Sandra Fenichel Asher

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Sandra Fenichel Asher is an American author and playwright, known most notably for her contributions to the fields of children's theater and literature. [1] She has written over 30 novels and stories, but is most well known for her plays such as A Woman Called Truth and In the Garden of the Selfish Giant. [2]

Contents

Education

Asher attended Indiana University Bloomington where she completed a B.A. in English with a minor in Theatre in 1964. [3] In 1974 she received her Elementary Education Certification from Drury University. [3]

Novels and stories

Young adult novels

TitlePublication YearNotes
Summer Begins1980Later in paperback as Summer Smith Begins. [4]
Daughters of the Law1980 [4]
Just Like Jenny1982Junior Library Guild Selection (1982), Mark Twain Award Master List (1984) [4]
Things Are Seldom What They Seem1983Junior Library Guild Selection (1983), Iowa Teen Award Master List (1987), Young Hoosier Award Master List (1987) [4]
Missing Pieces1984 [4]
Everything is Not Enough1987Junior Library Guild Selection (1987) [4]
Out of Here: A Senior Class Yearbook1993YA Read-Alouds Too Good to Miss, Indiana (1996) [4]

Beginning Reader Series: Ballet One

TitlePublication Year
Best Friends Get Better1989 [4]
Pat's Promise1990 [4]
Mary in the Middle1990 [4]
Can David Do It?1991 [4]

Chapter books

TitlePublication Year
Teddy Teabury's Fabulous Fact1985 [4]
Teddy Teabury's Peanutty Problems1989 [4]

Children's picture books

TitlePublication YearNotes
Princess Bee and the Royal Goodnight Story1989Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. [4]
Stella's Dancing Days2001Illustrated by Kathryn Brown. [4]
Why Rabbit's Nose Twitches2004Illustrated by Allan Eitzen. [4]
Too Many Frogs!2005Illustrated by Keith Graves. [4]

New York Library Association "Best of Season" Master List (2005), Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award Honor Book (2006), Keystone State Reading Association Keystone to Reading Master List (2006), North Dakota Flicker Tale Award (2006), South Carolina School Library Book Award Master List (2006), Texas Library Association 2x2 List (2006), Montana Treasure State Book Award Master List (2007), Wyoming Buckaroo Award Master List (2007), Georgia Picture Story Book Award Master List (2008), South Dakota Librarians' 100 Best Books for Children List (2008) [4]

What a Party!2007Illustrated by Keith Graves. [4]
Here Comes Gosling!2009Illustrated by Keith Graves. [4]

Books for writers

TitlePublication Year
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?1987 [4]
Wild Words: How to Train Them to Tell Stories1989 [4]
Writing It Right: How Successful Children's Authors Revise and Sell their Stories2009 [4]

Non-fiction books

TitlePublication Year
The Great American Peanut Book1997 [4]
Discovering Cultures: China2002 [4]
Discovering Cultures: Mexico2002 [4]

Plays

TitlePublication YearPublisherNotes
Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes1989Dramatic Publishing CompanyATA Senior Citizens Project New Plays List (1982), Ellis Memorial Award Finalist, Theatre Americana (1987), Maxwell Anderson Playwriting Series: Best Play of New Season (1986) [5]
The Wise Men of Chelin1992Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
A Woman Called Truth1993Dramatic Publishing CompanyNational Playwrights' Showcase, First Prize (1987), Bonderman Award (1989), Joseph Campbell Memorial Award (1992), AATE Distinguished Play Award (1994) [5]
Dancing With Strangers1994Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Sunday, Sunday1994Dramatic Publishing CompanyLittle Theatre of Alexandria One Act Play Contest, First Prize (1983), Street Players Theatre Contest, First Prize (1989), Actors' Guild of Lexington New Play Festival Winner (1992) [5]
Once, in the Time of Trolls1995Dramatic Publishing CompanyChildren's Musical Theatre of Mobile Contest, First Prize (1984), Dubuque Fine Arts Players Contest, First Prize (1984), East Central College Contest, First Prize (1993) [5]
Emma1997Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from the Jane Austen novel of the same name. [5]
I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp2000Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from the Larry Berger and Dahlia Lithwick book of the same name. [5]
Little Women: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy2001Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name. [5]
Blackbirds and Dragons, Mermaids and Mice2003Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Waiting for Bobo2004Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
In the Garden of the Selfish Giant2004Dramatic Publishing CompanyBonderman Award (2001), New England Theatre Conference Aurand Harris Award (2003), AATE Distinguished Play Award (2004) [5]
Romeo and Juliet - Together (and Alive!) at Last2004Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from the Avi novel of the same name. [5]
Somebody Catch My Homework2004Dramatic Publishing CompanyInspired by the poetry of David L. Harrison. [5]
We Will Remember: A Tribute to Veterans2005Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Everything Is Not Enough2006Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from her own book of the same name. [5]
Today I Am: Five Short Plays About Growing Up Jewish2006Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Too Many Frogs!2007Dramatic Publishing CompanyAdapted from her own book of the same name. [5]
Family Matters2008Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
To Life! Growing Up Jewish In America2008Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Keeping Mr. Lincoln2009Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Jesse and Grace: A Best Friends Story2010Dramatic Publishing CompanyBased on poems by David L. Harrison. [5]
The Ballad of Two Who Flew1976Plays Magazine [5]
Witling and the Stone Princess1979Plays Magazine [5]
The Golden Cow of Chelm1980Plays Magazine [5]
Who Will Bell the Cat?1992Scott Foresman Text [5]
The Wolf and Its Shadows1998Anchorage Press PlaysAATE Unpublished Play Reading Project Winner (1994), Bonderman Award (1995) [5]

Critical reception

A Woman Called Truth, a play based on the life of Sojourner Truth , is perhaps Asher's most recognized stage-play. [6] The New York Times called it a "smart, strong play", stating that it "is bound to make young viewers believe that changes are indeed possible". [7]

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References

  1. "Author Profile - Sandra Fenichel Asher". www.dramaticpublishing.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  2. Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, Illinois: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. vii, ix. ISBN   978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 "Sandra Fenichel Asher Papers 1976-2001". www.azarchivesonline.org. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. 369–370, 374–376. ISBN   978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. 366–368, 371–373. ISBN   978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "NYTimes.com Search". query.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  7. Leimbach, Dulcie (1991-01-25). "For Children". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-04-21.