Works by
Katherine Paterson
(Writer)

Children's

Christmas Short Stories

• A Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season (1995)
  Much-loved author Katherine Paterson illuminates the true meaning of Christmas in twelve modern-day stories written over the years for her husband, a pastor, to read to his congregation on each Christmas Eve. A man driving to see his dying father picks up a young hitchhiker who attempts to rob him; a proud and lonely widow is befriended by a persevering boy trying to earn a star for his church group; in Communist China, a female scholar and an old night watchman secretly bond together to read the Bible. Whether depicting a child coping with disappointment or a couple awaiting the birth of their baby, all these stories present a vision of hope and peace harking back to that first Christmas two thousand years ago.
  
  Here is the perfect holiday gift for friends, families, and church congregations to read aloud and share throughout the Christmas season and beyond. Noted for her award-winning children's books, Katherine Paterson again celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit.

• Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories (1979)
  Nine short stories celebrate the magic of Christmas.
  
  A minister, trying to help a boy find his father, winds up in jail on Christmas Eve. A mother copes with the death of her infant. A father searches for his runaway son. A widower takes in an outspoken foster child who tests the limits of his generosity. In unexpected ways that illuminate the true meaning of the Christmas story, these people put aside their loneliness and sorrows and fears, and rediscover the joy of life. "Happy Birthday, Jesus, and many happy reruns of the day," says one little girl, voicing the hope and celebration of these stories about the mysterious workings of the human heart.

Fiction

• The Day of the Pelican (October 19, 2009)
  Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Old and young alike, they find their courage tested by hunger, illness, the long, arduous journey, and danger on every side. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family--but this country is their home now and there can be no turning back.A compassionate, powerful novel by a master storyteller.

• Sign Of The Chrysanthemum (2007)
  His desperate search for the father he has never seen leads thirteen-year-old Muna to danger and adventure in the crowded, colorful capital city of twelfth-century Japan. But where should he look for him? And how will he recognize him? His father left before Muna was born-and his mother is now dead. All that the boy knows of hiss father is that he is a great warrior, a samurai ... and that he bears on his shoulder a chrysanthemum tattoo.
  
  Wars between two powerful clans divide the city, making his search more difficult and dangerous. Muna is torn between his respect for Fukuji, the brilliant swordsmith who takes him into his home, and his loyalty to Takanobu, a former samurai who is now an outlaw. Tempered by fire and sword, Muna finally discovers who he really is.

• Bread and Roses, Too (2006) -- Winner 2007 New York Public Library Best Books for Teen Age; Winner 2007 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year; Winner 2006 VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers; Notable 2007 Social Studies Trade Book for Young People; Winner 2006 Christopher Award; Winner Fall 2006 Parents' Choice Gold Medal, Historical Fiction
  Rosaís mother is singing again, for the first time since Papa died in an accident in the mills. But instead of filling their cramped tenement apartment with Italian lullabies, Mamma is out on the streets singing union songs, and Rosa is terrified that her mother and older sister, Anna, are endangering their lives by marching against the corrupt mill owners. After all, didnít Miss Finch tell the class that the strikers are nothing but rabble-rousersóan uneducated, violent mob? Suppose Mamma and Anna are jailed or, worse, killed? What will happen to Rosa and little Ricci? When Rosa is sent to Vermont with other children to live with strangers until the strike is over, she fears she will never see her family again. Then, on the train, a boy begs her to pretend that he is her brother. Alone and far from home, she agrees to protect him . . . even though she suspects that he is hiding some terrible secret. From a beloved, award-winning author, here is a moving story based on real events surrounding an infamous 1912 strike.

• The Same Stuff as Stars (2002) -- Co-winner 2003 Paterson Prize; 2003 Honor Book for The Red Mitten; 2003 Judy Lopez Memorial; and 2003 Jane Addams Award
  Angel Morgan needs help. Her daddy is in jail, and her mother has abandoned Angel and her little brother, Bernie, at their greatgrandmother's crumbling Vermont farmhouse. Grandma, aged and poor, spends most of her time wrapped in a blanket by the wood stove and can't care for the children. That's left up to Angel, even though she is not yet twelve.
  
  In this dreary world of canned beans and peaches, of adult worries and loneliness, there is only one bright spotóa mysterious stranger who appears on clear nights and teaches Angel all about the stars and planets and constellations.
  
  Angel's quest to carve out a new life for herself and Bernie makes for a powerful, moving story that could arise only from the keen sensitivity, penetrating sense of drama, and honed skill of master storyteller Katherine Paterson.

• Preacher's Boy (1999) -- Winner 1999 Parents' Choice Story Book Award; Winner Jefferson Cup of Virginia Library Association
  It's the end of a century, and some say the end of an age. According to certain members of the church where Robbie's father preaches, the end of the world may be at hand. Although Robbie has become an "apeist" after deciding God is too hard to please, he figures he'd better get in as much living as possible between now and the new year, just in case. His high-spirited and often hot-headed behavior does nothing to improve his father's opinion of him, nor does it improve the congregation's flagging opinion of his father. When a harebrained scheme endangers far more than his father's precarious reputation, Robbie must choose whether or not to take responsibility for his actions-a decision that holds the life of a man in the balance.

• Jip, His Story (1996) -- Winner 1997 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Winner 1996 Parents' Choice Story Book Award; Winner 1999 Parents' Choice Paperback Book Honor
  Jip could not understand why no one had claimed him after he tumbled off a wagon on the West Hill Road when he was a small child. Brought to the town poor farm, Jip was content to tend the animals and do chores-until the day the lunatic arrived. Put's rages in his padlocked wooden cage terrified the residents, but when the old man was lucid, he sang sweetly and let the boy take care of him. More menacing to Jip was the weasel-like stranger who kept unexpectedly appearing. Who was he? And how could his puzzling story that he had been sent by a grieving parent to find his long lost son-who might well be Jip-be true?
  
  Events quicken when Jip starts attending the one-room schoolhouse in the fall with Lucy, another poor farm resident, and there meets Teacher and her Quaker sweetheart, Luke Stevens. Befriending Jip, Teacher and Luke help the boy grapple with the astounding revelation of his true ancestry and the horrible consequences he faces if he does not escape.

• Rebels Of the Heavenly Kingdom (1995, 2008 ) -- Parents' Choice Award; NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; Child Study Assoc. Children's Books of the Year
  Rescued from kidnappers, Wang Lee found himself with a strange secret group. They were the God-worshiping Society, Mei Lin told him, dedicated to overthrowing the hated Manchu emperor of China. Wang Lee must join the rebels and learn to be a soldier-and to kill.
  
  Singing and marching, the crusaders fought the foreign devils in villages and cities, on mountains and rivers. For Wang Lee, a peasant boy, it was a time of agonizing questions that neither his companion, Chu, nor his philosopher friend, Shen could answer. For Mei Lin, her teacher San-niang, and hundreds of other women with unbound feet, it was a time to show their strength. And for all of the charcoal bearers, farmers, miners, and misfits transformed into a noble army, it was a time to establish a new age-the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.
  
  Could their dream come true? Could their kings rule in harmony? And could Wang Lee and Mei Lin at last be free to express forbidden feelings?

• Flip-Flop Girl (1994) -- ALA Notable Children's Book; School Library Journal Best Book; American Bookseller Spring Pick of the Lists for Middle Readers; New York Public Library - 100 titles for Reading and Sharing
  Vinnie Matthews needs a lifesaver-not the candy kind, but a real one, one that will bring her daddy back to life and let her family return to their home in Washington. Living with grandma in Brownsville, Virginia, means going to the Gertrude B. Spitzer Elementary School, where all the girls in their pretty, new clothes ask her why her brother Mason is so crazy. Only Mr. Clayton, Vinnie's handsome young teacher, makes school bearable.
  
  But at recess time, Vinnie sees a tall lanky girl playing hopscotch alone, and her curiosity gets the best of her. Why does Lupe wear bright orange flip-flops? And why is she always getting into trouble? In the midst of her anger and confusion, Vinnie finds a rare friendship-and very nearly destroys it.

• Lyddie (1991, 2004) -- 1994 Honor Book of the International Board of Books for Young People; ALA Best Book for Young Adults; ALA Notable Children's Book; American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; IBBY Honor Book
  She was no better than a slave, Lyddie thought. The dept-ridden farm had been let to neighbor, and she and her brother had been hired out. Was the end really near, as their mother had said when she fled with the babies after the hungry bear had broken into their Vermont farm house? That winter of 1843, the two children had been left to fend for themselves. If their long-gone father would return and set things right. It is the promise of a new and better life that finally prompts Lyddie to journey to the mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts. As a factory girl, she will earn a wage -and be free. No matter that she has to live in a crowded boarding house, that the clatter of incessant looms is deafening, that the murky lint-filled air brings on fevers and wracking coughs. Despite the menacing overseer, Lyddie works long, exhausting hours to be able to pay off the debt and regain her beloved farm. But does she jeopardize her job-and her family's future-by being friends with the radical Diana and perhaps signing a petition for better conditions.

• Park's Quest (1988) -- American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; NCSS_CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; IRA-CBC Children's Choice; Learning Choice; Library of Congress Books for Children; Child Study Association Children's Books of the Year; The Horn Book Fanfare Honor List
  Like the bold knights in his fantasies, eleven-year-old Park is on a quest: He wants to learn about his father, who died in Vietnam. Not only has he no memory of his father, his mother won't discuss him. But when Park's search for family roots finally takes him to his grandfather's farm in rural Virginia, he encounters obstacles beyond his imagining.
  
  For instead of being welcomed as the long lost heir, he is taunted by a sassy little foreigner, Thanh. Who is she and what is she doing on the family farm? Worse, how dare she challenge him Parkington Waddell Broughton the Fifth. Park must reconcile unsettling revelations about his parents, his uncle and sick grandfather, and especially about Thanh, before discovering the truth he has sought.  See also Park's Quest Katherine Paterson: A Study Guide (1991) by Norma Marsh.

• The Tongue-Cut Sparrow (1987) with Suekichi Akaba, Illustrator -- Parent's Choice Award; NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; IRA-CBC Children's Choice; Child Study Association Children's Books of the Year; CCBC Choice; Library of Congress Books for Children
  A kind old man and his greedy wife pay separate visits to the tongue-cut sparrow and receive as gifts just what they deserve.

• Come Sing, Jimmy Jo (1985) -- Parents' Choice Award; School Library Journal Best Books; CCBC Choice Booklist Editors' Choice
  "You got the gift," his grandma told him. But every time eleven-year-old James thought of singing and playing his guitar in front of people, he felt sick. Now, with the Family's big chance to appear on Country time TV, James had no choice. Everything was changing: Not only did he have to leave Grandma and his mountain home, he had to change his name-for the fans, his momma said.
  
  What if he really becomes Jimmy Jo Johnson? The crowds, the applause, and the aggressive fans frighten him. He knows that his daddy would protect him, but sometimes his momma and his uncle don't seem to want him to be a star. How would the kids at school treat him if they found out that he is a celebrity? And who is the mysterious stranger who followed him in a pickup and waited for him at the schoolyard fence?

• Jacob Have I Loved (1980) -- Winner 1981 Newbery Medal; ALA Notable Children's Book 1976-1980; School Library Journal Best Books of 1980; Best of the 80's YA Novels (English Journal); Best of the 80's (ALA Booklist)
  "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. . . ." With her grandmother's taunt, Louise know that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone Loved. Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secretes of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a waterman alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.

• Bridge To Terabithia (1977) -- Winner 1979 National Book Award; Winner 1979 Newbery Honor Award; Honor Book, 1979 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards; 1979 Christopher Award; American Library Association Notable Children's Books 1978; School Library Journal Best Book of 1978
  Jess Aarons had to be the Fastest runner at Lark Creek Elementary School, the best, but when he was challenged by Leslie Burke, a girl, that was just the beginning of a new season in Jess's life. Leslie and her parents were new comers to the rural community where Jess Lived, and were thought to be a bit odd, for they didn't even own a TV, though their house was filled with books. Some-what to Jess's surprise, he and Leslie became friends, and the worlds of imagination and learning that she opened to him changed him for ever. It was Leslie's idea to create Terabithia, their secret Kingdom in the woods where they reigned supreme. There no enemy - not their teacher Monster Mouth Meyers, their schoolmates Gary Fulcher and Janice Avery, Jess's Four sisters, or even Jess's own fears and Leslie's imaginary foes - could defeat them. The Legacy that Leslie finally brought to Jess enabled him to cope with the unexpected tragedy that touched them all.

• The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978) -- 1979 National Book Award 1979; Newbery Honor Award; Honor Book, 1979 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards; 1979 Christopher Award; 1978 American Library Association Notable Children's Books; School Library Journal Best Book of 1978
  At eleven, Gilly is nobody's real kid. If only she could find her beautiful mother, Courtney, and live with her instead of in the ugly foster home where she had just been placed! How could she, the great Gilly Hopkins, known throughout the country for her brilliance and unmanageability, be expected to tolerate Maime Trotter, the fat, nearly illiterate widow who is now her guardian? Or for that matter, the freaky seven year old boy and the shrunken blind black man who are also considered part of the bizarre "family"? Even cool Ms. Harris. Her teacher, is a shock to her.

• The Master Puppeteer (1975, 2007) -- Winner 1977 National Book Award for Children's Literature; Edgar Allen Poe Special Award, Mystery Writers of America 1977; Citation from The Puppeteers of America, Inc. 1978; ALA Notable Children's Books 1976; School Library Journal Best Book of Spring, 1976
  Who is the man called Saburo, the mysterious bandit who robs the rich and helps the poor of the Japanese city of Osaka? And what is his connection with the Hanaza, the puppet theater run by the harsh master of Yoshida? Young Jiro, an apprentice puppeteer, is determined to find out even though this could be very dangerous.
  
  Meanwhile Jiro must devote himself to learning his magnificent art. The sympathetic blind chanter, Okada, and the master's son, Kinshi, help him. Then their sheltered life at the theater, where the members live and work, is suddenly disrupted by rioting night rovers. Finally the seething world of the street collides with the make-believe world of the puppet theater in an unforgettable climax.

• Of Nightingales That Weep (1974, 2007 ) -- Phoenix Award Children's Literature Association 1994; ALA Notable Children's Books 1974
  The daughter of a samurai never weeps. But Takiko, whose warrior father has been killed in the civil wars between the Heike and Genji clans, finds this a hard rule, for she resents and even fears her mother's new husband. How can she accept this strange and ugly man, Goro the potter, as her father? When she is offered an exciting position at the Japanese court, her problems seem to have been solved. Her beauty and musical talent win her many admirers, among them the dashing young warrior-and enemy spy-Hideo.
  
  As the war between the clans again erupts, Takiko flees the endangered capi- tal along with the royal household, the child Emperor, and the precious Imperial treasures. The courage of all the exiles is tested in several momentous sea battles. In this dramatic setting Takiko must face the painful conflict between loyalty and her secret love for Hideo. The climax of the war and the resolution of Takiko's own personal dilemma are unforgettably described.

I-Can-Read/Chapter Books

• Marvin One Too Many (2001) with Jane Clark Brown, Illustrator
  Marvin is scared. It is the first day of school and everyone seems to know where to go—except Marvin. Everyone seems to have a place in class—except Marvin. And everyone seems to know how to read—except Marvin.

• The Field of the Dogs (2001, 2007) with Emily Arnold McCully, Illustrator
  It was all so unfair. Josh hadn't wanted to move with his mother to Vermont. Now, on top of a new stepfather and new baby brother, Josh is faced with a new school, and worse: a menacing bully.
  
  Then Josh stumbles upon a secret. Following his dog, Manch, out to a field near the woods one day, Josh overhears Manch and his other dog friends talking!!! Not only that, Josh discovers that Manch and his friends are also faced with a bully&a pack of bullies, in fact, who are threatening a fight. The dogs don't want Josh's help, but still Josh thinks he can solve their problems and his own with one simple solution. the only hitch to his plan: It's dangerous.

• Marvin's Best Christmas Present Ever (1997) with Jane Clark Brown, Illustrator
  Christmas is coming and Marvin is worried. He wants to make the best Christmas present ever for his parents. This year Marvin is determined to make not only the best present, but one that will last forever. A heart-warming story and charming full-color illustrations create a book that will keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the year.

• The Smallest Cow in the World (1993) with Jane Clark Brown, Illustrator
  Rosie was the meanest cow in the world. Nobody Liked her. Except Marvin. Marvin loved Rosie.
  
  Then the farm where Marvin's father works in sold. Rosie is sold, too. Marvin is sad. He is very, very sad.
  
  Mom, Dad, Marvin and May all move to a new farm. There are lots of cows. There are one hundred and twenty-one cows. Still Marvin is not happy. He wants Rosie. And soon Rosie comes back. But now she is the smallest cow in the world!

Picture Story Books

• The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children (2008)
  "When the people looked at all the sadness and evil in the world, they had trouble believing that God was in charge. 'God's kingdom,' said Jesus, 'is as tiny as the smallest of seeds, but when it is planted it grows into such a huge tree that the birds make their nests in its branches.'"

• Blueberries for the Queen (2004, 2009) by John Paterson and Katherine Paterson with Susan Jeffers, Illustrator
  It's summertime in New England during World War II, and a boy named William likes to imagine at bedtime that he is a brave knight fighting great battles to end the war. But in the morning he is always just William again, not big enough to contribute to the war effort like the rest of his family.
  
  Then a real queen moves in just down the road: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. William's parents explain that the queen has been forced out of her country because of the war. Now William has his chance to do something. It may not be "war work"—it's more like peace work—but that makes all the difference.

• The Angel and the Donkey (2003) with Alexander Koshkin, Illustrator
  This Story from the Hebrew Bible recounts how a stubborn donkey delivers an important message from an angel and helps her master, a powerful curse-layer, overcome his greedy dreams of gold and silver—and saves the Israelites from the King of Moab.
  
  Set thousands of years ago near the river Euphrates, as the Israelites led by Moses search for a homeland, the tale is one of a few not told from the Israelite point of view and one of just two involving a talking animal.
  
  Skillfully retold by one of the best loved and most widely read children's book authors of today, the text is perfectly complemented by richly textured, detailed paintings. Included is an afterword giving background information about how the stories of the Bible were put together.
  
  Together Katherine Paterson and Alexander Koshkin have beautifully illuminated an important message to be shared with readers of any age.

• Celia and the Sweet, Sweet Water (1998) with Vladimir Vagin, Illustrator
  Long ago, a young girl named Celia lived with her mother and a grumpy dog, Brumble, in a tiny house deep in the countryside. When Celia's beloved mother fell ill, Celia tried to make her feel better, but nothing seemed to help. "If only I could drink once more the sweet, sweet water of my childhood, my life would be saved," her mother cried.
  
  As Celia loves her mother very much, she sets out immediately with the complaining Brumble to find the precious water. Along the way, they meet several unhappy creatures: a wild child of the woods; a sobbing, wretched woman of the water; and a mad man of the mountain. Through kindness and enormous generosity, Celia manages not only to complete her quest, but to dissolve the sorrow of the three souls she has encountered on her journey.

• The King's Equal (1992, 1999)
  Long ago, in a country far away, a dying king makes his son, the selfish prince Raphael, ruler of the kingdom. But there is one condition: Raphael cannot wear the crown until he marries a woman who equals him in beauty, intelligence, and wealth. Where will such a woman be found? Raphael believes that no one is as smart or beautiful as he, and his greed soon makes him the wealthiest person in the land. But there is one thing he does not have: the crown to the kingdom.
  
  Raphael demands that his councilors search the world over for the perfect princess. At last, through the powers of a magical wolf, a poor and clever young woman named Rosamund is chosen to be the king's equal. But the story is not as simple as that. For not only must Rosamund be Raphael's equal, but Raphael must also be hers.

• The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (1989) -- Winner 1991 Boston Globe/Horn Book Picture Book Award; The New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books; American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; Booklist Editors' Choice
  Brilliant watercolor and pastel paintings in the style of eighteenth-century Japanese woodcuts illuminate this engaging retelling of a popular Japanese folktale. Coveting a mandarin duck for his magnificent plumage, a greedy lord captures and cages him for all to admire. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against the lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. How the grateful drake and his mate return the loving couple's kindness and outsmart the capricious lord makes for a wondrous outcome.

• The Wide-Awake Princess (1980, 2000) with Vladimir Vagin, Illustrator
  Miranda was different from other princesses. She had been granted the gift of being wide awake all her waking hours in a kingdom where others snoozed their days away. Miranda forms an innovative plan to help her people and procure her rightful place as queen is eloquently told by master storyteller Katherine Paterson. Accompanied by Vladimir Vagin's fanciful illustrations, this original fairy tale reveals the rewards of overcoming ignorance and using one's own mind to bring about change.

Retellings

• The Angel and the Donkey (2003) with Alexander Koshkin, Illustrator
  This Story from the Hebrew Bible recounts how a stubborn donkey delivers an important message from an angel and helps her master, a powerful curse-layer, overcome his greedy dreams of gold and silver—and saves the Israelites from the King of Moab.
  
  Set thousands of years ago near the river Euphrates, as the Israelites led by Moses search for a homeland, the tale is one of a few not told from the Israelite point of view and one of just two involving a talking animal.
  
  Skillfully retold by one of the best loved and most widely read children's book authors of today, the text is perfectly complemented by richly textured, detailed paintings. Included is an afterword giving background information about how the stories of the Bible were put together.
  
  Together Katherine Paterson and Alexander Koshkin have beautifully illuminated an important message to be shared with readers of any age.

• Parzival, The Quest of the Grail Knight (2000)
  Parzival, raised by his mother in the wilderness, is ignorant of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Then one day, to his amazement, he meets three mounted men in shining armor. Determined to have a life of adventure, off he goes to the king's court, wearing sackcloth and riding a broken-down nag.
  
  Quickly gaining Arthur's favor, Parzival wins many combats and the heart of a beautiful queen. He also learns of chivalry and honor. But when he fails to say the words that will heal a dying king's wound, he must undertake his greatest quest-a search for the Grail, the sacred vessel of hope and eternal life.
  
  In her masterful retelling, Katherine Paterson brings out all the wit and high drama of a popular thirteenth-century epic poem.

• The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (1989)
  Brilliant watercolor and pastel paintings in the style of eighteenth-century Japanese woodcuts illuminate this engaging retelling of a popular Japanese folktale. Coveting a mandarin duck for his magnificent plumage, a greedy lord captures and cages him for all to admire. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against the lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. How the grateful drake and his mate return the loving couple's kindness and outsmart the capricious lord makes for a wondrous outcome.
  
  Rarely have a storyteller's art and a painter's vision been so perfectly matched. Katherine Paterson and Leo and Diane Dillon have combines their talents to create a beautiful book that is as wise as it is sensuously satisfying.

Non-fiction and Essays

• Who am I? (2009)
  Who am I? explores with young readers what it means to be a child of God. Within the context of biblical teaching and the Christian faith, Katherine Paterson discusses common, basic questions that she herself has grappled with for a long time:

  • Where in the World is God?

  • What about Me?

  • Where Do I Belong?

  • Who is My Neighbor?

  • What Is My Purpose?

  In exploring these questions, Paterson relates significant experiences from her own life and tells many other stories showing how God loves us and leads us through life's challenges.

• The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children (2001)
  With the same generosity, wit, and insight that characterize her novels, Katherine Paterson, the two-time winner of both the National Book Award and the Newbery Medal, reveals who it is she writes about and for—the invisible child, or the secret self that is opened up through fiction.
  
  In more that twenty remarkable essays and speeches collected here, Ms. Paterson shares her passion for reading, her ideas about writing for children, her spiritual faith, and her conviction that the imagination must be nourished.
  
  Featuring seven speeches never before published in book form, the complete acceptance speeches for her two National Book Awards and two Newbery Medals, and a new introduction, this extraordinary volume also includes essays originally published in Gates of Excellence and The Spying Heart that Ms. Paterson has selected for reissue.
  
  Katherine Paterson's words are sure to touch all those who care about literature and the lives of children.

• Consider the Lilies: Plants of the Bible (1998) by John Paterson and Katherine Paterson with paintings by Anne Ophelia Dowden
  John Paterson, a pastor, and his wife, Katherine Paterson, a multi-award winning novelist, explore the symbolic significance of the flowers, fruits, and plants mentioned in various stories and passages in the Bible. Each cited Bible passage is followed by a stunning full-color painting by Anne Ophelia Dowden, one of America's most distinguished botanical illustrators: from the "apple" in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to the red lentils in the story of Jacob and Esau. Each painting is accompanied by a description of the plants and a discussion of their use in Bible times. This spectacular volume will be treasured by readers for years to come.
  
  Spiritual images transform the world all around us, in signs and symbols that are familiar to us from ancient times. The Bible is filled with word pictures that illuminate the various ways God defines the eternal message and meaning.
  
  From common symbols of rock and light to the parable of the prodigal son and the story of Jacob and Esau, the intricate brocade of Bible text is interwoven with transfiguring images. These symbols and stories help us to know more about God—who God is and what God means to teach us—within the everyday situations of our own lives.
  
  John and Katherine Paterson have conceived a book that is at once accessible and wise. Their astute, elegant text, coupled with Alexander Koshkin's radiant paintings, will appeal to readers of all ages.

• Gates of Excellence: On Reading and Writing Books for Children (1992)
  "Mrs. Paterson, when did you first know you wanted to be a writer?" "Why do you write for children?" "Is your story true?" To these questions and others, Katherine Paterson gives unexpected answers. Her search for truth, her hopes and terrors, her love of words, her feelings about her life and art-all are revealed in these reflections on her reading and writing.
  
  Twice a winner of both the National Book Award for Children's Books and the Newbery Medal-a unique distinction in itself-she tells of the experiences that grew into books; of her interest in the Japanese Bunraku theater; of the difficulties that surrounded the writing of her latest novel, Jacob Have I Loved. She tells of her unusual childhood and her family. Above all, she tells of her love of books and the writers who have influenced her: "A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed.... The fake characters we read about will evaporate like the morning dew, but the real ones, the true ones will haunt us for the rest of our days."
  
  Here, with the same wit, imagination, and perceptiveness that characterize her fiction, Katherine Paterson tells what it means to be a reader and a writer, struggling to pass through the gates of excellence.

• A Sense of Wonder: On Reading and Writing Books for Children (1995)
  World-renowned, award-winning children's book author Katherine Paterson shares her insights into the wonder of a child's imagination in this stunning collection of more than a dozen critical essays on reading and writing for children. Originally published as two books: Gates of Excellence and The Spying Heart.

• The Spying Heart: More Thoughts on Reading and Writing Books for Children (1990)
  In this second volume of her speeches, book reviews, and essays, award-winning author Katherine Paterson again shares what it means to be a reader and a writer. "Our task as teachers and writers, artists and parents, is to nourish the imagination-our own and that of the children entrusted to our care," she says. Whether speaking about her childhood in China or her participation in a Russian symposium on children's literature, this much-loved author reveals the same sparkling intelligence and wit that have made her books so popular. Book banning; her favorite reading; the experiences that led to the creation of Jacob Have I Loved-the 1981 Newbery Medal winner-and Come Sing, jimmy Jo; the threat of a nuclear-dominated world ... her thoughts on these and other topics will enlighten the reader seeking to understand the writer whose gift has touched millions of minds and hearts.
  
  Here is a welcome companion to Gates of Excellence: On Reading and Writing Books for Children, by the most honored children's book writer in America today.

Other

• Classic Storytellers (2004)
  Works by E. B. White, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack London, John Steinbeck, Katherine Paterson, Mildred D. Taylor, and Stephen Crane

See also:

• Katherine Paterson (April 2010 release) by John Bankston

• Biography - Katherine Paterson (2007)
  Contemporary Authors Online by Gale Reference Team, Digital- HTML

• Teaching the Selected Works of Katherine Paterson (2007) by Lois Thomas Stover

• Katherine Paterson: Winner of the 2007 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature (2006)
  An article from: World Literature Today by Gale Reference Team, Digital - HTML

• Katherine Paterson (2004) by Alice B. McGinty

• Classic Storytellers: Katherine Paterson (2004) by Marylou Morano Kjelle

• Katherine Paterson (1997) by Alice Cary

• Park's Quest Katherine Paterson: A Study Guide (1991) by Norma Marsh