Mary Quattlebaum

Mary Quattlebaum, who lives in Washington, D.C., is the author of 22 books for children. In addition, she writes children's book reviews for The Washington Post and Washington Parent magazine.

Quattlebaum grew up in a large family in the country. Her family's pets included hamsters, horses, dogs, cats, goats, turtles, chickens and ducks. Every two weeks, they visited the public library and checked out so many books that they needed a clothes basket to carry them. Her favorite books as a child were Misty of Chincoteague, Jane's Blanket, and The Golden Treasury of Poetry. From a very early age, she was enthralled by sounds and poetry.

Quattlebaum first began to be interested in writing for kids when she worked as a medical writer for a children's hospital. She and her husband volunteered weekly to entertain sick children with a combination of magic and poetry. They encouraged the children to write creatively too. Their writing inspired her to create stories herself. Her first book was Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns in 1994. Her latest nonfiction book - Mighty Mole and Super Soil, with illustrations by Chad Wallace - came out in September and is dedicated to her brother. The book sprang from discussions she had with one of her brothers. He wants a smooth lawn with no mole hills, while Quattlebaum and her family cherish their backyard mole for the good he does to the soil. The book includes two pages of activities for kids and two for educators and parents.

The Noyes Children's Library is special to Quattlebaum because of "its history and focus on kids and their books.” Read more about Quattlebaum at www.maryquattlebaum.com. Check out Quattlebaum's books at the Noyes Library for Young Children and other Montgomery County Public Libraries.

by Beth Meyer for the October-November 2015 MAKE MORE NOYES COMMUNITY UPDATE