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Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Rathmann, Peggy
Legal name: Rathmann, Margaret Crosby
Birthdate: 1953-03-04
Gender: female
Education: Atelier Lack
Otis Parsons School of Design
Occupations: artist
illustrator
writer
Awards and honors: Cuffie Award (1991)
Short biography: Ms. Rathman was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she attended the Atelier Lack, studying classical painting. Later, she attended the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, where she studied children's book illustration with Barbara Bottman. Although Ms. Rathmann claims she was a shy child who never bit, Bootsie Barker liiks a lot like the artist's baby pictures. Booksellers voted Peggy Rathmann the "most promising new author" of 1991 in Publisher Weekly's annual Cuffie Awards. [adapted from Bootsie Barker bites (1992)
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Places of residence: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (Birth)
Nicasio, California, USA
Associated Place (for map): USA

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567 reviews

Cheryl_in_CC_NV 15,288 reviews

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann

Impulse grab at the library because who could resist that title and cover? Not me! The verse needs to be read aloud to be appreciated, as it scans awkwardly on the page but works when read with full expression. The art is bewitching, and the story is both funny and full of heart. A winner for the whole family, because yes, irl babies do crawl away (though generally not so far) and older siblings are heroes.

Oct 18, 202438 other reviews

mebrock 684 reviews

Officer Buckle & Gloria (Caldecott Medal Book) by Peggy Rathmann

This is a wonderful gift book for a child, and one I think should be in every child's library. It is a delightful tale of a police officer who gives safety speeches, and his dog and buddy who assists him. The text and illustrations have good humor that will make children and adults laugh. (Many Caldecott winners have stories that leave me underwhelmed. This book has both excellent text and artwork.)

Oct 29, 2010248 other reviews

nmhale 877 reviews

Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

An excellent example of working the illustrations in a picture book to their maximum effect. This story is about a clever gorilla who sneaks out of the zoo at night. He snags the keys off the zookeeper's belt as the man passes, and lets himself out of his cage. Then he silently follows along behind the zookeeper, releasing each animal just after the zookeeper wishes it good night. By the time the man is leaving the zoo to head to his own house, a quiet chain of animals is following along show more behind him, starting with the gorilla and including such beasties as a lion, a giraffe, and a hyena. They continue with him all the way into his house, to his bedroom, and sleep on his floor, all without notice - until his wife says good night, and she gets far more than just one reply back. This charmingly quirky story is told almost entirely without words. The author uses no text except brief words in dialogue boxes, and that consists of the two words, good night (actually, the mouse says a bit more, in tiny font). The story is cleverly delivered through the pictures, and the expressions on the character's faces, and the interaction with the audience. For instance, the surprise on the zookeeper's wife's face when she hears multiple responses clearly indicates how she is feeling, and imparts a lot of comedy to the story. Also, the gorilla looks right at the reader and gives us a shushing gesture with his fingers, showing us that he knows what he is doing is sneaky, and also asking us to be complicit in his adventures by not telling on him.

We are accomplices in more than one way. The absence of a narrative invites the reader to create her own. This is such a great book to inspire creative writing at an early age. Children reading the book will know what is occurring, but the urge to put into words what they see happening on the page is irresistible. There are not many books like this; wordless books, when done well, offer a unique and important reading experience for children. They are not only reading a story, they are helping to create it. And this book is done well. My girls have such a laughing good time when we read it. From both a parent's and an educator's perspective, I like this book. show less

Mar 3, 2013154 other reviews

nmhale 877 reviews

Officer Buckle & Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

I love, love, love this picture book! I bought it before I had children, and now I can read it to my daughter. If you haven't seen this picture book, you really need to check it out. I mean, it only takes about five minutes to read, right?

The story is about the well-meaning Officer Buckle, who is serious about safety. He loves to give talks at schools about his many safety rules. Unfortunately, Buckle is boring. Then one day, he buys a police dog named Gloria, and everything changes ...

The show more illustrations are cute and a crucial part of the story (it did win the Caldecott, after all), and Rathmann delivers her message of life without being preachy. The whole book is just so sweet and cleverly constructed, you're missing out if you haven't experienced it yet show less

Feb 15, 2009248 other reviews

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