Karin Ireland Biography

Author of a wide-range of books, from biographies, to fiction, to self-help titles, Karin Ireland has also written several books geared to young readers. In Wonderful Nature, Wonderful You, one of Ireland's books for children, the author calls on the animal world to further her theme of positive self-empowerment. Geared toward primary graders, the book employs animal behavior to illustrate such simple messages as "be true to yourself" and "you can do whatever you set your mind to."

Ireland has also written inspirational biographies for young people. Part of the "Pioneers in Change" series, which features short biographies of scientists and inventors, Ireland's Albert Einstein presents one of the most influential men in the twentieth century as both a genius and an ordinary man. Einstein's scientific theories and personal life are blended with the political and social temperament of his time in language that enables young readers to understand the scientist and his work. "Albert Einstein is an excellent book which does much to elevate the image of scientists," Edward J. Zielinski wrote in a review for Appraisal. Similarly, Science Books & Films critic Norman Lederer commented that Ireland's "emphasis on Einstein's life … provides for compelling reading."

Ireland is also the author of a humorous fictional book for children, Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll. In a series of four-line rhymes, Ireland explains why you should not take your skunk with you on an airplane (it might get scared and make a stink), why you should not take an elephant to the beach (you will never be able to buy enough sunscreen to cover him), and many other silly scenarios. "Kids will like the outlandish pictures" by David Catrow "and giggle at the goofy advice," thought Booklist reviewer Diane Foote. And not only will the book "entertain the young with its silliness," commented a Kirkus Reviews contributor, but adult readers will also appreciate Ireland's "witty rhymes."

Ireland once told SATA: "I've always been a writer, even before I knew how. When I was in junior high school I had thirteen pen pals, and I wrote to them all regularly. I always got excited about the assignments to write papers and reports even though I didn't know how to do them very well.

"When I was in my twenties, I took a night-school class on writing children's literature, and from the first class, I was hooked. I wrote every day, went to class every week, and after several months, started selling stories. A couple of years later, I started writing and selling nonfiction books for children.

"In the early years, I looked for topics to write about that I thought would sell. It didn't matter what the topic was, as long as I felt kids would enjoy reading about it and I'd enjoy the research. Then I went through several years of personal growth, sorting out the messages I lived my life by—which ones actually worked for me and which were messages I'd inherited from family, friends, and society at large but that didn't work for me. As I began to let go of messages that limited me and replace them with messages that empowered me, I began to look for books to write where I could share self-empowerment tips with others.

"The first book with my goal to help people become self-empowered was The Job Survival Instruction Book, and now all my books have a theme that encourages readers to let go of the messages and teachings that limit them, and exchange those messages for ones that help them be happy, effective, and well."