Ford, Carin T.

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FORD, Carin T.

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Enslow Publishers, Inc., Box 398, 40 Industrial Rd., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-0398. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Also worked as a newspaper reporter.

WRITINGS:

JUVENILE NONFICTION

Legends of American Dance and Choreography, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

Helen Keller: Lighting the Way for the Blind and Deaf, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2001.

Andy Warhol: Pioneer of Pop Art, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2001.

Alexander Graham Bell: Inventor of the Telephone, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Amelia Earhart: Meet the Pilot, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop Art, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Andy Warhol: The Life of an Artist, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Thomas Edison: Inventor, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Helen Keller: Meet a Woman of Courage, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2002.

Henry Ford: The Car Man, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Laura Ingalls Wilder: Real-Life Pioneer of the Little House Books, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Thomas Jefferson: The Third President, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Paul Revere, Patriot, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Sacagawea: Meet an American Legend, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Walt Disney: Meet the Cartoonist, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

The Wright Brothers: Heroes of Flight, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Abraham Lincoln: The Sixteenth President, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

George Washington: The First President, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Dr. Seuss: Best-Loved Author, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Benjamin Franklin: Inventor and Patriot, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

George Eastman: The Kodak Camera Man, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

African-American Soldiers in the Civil War: Fighting for Freedom, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Levi Strauss: The Man behind Blue Jeans, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Lincoln, Slavery, and the Emancipation Proclamation, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Robert Fulton: The Steamboat Man, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

The American Civil War: An Overview, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Daring Women of the Civil War, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Slavery and the Underground Railroad: Bound for Freedom, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

The Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2004.

Roberto Clemente: Baseball Legend, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2005.

Jackie Robinson: "All I Ask Is That You Respect Me as a Human Being," Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2005.

Author of short stories have been published in national and international magazines.

SIDELIGHTS: Carin T. Ford has written numerous brief biographies and other books for young adult and middle-grade readers, from recent historical figures such as Andy Warhol and Dr. Seuss to past American presidents and notable baseball players. In Legends of American Dance and Choreography, Ford presents a series of brief biographies on dance legends such as Martha Graham, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Writing in the School Library Journal, Carol Schene referred to the text as "concise" and "engaging," going on to state the writing "captures" each subject's "early years, key moments that led them to dance, as well as their disappointments and triumphs."

In Helen Keller: Lighting the Way for the Blind and Deaf Ford tells the life story of the famous blind and deaf woman, including her tutelage by Annie Sullivan, who taught Keller how to function in the world. School Library Journal contributor Kristen Oravec called the book "a welcome research tool and a readable narrative." Ford is also the author of several books about artist Andy Warhol, including Andy Warhol: Pioneer of Pop Art. In a review of the book in the School Library Journal, Tim Wadham commented the book retains its readers through stories of Warhol's own "idiosyncrasies" rather "than through its compelling prose."

Ford's books about America's former presidents include the brief biographies George Washington: The First President, Thomas Jefferson: The Third President, and Abraham Lincoln: The Sixteenth President. School Library Journal contributor Kristen Oravec commented the books on Jefferson and Lincoln are "good introductions" and noted the titles discuss "not only each man's accomplishments, but also his problems." Ford also writes about other notable early Americans in her books Paul Revere, Patriot, and Benjamin Franklin: Inventor and Patriot. In a review of Ford's books about Franklin and The Wright Brothers: Heroes of Flight, John Peters wrote in Booklist that "Ford adds enough context to give younger readers a sense of each figure's historical significance." Commenting in School Library Journal on the Franklin biography, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst noted that while the book is too brief to fit in Franklin's many accomplishments, it would "serve its purpose for young report writers." Barbara Buckley, writing in the School Library Journal, called The Wright Brothers a "competent, accessible biography."

In Dr. Seuss: Best-Loved Author Ford recounts the life and work of the famous children's writer. School Library Journal contributor Kathleen Simonetta noted that the book "reads well, and that young researchers "will find enough information for reports." Ford profiles another author in Laura Ingalls Wilder: Real-Life Pioneer of the Little House Books. Ford depicts Wilder's life as a young girl living in various places such as Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa; her ultimate decision to become a writer is also discussed. Rita Soltan, writing in the School Library Journal, called the book "engaging for curious readers."

Ford turned to the U.S. Civil War for Daring Women of the Civil War and Slavery and the Underground Railroad: Bound for Freedom. In the former, she looks at the traditional roles of women prior to the Civil War and how that conflict caused changes in the widely held views of women, who, much like women during World War II, had to take over many of the jobs typically performed by men. Her book about the underground railroad details the rise of slavery and the true stories of both the slaves who escaped through this network of hiding places and the people who ran them. Writing in Booklist, Jennifer Mattson called the books "rather accessible, stand-alone discussions of individual topics" concerning the war between the states. Mattson also commented, "Well-chosen, primary-source quotations … bring the drama up close." School Library Journal contributor Kristen Oravec noted that Ford's "texts are well organized" and her "writing is straightforward."

Ford continues her focus on the Civil War with African-American Soldiers in the Civil War: Fighting for Freedom, in which she recounts the role of black Americans as soldiers in the conflict, from their struggle to be allowed to join the military to their heroic efforts in battle. In a review for School Library Journal, Laura Reed commented that "The text, illustrations, photographs, and time line all play an important role in conveying the struggles and triumphs" of African-American soldiers in the Union Army. In The Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Ford discusses the turning point in the war between the North and the South as well as what is perhaps the most famous address ever given by a President of the United States. In terms of the battle, Ford provides detailed accounts of various encounters between the troops during battle. In focusing on Lincoln's famous speech, she points out it was not considered a great speech at the time. School Library Journal contributor Ann Welton called The Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address a "sound addition where books on the Civil War are in demand."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2003, John Peters, reviews of Benjamin Franklin: Inventor and Patriot and The Wright Brothers: Heroes of Flight, p. 1800; July, 2004, reviews of Daring Women of the Civil War and Slavery and the Underground Railroad: Bound for Freedom, p. 1839.

School Library Journal, July, 2000, Carol Schene, review of Legends of American Dance and Choreography, p. 116; May, 2001, Kristen Oravec, review of Helen Keller: Lighting the Way for the Blind and Deaf, p. 164; October, 2001, Tim Wadham, review of Andy Warhol: Pioneer of Pop Art, p. 182; April 2003, Robin L. Gibson, review of Andy Warhol: The Life of an Artist, p. 149; June, 2003, Kathleen Simonetta, reviews of George Washington: The First President and Paul Revere, Patriot, p. 128; September, 2003, Kristen Oravec, reviews of Thomas Jefferson: The Third President and Abraham Lincoln: The Sixteenth President, p. 197; October, 2003, Barbara Buckley, review of The Wright Brothers, p. 150; November, 2003, Kathleen Simonetta, review of Dr. Seuss: Best-Loved Author, p. 156; January, 2004, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of Benjamin Franklin, p. 114; May, 2004, Rita Soltan, review of Laura Ingalls Wilder: Real-Life Pioneer of the Little House Books, p. 166; August, 2004, Kristen Oravec, reviews of Daring Women of the Civil War and Slavery and the Underground Railroad, p. 136; October, 2004, Laura Reed, review of African-American Soldiers in the Civil War: Fighting for Freedom, p. 190; January, 2005, Ann Welton, review of The Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, p. 146.