Sam McBratney (1943-) Biography

Born 1943, in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Education: Trinity College, Dublin, received degree (modern history and political science; with honors).

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England.

Career

Primary and secondary teacher of history and English, 1970–90; full-time writer, 1990–.

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Honors Awards

Bass Ireland Literary Prize, 1980; Bisto Book of the Year awards, Irish Children's Book Trust, 1992–93, for Put a Saddle on the Pig, and 1994; Bisto Merit Award, 1993–94, and Inis magazine Book of the Decade, 1999–2000, for The Chieftan's Daughter; Silveren Griffel award, Children's Books Association of Holland, 1995; Notable Children's Books, American Library Association, 1996, for Guess How Much I Love You.

Writings

Mark Time, Abelard-Schuman (London, England), 1976.

A Dip of the Antlers, Abelard-Schuman (London, England), 1977.

The Final Correction, Abelard (London, England), 1978.

Boy Blue, Abelard (London, England), 1979.

From the Thorenson Dykes, Abelard (London, England), 1980.

The Hanging Man, illustrated by Bruce Symons, Cassell (London, England), 1980.

The Man Who Tried to Fly, illustrated by Bruce Symons, Cassell (London, England), 1980.

The Pigeon Killer, illustrated by Bruce Symons, Cassell (London, England), 1980.

The Stolen Honda, Cassell (London, England), 1980.

Lagan Valley Details: Short Stories, Blackstaff (Belfast, Northern Ireland), 1980.

Jimmy Zest, illustrated by Thelma Lambert, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1982, Macmillan Children's (London, England), 2002.

Zesty, illustrated by Susan Hallard, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1984, Macmillan Children's (London, England), 2002.

Colvin and the Snake Basket, illustrated by Carol Holmes, Methuen (London, England), 1985.

Jimmy Zest Is Best!, illustrated by Tim Archbold, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1985, Macmillan Children's (London, England), 2002.

The Missing Lollipop, illustrated by Linda Birch, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1986.

Uncle Charlie Weasel and the Cuckoo Bird, illustrated by Mike Daley, Methuen (London, England), 1986.

Claudius Bald Eagle, illustrated by Joanna Carey, Methuen (London, England), 1987.

The Ghosts of Hungryhouse Lane, illustrated by David Farris, Hippo (London, England), 1988, Holt (New York, NY) 1989.

The Jimmy Zest All-Stars, Methuen (London, England), 1988.

Uncle Charlie Weasel's Winter, illustrated by Mike Daley, Methuen (London, England), 1988.

Funny, How the Magic Starts, Methuen (London, England), 1989.

The Secret of Bone Island, illustrated by Hemesh Alles, Hippo (London, England), 1989.

Zesty Goes Cooking, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1989, published as Jimmy Zesty, Super Pest, Macmillan Children's (London, England), 2002.

Bones and the Beast, illustrated by Kate Oliver, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Bones and the Monster, illustrated by Kate Oliver, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Bones at the Pet Show, illustrated by Kate Oliver, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Busy Street, illustrated by Katy Sleight, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Cyclops and the Greenbeans, illustrated by Terry McKenna, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

How We Traveled Long Ago, illustrated by Tony James Chance, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Jill Has Three Pets, illustrated by Denise Teasdale, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Noah Sorts the Animals, illustrated by Val Biro, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

Pip Goes to Africa, illustrated by Michelle Ross, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1990.

The Thursday Creature, illustrated by Terry McKenna, Heinemann (Oxford, England), 1990.

Jealous Jools and Dominique, Puffin (London, England), 1991.

Who Likes Work?, illustrated by Polly Noakes, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1991.

Animals at Work, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1991.

Something Big, illustrated by Tessa Richardson-Jones, Heinemann (Oxford, England) 1992.

Put a Saddle on the Pig, Methuen (London, England), 1992, published as You Just Don't Listen!, Mammoth, 1994.

The Green Kids, illustrated by Virginia Chalcraft, Walker (New York, NY), 1992.

Art, You're Magic!, illustrated by Tony Blundell, Walker (New York, NY), 1992.

(Editor) Today and Yesterday: A Selection of Stories from BBC Northern Ireland Schools' Radio, illustrated by Liam McComish, Northern Ireland Centre for Learning Resources (Belfast, Northern Ireland), 1992.

(Editor) People, Places, and Ideas: A Selection of Stories from BBC Northern Ireland Schools' Radio, Northern Ireland Centre for Learning Resources, 1993.

Bananas, illustrated by Alexa Rutherford, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1993.

Breakfast with Ublob, illustrated by Nick Schon, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1993.

A Case of Blue Murder, illustrated by Terry McKenna, Heinemann (Oxford, England), 1993.

The Chieftain's Daughter, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1993.

Flash Eddie and the Big Bad Wolf, illustrated by Hunt Emerson, Walker (New York, NY), 1994.

Guess How Much I Love You, illustrated by Anita Jeram, Walker (London, England), 1994, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1995.

Henry Seamouse, illustrated by Philippe Dupasquier, Long-man (New York, NY), 1994.

Hurray for Monty Ray!, illustrated by Robert Bartelt, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 1994.

The Lough Neagh Monster, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1994.

The Stranger from Somewhere in Time, illustrated by Scoular Anderson, Heinemann (Oxford, England), 1994.

The Ghastly Gerty Swindle, with The Ghosts of Hungry-house Lane, illustrated by Lisa Thiesing, Holt (New York, NY), 1994.

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1995.

Wonderful Oliver Sundew, illustrated by Dom Mansell, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

In Crack Willow Wood, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

Firetail Cat, Macdonald (London, England), 1995.

Francis Fry Private Eye, illustrated by Kim Blundell, Collins (London, England), 1995.

Suzuki Goodbye, illustrated by Peter Dennis, CollinsEducational (Hookset, NH), 1995.

The Caterpillow Fight, illustrated by Jill Barton, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1996.

Just One!, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Walker (London, England), 1996.

Celtic Myths, illustrated by Stephen Player, Hodder Wayland (London, England), 1997.

Kristel Dimond Timecop, illustrated by Martin Chatterton, Walker (London, England), 1998.

Bert's Wonderful News, illustrated by Martin Chatterton, Walker (London, England), 1998.

Just You and Me, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1998.

Once There Was a Hoodie, illustrated by Paul Hess, Macdonald Young (Hove, England), 1999, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Fishy Business for Francis Fry, illustrated by Kim Blundell, A. &. C. Black (London, England), 1999.

One Grand Sweet Song: Short Stories, Mammoth (London, England), 1999.

I'm Sorry, illustrated by Jennifer Eachus, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

I'm Not Your Friend, illustrated by Kim Lewis, Collins (London, England), 2001, published as I'll Always Be Your Friend, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

In the Light of the Moon, and Other Bedtime Stories, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, Kingfisher (London, England), 2001, published as The Kingfisher Mini Treasury of Bedtime Stories, Kingfisher (Boston, MA), 2004.

Lemono P, illustrated by Catharine O'Neill, Dorling Kindersley (London, England), 2001, published as Elemeno P, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 2001.

Stranger from Somewhere in Time, illustrated by Marin and Ann Chatterton, Crabtree (New York, NY), 2002.

You're All My Favorites, illustrated by Anita Jeram, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2004.

It's Lovely When You Smile, Penguin (London, England) 2005, published as I Love It When You Smile, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of short stories for both children and adults; author of radio plays and educational television programs for British Broadcasting Corporation. Contributor to Ginn History, Ginn (Oxford, England), 1994.

Author's works have been translated into numerous languages.

Sidelights

Sam McBratney, a Northern Ireland native who has written over fifty books for young readers, has published in a variety of genres during his long writing career—everything from science fiction to radio plays. His highly acclaimed 1993 young-adult novel The Chieftan's Daughter, a fifth-century story of young love and tragedy, was praised by critics as among the most significant works of children's historical fiction published in Ireland. However, it was not until he penned a four-hundred-word story called Guess How Much I Love You that his writing became a career. The hardback edition of the book sold over a million copies worldwide in its translation into dozens of languages, securing a number-one spot on numerous bestseller lists for children's books. In the years since, success has not dampened McBratney's trademark wit. Describing a visit to the United States, he once told SATA that he was "amazed at how warmly [Guess How Much I Love You] and its somewhat shell-shocked author were received. This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered. But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered—if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."

Born in 1943 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McBratney and his family were forced to evacuate their home near the city's shipyards after a heavy aerial bombardment by German planes. They subsequently settled in nearby Lisburn, where McBratney's father was a compositor at the local newspaper. After attending Friends' School Lisburn, McBratney enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin. Graduating with honors in both modern history and political science, he married, and started a family, earning his living as a primary and secondary school teacher. All the while, however, McBratney held on to his dream of becoming a writer, and published children's books as a part-time author for fifteen years. Finally, with the 1996 publication of Guess How Much I Love You his dream became a reality.

"I still regard myself as something of a dilettante," he later admitted to SATA. "There is no grand design to my work. I write everything for all ages: historical fiction, science fiction, light-hearted ghost stories, real-life angst, short stories, serious pieces…. My problem was that I never became known for a style or genre—I write because the act of imagining makes me feel good, and I never got much of a buzz out of writing the same sort of thing twice."

One of McBratney's early publications for young readers, Zesty, set the tone for much of his work. Concerned with the everyday happenings of an energetic boy named Jimmy "Zesty" Zest and his school friends, Zesty is told in episodic style. When Zesty dreams up a sure-fire scheme for insuring the belongings of his classmates, the scheme somehow goes dreadfully awry. The boy's enthusiastic involvement brings on a similar result when a beloved teacher leaves and Zesty selects the class going-away present: a secondhand mahogany hat stand. "This is not a sentimental book," noted E. Colwell in Junior Bookshelf, "but it has a warmth that is refreshing." The spirited Zesty appears in several books by McBratney.

Colvin and the Snake Basket spins a series of seven interlocking tales that focus on the misadventures of Colvin Matthews, the middle child in his family. When things get too overwhelming, Colvin hides in a large woven basket, thereby avoiding difficult incidents that occur around his bustling home, like the time the family's pet gerbil gets "zapped" by the family dog. Chris Brown, writing in School Librarian, commented that McBratney's inclusion of "realistic detail creates involvement and interest," while Stephanie Nettell, reviewing the book for the Times Literary Supplement noted that McBratney is "without parallel in his insight into life as seen from the middle of the family sandwich."

Spirited humor is also in abundance in Uncle Charlie Weasel's Winter, a raucous tale about woodland life that turns the natural serenity of Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit and other animal-centered stories upside down. McBratney's anthropomorphosized protagonist is no waistcoat-clad hedgerow-dwelling fuddy duddy; Charlie Weasel is actually a villainous thief and wino. Comparing the book with the writing of British author Roald Dahl, Books for Keeps contributor George Hunt dubbed Uncle Charlie Weasel's Winter "a simply told, knock-about tale mixed with a bit of "Dahlian muckiness."

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The Ghosts of Hungryhouse Lane was McBratney's first book to be published in the United States. A humorous ghost story involving three genteel spirits disturbed in their "Unwakeful Serenity" by the arrival of the new owners of the Porterhouse home, the story fo-
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cuses on the three unruly Sweet children: Zoe, Charlie, and Bonnie. At first the ghosts try to reason with the children, hoping they will be left in peace; when that fails they enlist the scarifying powers of a Stone Age female ghost killed by a saber-toothed tiger. This woman, Oggi Agga Gooth, manages to win some measure of respect from the new young tenants, but the real change comes following the children's discovery of a secret chimney room in which they find both the diary and the missing will of the dead Mercia Porterhouse. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the book would be "fun to read aloud," while Betsy Hearne commented in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that The Ghosts of Hungryhouse Lane is "capably written, and the slapstick elements will prove appealing to haunted house enthusiasts." McBratney revisits the residents of Hungryhouse Lane in The Ghastly Gerty Swindle, in which McBratney's writing "exhibits energy and humor and sustains suspense," according to School Library Journal reviewer Cheryl Cufari.

A trio of bratty children also populate the pages of The Green Kids: bone-collecting Charlie, bossy Shellie, and spoiled little Lottie. The three are dragged off by their parents to the wilds of an Irish mountainside for a vacation, bickering all the while in the family's white Rolls. The children's squabbles end when their parents send them off to get some exercise and they discover a tumbledown cottage where eccentric nature buff Thatcher Collins lives. Collins intends to use a shopping cart to help power himself aloft using homemade wings, and soon the whole Green family is monitoring his attempt and ultimate failure at becoming airborne. "There are no dull moments," Williams noted, while School Librarian critic Ann Jenkin dubbed The Green Kids "lively and fast-moving." In Books for Keeps Margery Fisher drew attention to McBratney's turns of phrase, which "refreshes the ordinary"—the breakfast porridge, for example, reminds Charlie Green of "microwaved frogspawn"—and concluded that the book is crowaved frogspawn"—and concluded that the book is "a vigorous, craftsmanlike mixture of pathos, sparkling humor," "insistent personality and calmly enduring landscape."

Guess How Much I Love You is a simple bedtime tale about a father and son rabbit who try to best each other with how much each loves the other. Little Nutbrown Hare, partly serious and partly attempting to postpone the inevitable bedtime, tells his father that he loves him as high as he can reach. To which the father replies that he loves his son as high as he can reach. That would seem to clinch it, until the little hare tells his father he loves him right up to the moon. With his goodnight kiss, however, Papa Hare wins: "I love you right up to the moon—and back." This simple nursery game, enhanced by Anita Jeram's watercolors, hit just the right note with the picture-book set. "There's not a wrong note in this tender tale, which should become an enduring bedtime favorite," Stephanie Zvirin wrote in Kirkus Reviews, while a Junior Bookshelf critic called the work "a comforting bedtime book for the very young." Echoing the comments of several critics, School Library Journal reviewer Karen K. Radtke wrote that "it's refreshing to see a father and son relationship that is both competitive and loving." McBratney's book is more than a bedtime tale for children, according to Prue Goodwin, writing in School Librarian: "It is also a book for any adult who wants a reminder of those magic moments spent with a child before the world intrudes on their relationship and changes it forever."

McBratney has not rested on his laurels since publishing Guess How Much I Love You. With The Firetail Cat he returns to his usual zany and quirky characters, this time in the form of a magical firetail cat brought aboard the ship Belinda to rid the boat of its scourge of rats. The crew and infamous Captain Pegg get more than they bargained for in this kitty, however. Liz Baynton-Clarke, reviewing the book for School Librarian, declared The Firetail Cat to be "another good yarn from Sam McBratney."

Just You and Me, like Guess How Much I Love You, is a story of a parent and child, or a "big one and a wee one" as McBratney called them on the Candlewick Press Web site. Little Goosey is afraid of a raging storm, and wants to take shelter with Gander Goose and nobody else. The pair go from shelter to shelter and finally find a place of their own, only to discover when the storm ends that other animals have taken shelter with them after all. The story "conveys the gentleness of a loving relationship," according to Susan Dove Lempke writing in Booklist, and a Publishers Weekly critic noted that "McBratney's serene prose is as warm as a sheltering embrace, and he has a gift for zeroing in on childhood's universal longings."

I'm Sorry and Once There Was a Hoodie each focus on the relationship between friends. In I'm Sorry two young friends have a fight; afterwards they each feel miserable and alone and both hope that an apology will allow them to be friends again. "This gentle vignette nicely portrays a friendship between the genders," commented Rosalyn Pierini in her review of the book for School Library Journal. Connie Fletcher, writing for Booklist, commented that I'm Sorry "has a great deal to teach about empathy and forgiveness." One There Was a Hoodie focuses on friendships of a different sort as it follows the adventures of a creature known as a Hoodie: a round figure with mushroom-like ears. The hoodie wants to find a friend, but all the creatures he sees—including sheep, cows, and human children—run away from him. Finally, he discovers another hoodie who is also looking for a friend. Carolyn Janssen considered the book "a delightful read-aloud," and wrote in the School Library Journal that McBratney's "whimsical tale illustrates that there's a friend for everyone."

With In the Light of the Moon, and Other Bedtime Stories McBratney collects eight stories—some traditional and some original—that are perfect for bedtime readalouds. The stories each feature problems children can relate to: a traditional Jewish tale deals with two brothers who secretly watch out for each other; a frog bully is dealt with by an elephant in another tale; while in a third a rascally pig is able to rescue his master from boring company. The stories collected are "leisurely told tales that will soothe nighttime listeners," according to Susan Helper in School Library Journal. As Carolyn Phelan wrote in Booklist, the collection as a whole "fulfills its purpose as a good source for bedtime stories."

For You're All My Favorites McBratney again teamed up with illustrator Jeram to tell a story about love and family. In this picture book, three young bear cubs wonder how they can all be the favorite child of each of their parents, and soon each of them ponders the reasons why they might not be the absolute favorite. Quieting such concerns, the loving bear parents comfort their cubs by explaining that parents can love each of their offspring equally. Rosalyn Pierini, writing in School Library Journal, commented on the "quiet, loving tone of the text," while a Kirkus Reviews contributor considered the book to promote "more cozy family bonding." A Publishers Weekly critic found You're All My Favorites to be less appealing than Guess How Much I Love You, but acknowledged that it features "a sweet, if rather neatly resolved" story. As McBratney commented on the Candlewick Press Web Site, "One upon a time, my wife and I had three small children—two boys and a girl, just like in the story. And when they were young, we used to tell them a story very like You're All My Favorites."