Cote, Nancy

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Cote, Nancy

Personal

Married; husband's name Mike; children: Melissa, Kate, John. Education: University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth, B.F.A. (painting).

Addresses

Home and office—31 Avon St., Somerset, MA 02726. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Artist and illustrator. Also teaches at Rhode Island School of Design. Speaker at conferences. Exhibitions: Work included in Society of Illustrators Original Art '98 exhibit at Museum of American Illustration, and in group illustration exhibits throughout southeastern MA and RI.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Freelance Artists Network.

Awards, Honors

Children's Book Council/International Reading Association (CBC/IRA) Notable Children's Trade Book designation, 1995, for Fireflies, Peach Pies, and Lullabies; Smithsonian Notable Book for Children designation, Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award, both 1997, both for The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes; Society of School Librarians International Honor Book designation, and American Booksellers Association Pick-of-the-List designation, both 1998, both for The Can-Do Thanksgiving; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, 2000, for When I Feel Angry; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, and Sidney Taylor Notable Book designation, both 2004, both for Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Palm Trees, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1993.

Flip-flops, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1998.

It Feels like Snow!, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2003.

It's All about Me!, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2005.

Jackson's Blanket, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2008.

ILLUSTRATOR

Sharon Phillips Denslow, Woollybear Good-bye, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Amy Hest, Ruby's Storm, Four Winds Press (New York, NY), 1994.

Virginia Kroll, Fireflies, Peach Pies, and Lullabies, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY) 1995.

Linda Glaser, The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1997.

Marion Hess Pomeranc, The Can-do Thanksgiving, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1998.

Abby Levine, Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day!, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1998.

Sarah Marwil Lamstein, I Like Your Buttons!, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1999.

Cornelia Maude Spelman, When I Feel Angry, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2000.

Leslie Kimmelman, Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2002.

Leslie Kimmelman, Happy Fourth of July, Jenny Sweeney!, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2003.

Linda Glaser, Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2004.

Virginia Kroll, Jason Takes Responsibility, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2005.

Pat Brisson, Tap-Dance Fever, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2005.

Teresa Bateman, Hamster Camp: How Harry Got Fit, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2005.

Virginia Kroll, Honest Ashley, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2006.

Lori Anne Ries, Mrs. Fickle's Pickles, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Virginia Kroll, Good Neighbor Nicholas, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2006.

Virginia Kroll, Good Citizen Sarah, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2007.

Virginia Kroll, Makayla Cares about Others, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2007.

Lacy Finn Borgo, Big Mama's Baby, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2007.

Also illustrator of numerous educational books, including The Bossy Pig by Marie Brown, Going the Right Way by Meish Goldish, Pink Milk by Barbara A. Donovan, Corn Bread for Everyone! by Mary Atkinson, and Joy's Trip to the Toy Shop by Debbie O'Brien.

Sidelights

Illustrator and author Nancy Cote has provided the artwork for picture books by such award-winning writers as Virginia Kroll and Cornelia Maude Spelman. She has also published a number of self-illustrated works, among them the critically acclaimed It's All about Me! Cote developed an interest in drawing at an early age, and she later majored in painting at the University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth. After starting a family, she discovered the world of children's literature and began working in that medium. On her home page, Cote explained: "I've never lost the emotional ties to my own childhood and still feel very connected to that spirit."

In Cote's debut work, Palm Trees, a young African-American girl named Millie spends the morning happily styling her unruly mop of hair. When good friend Renee compares Millie's new hairdo to a pair of palm trees, Millie begins to sulk, but her mood brightens as the friends begin experimenting with even-more outrageous coiffures. "Cote's dexterous, frisky pastels display sunny facial expressions and carefree gestures," a Publishers Weekly contributor remarked. Flip-flops, another self-illustrated title by Cote, centers on Penny, a young girl who stubbornly resists a trip to the beach, then loses one of her cherished sandals. With the help of some new friends, Penny finds several ways to enjoy the day, using her lone flip-flop as a shovel and a boat. According to Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper, Cote's "art executed in gouache and colored pencil is lively and upbeat."

An elderly woman with an uncanny ability to predict the weather is the subject of It Feels like Snow!, Cote's third solo effort. Though Alice realizes that her throbbing bones and tingling nose mean bad weather is on its way, her neighbors continually dismiss the warning signs. When a blizzard hits, though, Alice invites the apologetic crowd to her home to relax in front of a warm fire. "The story line is fresh and original with a repetitive structure that works," observed Martha Topol in a review of It Feels like Snow! for School Library Journal. Cote's "cartoony illustrations give Alice an eager smile, whimsical wardrobe … and a menagerie of pets," concluded a reviewer in Publishers Weekly.

Another self-illustrated work, It's All about Me! concerns a young boy's rocky adjustment to his new baby brother. Cote's portrait "of a loving, caring family is told through simple rhyming language and lively gouache and watercolor-pencil artwork," observed School Library Journal critic Linda Staskus. The book was also praised as "a wonderfully sweet look at the challenges and benefits of adding children to the family" by a Kirkus Reviews contributor.

In addition to her self-illustrated works, Cote has illustrated more than twenty educational and trade books. When I Feel Angry, written by Cornelia Maude Spelman, helps early readers deal with often frustrating situations. According to School Library Journal critic Joy Fleishhacker, "Cote's vibrant paintings skillfully convey the feelings of the characters and add significantly to the child appeal." One of several titles Cote has illustrated for the "The Way I Act" series by Virginia Kroll, Honest Ashley focuses on a procrastinator who is tempted to cheat on a school assignment. In this work, "Cote's acrylic paintings ably illustrate" the tale, according to Booklist reviewer Kathy Broderick.

Author Linda Glaser collaborated with Cote on two works about a popular Jewish holiday. In The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, a young girl named Rachel convinces her kindly elderly neighbor, Mrs. Greenburg, to join Rachel's family for dinner. Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan wrote of this work that Cote's "bright, jovial illustrations move to a rhythm of their own, delighting with repeated lines and patterns." In an award=winning sequel, Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah, Rachel tries to help her neighbor prepare a special dinner, with disastrous results. "Mixed-media folksy paintings of wintry scenes often with blue-toned backdrops illustrate the humorous and often predictable predicaments Rachel creates," a Kirkus Reviews critic noted.

In Pat Brisson's tall tale Tap-Dance Fever, Annabelle Applegate drives the people of Fiddler's Creek crazy with her nonstop tapping, until her dancing helps tame the town's rattlesnakes. Phelan praised Cote's watercolor-and-gouache illustrations for this work, noting that the illustrator's contribution "is varied in composition, exaggerated in characterization, and exuberant in spirit." Teresa Bateman's Hamster Camp: How Harry Got Fit, in which a junk-food junkie is transformed into a hamster and learns the benefits of exercise and good eating habits, also features "Cote's friendly color illustrations," which "add to the positive message of this story," according to Staskus.

Cote told SATA: "Ever since I can remember, I have been either drawing or late for something. I find myself constantly being sidetracked by the infinite beauty around me. I've always needed to see, feel, and breathe

in everything in sight which keeps me moving at a rather slow pace. I never realized how sense-oriented I was until I became an adult and part of a very fast-paced world. Nevertheless, I've managed to continue to absorb everything in my path.

"I had never thought about writing or illustrating children's books while growing up. It was when I had a family of my own that I discovered this world of immense creative possibility. I literally read thousands of books to my children and was convinced that I wanted to express myself through this medium. Having majored in painting in college it was a natural progression for me to tie the two life experiences together. As a mom, I had endless inspiration and insight into the world of children. In many ways I've never lost the emotional ties to my own childhood and feel very connected to these sensations. Working as a full-time author/illustrator just reinforces my conviction that you can achieve any goal that you have ‘even though you may get distracted along the way!’"

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Kay Weisman, review of Ruby's Storm, p. 1270; December 15, 1995, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Fireflies, Peach Pies, and Lullabies, p. 708; September 1, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, p. 139; May 15, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Flip-flops, p. 1631; November 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of The Can-do Thanksgiving, p. 505; December 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day!, p. 671; August, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of I Like Your Buttons!, p. 2064; March 15, 2000, Marta Segal, review of When I Feel Angry, p. 1390; September 15, 2002, Helen Rosenberg, review of Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving, p. 245; May 15, 2003, Karen Hutt, review of Happy Fourth of July, Jenny Sweeney!, p. 1672; September 15, 2004, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Mrs. Greenberg's MessyHanukkah, p. 249; March 1, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Tap-Dance Fever, p. 1201; May 15, 2005, Julie Cummins, review of Hamster Camp: How Harry Got Fit, p. 1662; December 15, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of It's All about Me!, p. 49; June 1, 2006, Kathy Broderick, review of Honest Ashley, p. 87.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April, 1999, review of I Like Your Buttons!, p. 284.

Childhood Education, winter, 2003, Liane Troy, review of It Feels like Snow!, p. 91.

Horn Book, September-October, 1993, Ellen Fader, review of Palm Trees, p. 633; Jeannine M. Chapman, review of Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah, p. 659.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2002, review of Round the Turkey, p. 1035; March 15, 2003, review of Happy Fourth of July, Jenny Sweeney!, p. 470; November 1, 2004, review of Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah, p. 1049; September 15, 2005, review of It's All about Me!, p. 1023; October 15, 2006, review of Mrs. Fickle's Pickles, p. 1078.

Publishers Weekly, March 29, 1993, review of Palm Trees, p. 54; October 6, 1997, review of The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, p. 52; September 28, 1998, review of The Can-do Thanksgiving, p. 50; November 23, 1998, review of Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day!, p. 66; November 17, 2003, review of It Feels like Snow!, p. 64;

School Library Journal, December, 1994, Ruth Semrau, review of Woollybear Good-bye, p. 73; October, 1997, Jane Marino, review of The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, p. 38; July, 1998, Lisa Falk, review of Flip-flops, p. 72; September, 1998, Anne Knickerbocker, review of The Can-do Thanksgiving, p. 179; January, 1999, Sally R. Dow, review of Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day!, p. 97; December, 1999, Kimberlie Monteforte, review of Happy Fourth of July, Jenny Sweeney!, p. 102; April, 2000, Joy Fleishhacker, review of When I Feel Angry, p. 115; September, 2002, Genevieve Gallagher, review of Round the Turkey, p. 195; July, 2003, Linda M. Kenton, review of Happy Fourth of July, Jenny Sweeney!, p. 100; November, 2003, Martha Topol, review of It Feels like Snow!, p. 91; March, 2005, Be Astengo, review of Tap-Dance Fever, p. 168; July, 2005, Linda Staskus, review of Harry Hamster, p. 64; December, 2005, Linda Staskus, review of It's All about Me!, p. 107; January, 2006, Sandra Welzenbach, review of Jason Takes Responsibility, p. 104; March, 2006, Maura Bresnahan, review of Honest Ashley, p. 194.