Alvin Schwartz (children's author)

Alvin Schwartz (April 25 1927, in Brooklyn, New York – March 14, 1992) was the author of books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and wordplay, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled 'The Blowtop'.

Schwartz graduated from Colby College and received a graduate degree from Northwestern University. He had enlisted in the United States Navy in his youth and had been both a writer for and the editor of a newspaper prior to authoring his published books. During his professional writing career his work had been published by a variety of firms, including Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Bantam Books, and perhaps most famously, Harper Collins.

He is known primarily for the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series, which featured gruesome, nightmarish illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The series is America's most frequently challenged book (or book series) for library inclusion of 1990-2000 (Source: American Library Association).

Some of his other books, such as "When I Grew Up Long Ago", were aimed at an older audience, and presented glimpses of life in the United States during the late 1700s and the early 1800s.

Schwartz's first paperback, "Twister of Twists, a Tangler of Tongues", was published in 1972, and was intended for children under 10 years of age. It was released as a hardcover that same year.

At the time of his death, Schwartz was survived by his wife and four children.

cary Stories

* "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"
* "More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"
* "Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones"
* "In A Dark, Dark Room"
* "Ghosts!: Ghostly Tales from Folklore"

Other books

* "Stories to Tell a Cat"
* "And the Green Grass Grew All around: Folk Poetry from Everyone"
* "Gold and Silver, Silver and Gold: Tales of Hidden Treasure"
* "I Saw You in the Bathtub and Other Folk Rhymes"
* "Telling Fortunes: Love Magic, Dream Signs, and Other Ways to Learn the Future"
* "Love Magic: Dream Signs and Other Ways to Learn the Future"
* "Tales of Trickery from the Land of Spoof"
* "All of Our Noses Are Here and Other Noodle Tales"
* "Cat's Elbow and Other Secret Languages"
* "Ten Copycats in a Boat and Other Riddles"
* "Fat Man in a Fur Coat: And Other Bear Stories"
* "Unriddling: All Sorts of Riddles to Puzzle Your Guessary"
* "Busy Buzzing Bumblebees and Other Tongue Twisters"
* "There Is a Carrot in My Ear and Other Noodle Tales"
* "Flapdoodle: Pure Nonsense from American Folklore"
* "Chin Music: Tall Talk and Other Talk"
* "When I Grew Up Long Ago"
* "Kickle Sniffers and Other Fearsome Critters"
* "Witcracks: Jokes and Jests from American Folklore"
* "Whoppers: Tall Tales and Other Lies Collected from American Folklore"
* "Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat: Superstitions and Other Beliefs"

Compilations

* "Scary Stories to Read When It's Dark (Reading Rainbow Readers series)"

References

External links

* [http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.cfm American Library Association: The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000]