983) (This book is based on the movie script.)
• Great World Circus (1983) (This book also has illustrations by Joe Servello.)
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain (1996)
• The Amphora Project (2005)
• Bloody Martini (2023)

The E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Series

William Kotzwinkle wrote books based on the popular E.T. movies.

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (This book is based on the movie script by Melissa Mathison.)
• E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet (1985) (This is a sequel, or follow-up story, to the first E.T. book.)

Short Story Collections

These books are collections of shorter stories.

• Elephant Bangs Train (1971)
• Jewel of the Moon (1985)
• The Hot Jazz Trio (1989) (This book has three short stories and pictures by Joe Servello.)

Children's Books

William Kotzwinkle has written many books especially for young readers.

• The Firemen (1969)
• Elephant Boy: A Story of the Stone Age (1970)
• The Day the Gang Got Rich (1970)
• The Ship That Came Down The Gutter (1970)
• The Return of Crazy Horse (1971)
• The Supreme, Superb, Exalted and Delightful, One and Only Magic Building (1973)
• Up the Alley with Jack and Joe (1974)
• The Leopard's Tooth (1976)
• The Ants Who Took Away Time (1978)
• Dream of Dark Harbor: A Ghostly Sea Story (1979)
• The Nap Master (1979)
• E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook (1982)
• The World Is Big and I'm So Small (1986) ISBN: 0-517-56310-X
• The Empty Notebook (1990)
• The Million-Dollar Bear (1995)

The Walter the Farting Dog Series

This popular series of books about a dog named Walter was written by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, and Elizabeth Gundy. The pictures are by Audrey Colman.

• Walter the Farting Dog (2001) ISBN: 1-58394-053-7 (This book was even published in Latin as Walter, Canis Inflatus!)
• Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale (2004) (Also known as Walter the Farting Dog Farts Again)
• Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog (2005)
• Walter the Farting Dog goes on a Cruise (2006)
• Walter The Farting Dog: Banned From the Beach (2007)

Movie Scripts

William Kotzwinkle has also written stories for movies.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) (He wrote the original story for this film.)
• Book of Love (1990) (This movie script was based on his own novel, Jack in the Box.)