James Howe

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For other persons named James Howe, see James Howe (disambiguation).
James Howe

Born 2 August 1946 (1946-08-02) (age 61)
Oneida, New York, United States
Occupation Writer
Genres Juvenile fiction, Picture books, Young adult fiction, Horror
Influences

James Howe (born August 2, 1946, Oneida, New York) is the American author of several juvenile and young adult books, including the Bunnicula series, about a vampire-bunny that sucks the juice out of vegetables.

Contents

[edit] Biography

At the age of nine or ten, Howe wrote a play based on the "Blondie" comic strip as well as a variety of short stories and self-published newspapers, his favorite being "the Gory Gazette," made for a self-founded club: Vampire Legion.[1]

Howe would continue to write plays during his theater studies at Boston University, and eventually move to New York City to pursue a career as an actor and model while directing plays and working as a literary agent.

In the mid-70s, Howe's wife, Deborah, encouraged him to create a children's story based on the Dracula movies of the 70s. With his wife, he created Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery, about a pet rabbit suspected of being a vampire. The book would go on to win more than ten Children's Choice awards, including the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and the Nene Award, and eventually evolve into a series. Shortly after Bunnicula was published Deborah fell victim to cancer and died, inspiring the creation of The Hospital Book.[2]

In 1981 Howe began writing full-time. In addition to the Bunnicula series, Howe has written picture books, children's novels, nonfiction, adaptations of classic stories, and screenplays for movies and television. Recently he published his first two young adult novels, The Watcher and The Misfits. The Misfits was the inspiration behind GLSEN's annual No Name-Calling Week. After the death of his first wife, Howe remarried and fathered a daughter, Zoey, but eventually divorced and came out as gayHe is currently in a committed relationship with lawyer Mark Davis.[3]

In 2007, James Howe was the recipient of The E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books for his book Houndsley and Catina, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and published by Candlewick Press.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (with Deborah Howe) (1979)
  • Howliday Inn (1982)
  • The Celery Stalks at Midnight (1983)
  • Nighty-Nightmare (1987)
  • Mr. Tinker in Oz (1985) (1992)
  • Return to Howliday Inn (1992)
  • Bunnicula Escapes! (a pop-up book) (1994)
  • The New Nick Kramer, or My Life as a Baby-sitter (1995)
  • What Eric Knew (1995)
  • Pinky and Rex and the Bully (1995)
  • When You Go to Kindergarten (with Betsy Imershein) (1995)
  • Pinky and Rex and the Double-dad Weekend (1996)
  • Pinky and Rex and the New Neighbors (1997)
  • The Watcher (1997)
  • Bunnicula’s Wickedly Wacky Word Games: a book for word lovers & their pencils! (1998)
  • Bunnicula Strikes Again! (1999)
  • Bunnicula’s Frightfully Fabulous Factoids: a book to entertain your brain! (1999)
  • Bunnicula’s Long-lasting Laugh-alouds: a book of jokes & riddles to tickle your bunny-bone! (1999)
  • Horace and Morris, but Mostly Dolores (1999)
  • I Wish I Were a Butterfly (1999)
  • It's Heaven to be Seven (with Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, and Patricia MacLachlan)(2000)
  • The Misfits (2001)
  • Horace and Morris Join the Chorus, but What About Dolores (2002)
  • 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen (editor) (2003)
  • Bud Barkin, Private Eye: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2003)
  • The Color of Absence: 12 Stories About Loss and Hope (2003)
  • Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2003)
  • Invasion of the Mind Swappers from Asteroid 6!: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2003)
  • It Came From Beneath the Bed!: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2003)
  • Screaming Mummies of the Pharaoh's Tomb II: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2003)
  • There's a Monster Under My Bed (2003)
  • Bud Barkin, Private Eye: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2004)
  • Odorous Adventures of Stinky Dog: tales from the House of Bunnicula (2004)
  • Totally Joe (2005)
  • Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow! (2006)
  • Houndsley and Catina (2006)
  • The Secret Garden (A Stepping Stone Book) (adapted from the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett)

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Meet the Authors: James Howe", Baltimore County Public Library, April, 2002. 
  2. ^ "Authors & Books: James Howe's Biography", Scholastic, 2005. 
  3. ^ Glitz, Michael (December 25, 2001), “Not just kid stuff”, The Advocate, <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2001_Dec_25/ai_83451279>. Retrieved on 2007-12-18