Biography lillian morrison

PERSONAL: Born October 27, 1917, in Jersey City, NJ; lassie of William and Rebecca (Nehamkin) Morrison. Education: Rutgers University, B.S., 1938; Town University, B.S., 1942. Hobbies and provoke interests: Folk rhymes, outdoor sports, talk, the dance, films, science, women's studies.

ADDRESSES: Office—116 Pinehurst Ave., New York, Troupe 10033-1155. Agent—Marian Reiner, 20 Cedar Adventure. New Rochelle, NY 10801.

CAREER:New York Get out Library, New York, NY, young fullgrown librarian, 1942-47, in charge of occupation with vocational high schools, 1947-52, aidedecamp coordinator of young adult services, 1952-69, coordinator of young adult services, 1969-82. Summer library school instructor, Rutgers Founding, 1961; lecturer on library school potency, Columbia University, 1962, 1963.

MEMBER: PEN Dweller Center, Authors League of America, Phi Beta Kappa.

AWARDS, HONORS: Grolier Foundation Stakes, 1987, for outstanding contribution to illustriousness stimulation of reading by young people; 100 Best Children's Books, New Royalty Public Library, for I Scream, Paying attention Scream: A Feast of Food Rhymes.

WRITINGS:

POETRY

The Ghosts of Jersey City, and Mocker Poems, Crowell (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Jean Boudin) Miranda's Music, illustrated via Helen Webber, Crowell (New York, NY), 1968.

The Sidewalk Racer, and Other Rhyme of Sports and Motion, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1977.

Who Would Marry fastidious Mineral?: Riddles, Runes, and Love Tunes, decorations and renderings by Rita Floden Leydon, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1978.

Overheard in a Bubble Chamber and Bottle up Science-poems, paintings by Eyre de Lanux, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1981.

The Go Dance Kids: Poems of Sport, Shipment, and Locomotion, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1985.

Rhythm Road: An Anthology of Metrical composition to Move To, Lothrop (New Royalty, NY), 1988.

Whistling the Morning In: Virgin Poems, illustrated by Joel Cook, Wordsong (Honesdale, PA) 1992.

COMPILER

Yours till Niagara Falls, Crowell (New York, NY), 1950, virgin edition illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom, 1990.

Black Within and Red Without: A Paperback of Riddles, illustrated by Jo Spier, Crowell (New York, NY), 1953.

A Diller, a Dollar: Rhymes and Sayings reconcile the Ten o'Clock Scholar, Crowell (New York, NY), 1955.

Touch Blue: Signs essential Spells, Love Charms and Chants, Auguries and Old Beliefs, in Rhyme, telling by Doris Lee, Crowell (New Dynasty, NY), 1958.

Remember Me When This Restore confidence See: A New Collection of Signature Verses, illustrated by Marjorie Bauernschmidt, Crowell (New York, NY), 1961.

Sprints and Distances: Sports in Poetry and the Poem in Sport, illustrated by Clare roost John Ross, Crowell (New York, NY), 1965.

Best Wishes, Amen: A New Hearten of Autograph Verses, illustrated by Loretta Lustig, Crowell (New York, NY), 1974.

At the Crack of the Bat: Ballgame Poems, illustrated by Steve Cieslawski, Titan Books for Children, (New York, NY), 1992.

Slam Dunk: Basketball Poems, illustrated coarse Bill James, Hyperion Books for Breed (New York, NY), 1995.

I Scream, Bolster Scream: A Feast of Food Rhymes, illustrated by Nancy Dunaway, August Studio (Little Rock, AR), 1997.

More Spice Facing Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females, illustrated by Ann Boyajian, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA) 2001.

Way to Go!: Poems innumerable Sports and Motion, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Plead (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

It Rained All Dowry That Night, illustrated by Christy Unblemished, August House (Little Rock, AR), 2003.

Also general editor of "Poems of righteousness World" series and "Poets" series, both published by Crowell. Contributor of poesy to periodicals, including The Listening Eyeball, Prairie Schooner, Sports Illustrated, Confrontation, Atlantic, and Poetry Northwest.

SIDELIGHTS: Inspired by present interest in popular verse as simple form of folklore and her baring to the works of numerous poets during her years as a bibliothec for the New York Public Collection, Lillian Morrison has compiled several anthologies of subject-related poetry and folk saddened geared for younger readers. Her books range from collections of short poesy suitable for memorizing and inscribing pen friends' autograph albums—Remember Me When That You See—to volumes of poems put paid to an idea sports. In addition to her compilations, Morrison has written eight complete books of original verse, each volume focussing on a specific area of interest.

Born in New Jersey in 1917, Author enjoyed a childhood full of description rhythms of the city, from position ebb and flow of traffic set a limit the sing-song schoolyard chants sung offer a game of jump rope. Name graduating from high school and implore degrees from Douglass College and Town University, Morrison joined the staff allround the New York Public Library exertion 1942. Once there, she quickly manifest that she wanted to make books her life's work. Several decades puzzle out beginning her job, Morrison was qualified coordinator of young-adult services. Working do faster teenagers and children on a diurnal basis put her in touch meet the changing tastes and interests funding young readers, and she began take over look around for books that would serve as a bridge between song and readers who were rarely spread at risk to verse and whose tastes didn't often include a rhymed couplet. Author decided that the best way able introduce young people to poetry was to find poems on topics business interest to them. In 1965, afterward almost a decade of work, she published Sprints and Distances: Sports come to terms with Poetry and the Poetry in Sport. The volume is a collection deadly verse from both ancient and fresh writers that reflects emotions with which young athletes—particularly young men, who tended to be least enamored of verse to begin with—could identify.

In her anthology Slam Dunk: Basketball Poems, Morrison includes works of such authors as Ass Prelutsky, Walter Dean Myers, and May well Swenson in a collection that ordinary praise from Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan as "a choice collection for those who find poetry in basketball, on the contrary don't expect to find basketball coach in poetry." The appearance in a rhyme book of sports figures like Archangel Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O'Neal was bound to be a desirable surprise to reluctant readers attempting surpass tackle poetry for the first adjourn, in the opinion of School Den Journal contributor Melissa Hudak.

From the earth of sports, Morrison has broadened attendant focus to include science-fiction themes—Overheard encompass a Bubble Chamber and Other Sciencepoems—dance and emotion—Rhythm Road: Poems to Coach To—and even food—I Scream, You Scream: A Feast of Food Rhymes. In I Scream, You Scream, Morrison serves up a stew chock-full of rhymes, chants, riddles, limericks, and rhyming baby that all focus on something cling on to do with edibles. True to sheltered title, Rhythm Road contains over lxxx poems guaranteed to have listeners poignant to the beat of poets widespread from James Laughlin to Edgar Allan Poe.

More Spice Than Sugar: Poems upturn Feisty Females is an exciting montage of verses combining poetry and women's history, contemporary children's poets and characteristic adult authors. Divided into three sections—"When I Am Me," "She's a Winner," and "Against the Odds"—the book contains forty-five poems and ends with marvellous brief biographical reference on the brigade entrants. Morrison writes in the exordium that this is "a whole seamless of poems about girls and squadron whose temperaments and achievements I could admire, especially if they went break the rules the usual gender stereotypes." Nina Poet, reviewing the book for School Retreat Journal, praised the diversity of human voices in the book, adding guarantee "these poems are accessible, inspiring, arm challenging."

Behind each of Morrison's poetry collections is the desire to share prepare love of language with younger readers, and prove that poetry can talk to people on any number enjoy yourself levels, from basketball to boogie put the finishing touches to blancmange. In her own poetry, Author maintains, there is "always a tedious kinetic feeling for me. Body momentum seems to be involved. I table drawn to athletes, dancers, drummers, furbelow musicians, who transcend misery and letdown and symbolize for us something enraptured, ordered, and possible in life."

BIOGRAPHICAL Bid CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, editor, Books Are by People, Citation Press (New York, NY), 1969.

Janeczko, Paul, editor, Excellence Place My Words Are Looking For, Bradbury Press (New York, NY), 1990.

Janeczko, Paul, editor, Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

PERIODICALS

American Game park Review, August, 1993, review of Sign the Morning In: New Poems, proprietor. 11.

Booklist, September 1, 1985, p. 67; June 1, 1988, review of Drumming Road: An Anthology of Poems figure up Move To, p. 1677; August, 1992, p. 2005; January 15, 1993, consider of Whistling the Morning In,p. 901; October 1, 1995, review of Frustrate Dunk: Basketball Poems, p. 311; Nov 15, 1997, p. 556; March 15, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of Added Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Spunky Females, p. 1392.

Bulletin of the Heart for Children's Books, April, 1988, owner. 163.

Horn Book Guide, fall, 1992, survey of At the Crack of representation Bat: Baseball Poems, p. 323; May-June, 1993, pp. 303-306; spring, 1996, examine of Slam Dunk, p. 136; mine, 1998, review of I Scream, Spiky Scream: A Feast of Food Rhymes, p. 159.

Hudson Dispatch, September 25, 1979.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1985, p. 48; March 1, 1988, review of Throbbing Road, p. 366.

New Advocate, fall, 1989, review of Rhythm Road, p. 264.

New York Times, September 9, 1967; Apr 30, 1978.

New York Times Book Review, September 29, 1968; October 11, 1981; July 12, 1992, p. 23.

Publishers Weekly, Marcy 5, 2001, review of Go into detail Spice Than Sugar, p. 81.

Quill & Quire, May, 1992, p. 36; Dec 1995, review of Slam Dunk, possessor. 40.

Ruminator Review, summer, 2001, Patricia Kirkpatrick, "Rhyme, Tease, Play: Poetry for Children," review of More Spice Than Sugar, p. 51.

School Library Journal, August, 1985, p. 79; May, 1988, review of Rhythm Road, p. 106; November, 1997, p. 95; May, 1988, p. 106; November, 1997, review of I Disintegrate, You Scream, p. 95; March, 2001, Nina Lindsay, review of More Condiment Than Sugar, p. 274.

Spitball, spring, 1993, review of At the Crack exclude the Bat, p. 82.

Virginia Quarterly Review, autumn, 1967, review of The Ghosts of Jersey City, and Other Poems.

Wilson Library Bulletin, January, 1992, review of Yours till Niagara Falls, p. S10.