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Katie Woo, Super Scout  | Audio books & Bedtime Story |  Kid lying

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Listen to the read aloud...

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Listen to the read aloud...

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Happy Kids Storytime | "HAPPY IN OUR SKIN" By Fran Manushkin | READ ALOUD | AR Books

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Click Here

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https://www.mycapstonelibrary.com/reader/?isbn=9781479551873

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I've also mentored adult writers in Eastern Europe through the Open Society Program of the George Soros Foundation. So far, I have taught writers and artists in Moscow, Budapest, and Tirana, Albania. I wasn't born in a log cabin, although I do come from the Land of Lincoln--Illinois. I grew up in Chicago with five brothers and sisters and one dog, Snowball. I loved to read, but had absolutely no inkling that I could grow up to be a writer. I thought all writers had triple names, like my favorite, Maud Hart Lovelace, and that they had entire books waiting in their heads, and simply wrote them down, lickety-split.
I always knew I wanted to work with children, so I got a B.A. in education from Chicago Teacher's College. After graduation, I moved to New York City. My great good fortune came when I met Ezra Jack Keats (author-artist of THE SNOWY DAY), who told me about an editorial assistant's opening in the children's book department of Harper & Row. I was hired, and for ten years I worked with two of the most brilliant editors in publishing: Ursula Nordstrom and Charlotte Zolotow.

And, of course, I'm still writing. So far, I've written 36 Katie Woo stories and 6 Katie Woo, Star Writer books.

I hope you enjoy this web site. I've tried to fill it with as much information as I can about my books--how I got the ideas for each book, how many revisions I did, and what some of the artists' sketches look like. I also offer information about the programs I present for adults and children at public and religious schools, libraries, and young writers' conferences.

After becoming a junior editor, I soon had the great pleasure of discovering new talent: I did Bruce Degan's first book, AUNT POSSOM AND THE PUMPKIN MAN, Myron Levoy's classic, ALAN AND NAOMI, and I also worked with Lillian Hoban on her first Arthur books.

It was Charlotte Zolotow who urged me to write my own stories, and my first bookBABY (later titledBABY, COME OUT!) was published in 1972. Since then I've written many many books, but no thrill has ever matched that moment when I became a writer.

Because I was such a late bloomer, I am always eager to help children recognize and appreciate their gifts and begin using them NOW. When I speak at schools, I show children my messy manuscripts, the artist's many sketches, and talk about how much stubbornness and good humor it takes to accomplish anything in life, including writing.

Fran is a member of the following professional organizations:

PEN AMERICAN CENTER

THE AUTHOR'S LEAGUE

THE SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ARTISTS

THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY

THE CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY

If you have any questions or just want to write to me, I'm here: franm@nyc.rr.com
Enjoy!

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I've also mentored adult writers in Eastern Europe through the Open Society Program of the George Soros Foundation. So far, I have taught writers and artists in Moscow, Budapest, and Tirana, Albania. I wasn't born in a log cabin, although I do come from the Land of Lincoln--Illinois.

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Katie Woo is smart and funny--and good at getting into trouble!
Her stories are the first easy-to-read series about a Chinese-American girl.

CLICK ON THE TITLES BELOW TO BUY THE PAPERBACKS FROM AMAZON!

A blog about Katie Woo's clothes by the book's designer, Emily Harris:
Greetings from the design cube! Today I get to share with you my most favorite little character and series of books, Katie Woo. Katie is special for many reasons-she's got the sass, spunk and curiosity that makes her a great, relatable character for children.

Katie Woo is an amazing series to be working on, and my favorite part of the project (it's very difficult to pick just one!) was helping to create her outfit and look. In the beginning I had some ideas-she had to have glasses, and she must look like she picked out her own clothes to wear. From there, I let the illustrator concept how she saw Katie in her head. There were revisions of course, until we came to a version that everyone was happy with. Below is the evolution of Katie Woo:

Round 1: While cute, we were looking for something a little more funky and colorful.

Round 2: Much closer to what we had envisioned. However, we still felt like she needed something to make her stand out.

Round 3: Perfection! We love everything, from the cowboy boots to the turquoise glasses. She's done!

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT FRAN AND KATIE WOO IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY--

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Katie Woo is smart and funny--and good at getting into trouble! Her stories are the first easy-to-read series about a Chinese-American girl. CLICK ON THE TITLES BELOW TO BUY THE PAPERBACKS FROM AMAZON! A blog about Katie Woo's clothes by the book's designer, Emily Harris: Greetings from the design cube!