Thomson, Pat 1939–

PERSONAL:

Born April 28, 1939, in Norwich, England; married Roy Thomson (a leather chemist), June 6, 1961; children: Susanna, Alexander. Ethnicity: "Anglo-Saxon, with a strong Celtic input." Education: University of Leeds, B.A. (with honors), 1960, postgraduate certificate of education, 1961; University of Loughborough, M.L.S., 1982, diploma in librarianship, 1982. Hobbies and other interests: Opera, collecting baby rattles ("I make sure that the baby has finished with them, of course.")

ADDRESSES:

Home—Oundle, England. Agent—Laura Cecil, 17 Alwyne Villas, London N1 2HG, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

University College, Northampton, England, education librarian, 1975-2005. Also worked as a French teacher.

MEMBER:

Federation of Children's Book Groups, Society of Authors.

WRITINGS:

(Compiler) Rhymes around the Day, illustrated by Jan Ormerod, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York, NY), 1983.

Trouble in the Cupboard, illustrated by Linda Birch, Gollancz (London, England), 1987.

Family Gathering: A Collection of Family Stories, illustrated by Toni Goffe, J.M. Dent (London, England), 1988.

Strange Exchange, Gollancz (London, England), 1991, reprinted, Barnowl Books (London, England), 2004.

Beware of the Aunts!, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, McElderry Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Tales Told after Lights Out (short stories), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

A Ghost Light in the Attic, illustrated by Annabel Large, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1995.

Superpooch, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Superpooch and the Missing Sausages, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

The Silkworm Mystery: The Life of Louis Pasteur, Macdonald Young (Hove, England), 1998.

Superpooch and the Garden Ghosts, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999.

Ghoul School, illustrated by Leo Hartas, Tango Books (London, England), 2001.

Chocolate Boxes, illustrated by Wendy Smith, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2001.

An Adventure for Robo-Dog, illustrated by John Prater, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Mary-Anne and the Cat Baby, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Squeaky, Creaky Bed, illustrated by Niki Daley, Random House Children's Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Drat That Fat Cat!, illustrated by Ailie Busby, Arthur A. Levine Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Cat Baby, illustrated by Dee Shulman, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

The Badcat Gang, illustrated by Mike Phillips, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

It's So Unfair!, illustrated by Jonathan Allen, Andersen Press (London, England), 2007.

Also author of Pirates, Gold, and Custard, Oxford University Press. Work represented in anthologies, including Snake on the Bus, edited by Valerie Bierman, Methuen, 1994; Assemblies, edited by Pie Corbett, Scholastic, 1994; Themes for Early Years: Pets, edited by Lynne Burgess, Scholastic, 1996; and The Puffin Book of Five-Minute Stories, Puffin, 1998. Contributor to Books for Keeps, School Librarian, Bookmark, and International Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship. Nonfiction editor, Carousel.

Thomson's books have been published in Gaelic, Welsh, Finnish, Spanish, France, and Catalan.

"SHARE-A-STORY" SERIES

The Treasure Sock, illustrated by Tony Ross, Gollancz (London, England), 1986, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

One of Those Days, illustrated by Bob Wilson, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1986.

Can You Hear Me, Grandad?, illustrated by Jez Alborough, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1986.

My Friend Mr. Morris, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

Thank You for the Tadpole, illustrated by Mary Rayner, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

Good Girl Granny, illustrated by Faith Jaques, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

Dial D for Disaster, illustrated by Paul Demeyer, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 1990.

No Trouble at All, illustrated by Jocelyn Wild, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 1990.

Best Pest, illustrated by Peter Firmin, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 1990.

The Best Thing of All, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 1990.

"JETS" SERIES

Jacko, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1989.

Rhyming Russell, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1991.

Messages, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1992.

The Man in Shades, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1994.

Lost Property, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1995.

Talking Pictures, illustrated by Caroline Crossland, A. and C. Black (London, England), 1997.

EDITOR OF ANTHOLOGIES

A Basket of Stories for Seven Year Olds, illustrated by Rachel Birkett, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1990.

A Sackful of Stories for Eight Year Olds, illustrated by Paddy Mounter, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1990.

A Bucketful of Stories for Six Year Olds, illustrated by Mark Southgate, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

A Chest of Stories for Nine Year Olds, illustrated by Peter Bailey, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

A Pocketful of Stories for Five Year Olds, illustrated by P. Dann, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992.

A Satchel of School Stories, illustrated by Doffy Weir, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992.

A Stocking Full of Christmas Stories, illustrated by Bailey, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992.

A Bus Full of Stories for Four Year Olds, Corgi (London, England), 1994.

A Cracker Full of Christmas Stories, Corgi (London, England), 1994.

A Band of Joining-in Stories, Corgi (London, England), 1995.

A Barrel of Stories for Seven Year Olds, Corgi (London, England), 1995.

A Crate Full of Stories for Eight Year Olds, Corgi (London, England), 1997.

A Box Full of Stories for Six Year Olds, Corgi (London, England), 1997.

A Bed Full of Night-time Stories, Corgi (London, England), 1998.

A Parcel Full of Stories for Five Year Olds, Corgi (London, England), 1999.

A Cauldron of Magical Stories, Corgi (London, England), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

"I began writing rather late," Pat Thomson once commented. "I was the typical, avid child reader; but it was not until I returned to work when my children were growing up that I decided to work with books in a teacher training college. I became particularly concerned with the quality and nature of early reading material, wondering if boring, banal ‘readers’ actually made children not want to read. Consequently, my first books had in mind children who were only just getting to grips with print, but who surely needed the pleasures of lively language and challenging imaginings."

Thomson created the unique "Share-a-Story" series so that young children and their parents could enjoy reading together. In the "Share-a-Story" books, the text on the right is written in a simpler style than the text on the left. The parent reads on the left side, while the child reads on the right; the goal is for the parent to teach the child to read the text on the left, and hence to be able to read the book on his or her own.

Thomson's books feature an assortment of what many readers have found to be lovably eccentric characters. In Beware of the Aunts!, a young girl describes her nine aunts' unusual habits: one wears strange clothes, one overeats, and one might be a witch. All, however, are very generous, as a Christmas get-together proves. The title character of My Friend Mr. Morris interprets everything he hears literally; for example, he believes that a hat band is a band which performs on a hat.

"I draw a great deal on family life for my stories," Thomson explained. "Beware of the Aunts! celebrates the funny, strong-minded, and highly individual women in my extended family. Good Girl Granny is based on episodes in my grandmother's childhood. School life is also a rich source of amusement and inspiration."

Thomson once commented: "I believe I have a strong sense of the audience I am writing for, but I suppose one always ends up ‘writing for oneself’ to some degree, especially when the characters seize the imagination. That is the greatest pleasure—to live richly in one's head and to share that with young readers."

Later Thomson added: "I started to write because of my long-held belief that children need books and my dissatisfaction with the books on which children were then learning to read. Having taught older children, I wondered if exposure to such books began the process of rejection I saw later. Children must, I reasoned, enjoy their first reading books and from that certainty came my first books, the ‘Share-a-Story’ series which are full of jokes.

"Since then, I have written different kinds of books, including those for older children, extending my feelings about story and enjoyment first, then the accurate information in historical novels and one biography of Pasteur. I also contribute to the very enjoyable ‘Jets’ series, in which picture and extra-text reading are so entertainingly entwined. I do not accept that enjoyment and education are mutually exclusive so, for example, my latest work uses a ghost story to present the life of children in Tudor England.

"If I have a prime motivation for writing, it is to try to persuade children to enter the reading world and gain from it all that I did as a child. I am aware that in writing, I continue to experience those same intellectual, imaginative, and emotional pleasures."

Thomson's recent books for the youngest of beginning readers are noteworthy, critics observed, for their pet references and the pet sounds that children love to mimic. Drat That Fat Cat! is the rhyming story of a friendly cat who can't seem to fill his hungry belly. He eats one noisy animal after another until finally a buzzing bumblebee puts an end to his culinary adventure. A Publishers Weekly contributor recommended Drat That Fat Cat! as "sheer enjoyable nonsense." The Squeaky, Creaky Bed relates the story of a boy who visits his grandparents and has trouble sleeping in their creaky antique guest bed. Grandfather brings in a cat, hoping the cat's "meow" will mask the noise, but of course it does not. Grandfather adds one noisy animal after another until their combined weight causes the bed to break. A new bed solves that noise problem only to introduce a new one—too much silence. School Library Journal contributor Sally Bates Goodroe called The Squeaky, Creaky Bed "a great story in a new guise."

Thomson recently told CA: "Since retiring in 2005, I divide my time between the books and contributing to Carousel, the children's book review magazine. Apart from reviewing, I write articles on aspects of the children's book world and particularly enjoy interviewing authors and illustrators.

"With more time to write, I continue to be interested in early-years books for ‘joining in’ or to stimulate reading. I have completed my first longer novel, about the frozen tombs in Siberia, and I wait to see how it fares. I am also working on a story for Barrington Stoke, a publisher of fiction for older children with learning difficulties. It is a challenge to write for fourteen-year-old dyslexic boys, but given my interest in education, it is fascinating."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2003, Karin Snelson, review of The Squeaky, Creaky Bed, p. 1673; January 1, 2004, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Drat That Fat Cat!, p. 883.

Horn Book, January-February, 2004, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Drat That Fat Cat!, p. 73.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2003, review of The Squeaky, Creaky Bed, p. 685; November 1, 2003, review of Drat That Fat Cat!, p. 1314.

Publishers Weekly, December 25, 1987, Diane Roback, review of The Treasure Sock, p. 73; March 9, 1992, review of Beware of the Aunts!, p. 57; May 5, 2003, review of The Squeaky, Creaky Bed, p. 219; January 5, 2004, review of Drat That Fat Cat!, p. 59.

School Library Journal, September, 1988, Ruth Semrau, review of Good Girl Granny, p. 174; January, 1989, Lauralyn Persson, review of My Friend Mr.Morris, p. 67; July, 1992, Jacqueline Elsner, review of Beware of the Aunts!, p. 65; September, 2003, Sally Bates Goodroe, review of The Squeaky, Creaky Bed, p. 192; December, 2003, Blair Shristolon, review of Drat That Fat Cat!, p. 128.

Times Educational Supplement, November 14, 1986, reviews of The Treasure Sock, One of Those Days, and Can You Hear Me, Grandad?, p. 40; July 11, 1988, review of Family Gathering: A Collection of Family Stories, p. 30; March 24, 1989, Chris Lee, review of One of Those Days, p. 25; September 21, 1990, reviews of A Basket of Stories for Seven Year Olds and A Sackful of Stories for Eight Year Olds, p. R4.