Muff Singer (1942-2005) Biography

See index for CA sketch: Born February 14, 1942, in Chicago, IL; died of ovarian cancer January 16, 2005, in Los Angeles, CA. Author. Singer was the author of numerous children's books for early readers. A graduate of the University of Texas, where she earned a B.A. in 1964, she was a Peace Corps volunteer for two years, teaching at a penal colony in the Philippines. Returning home, she became involved in politics, campaigning for Senator Robert Kennedy when he was running for president. She also was chief of staff for ten years under assemblyman Howard L. Berman and ran campaigns for her husband, a former city controller. Her first book, The Mystery Reader's Quiz Book (1981), was for older children and was written with Aneta Corsaut and Robert Wagner. After her daughter was born, however, Singer turned to writing for preschool and kindergarten readers. Among her many books are How Many Hippos? (1990), Little Lamb Lost (1993), Baby's First Nativity (1997), and The Littlest Reindeer (1998). She was also the author of the "Tiny Hugs" series with Risa Sherwood Gordon.