Anita Silvey
Encyclopedia
Anita Silvey is a well-known editor
and literary critic in the genre of children’s literature. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, Silvey has served as Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine
and as vice-president at Houghton Mifflin
where she oversaw children’s and young adult book publishing. She has also authored a number of critical books about children's literature, including 500 Great Books for Teens and The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators. Publishers Weekly said that with regards to children's literature, "It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice than Anita Silvey." In October 2010, she began publishing the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac on line, a daily essay on classic and contemporary children's books. (http://childrensbookalmanac.com)
. She served from 1985 to 1995 as Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine. She also created the spin-off magazine The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books.
Between 1995 and 2001, Silvey worked as vice-president at Houghton Mifflin
where she oversaw children's and young adult book publishing for both the Houghton and Clarion divisions. Among illustrators and authors she promoted were David Wiesner
, Chris Van Allsburg
, Virginia Lee Burton
, and Lois Lowry
.
In 2002, Silvey published The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators, 100 Best Books for Children and 500 Great Books for Teens. She also penned a young adult book on women soldiers in the American Civil War
, I'll Pass for Your Comrade. In 2008, she wrote an influential article in School Library Journal
in which she "criticized the Newbery selections as too difficult for most children." A series of interviews with people from all walks of life was published in Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book in 2009.
Silvey is a member of the Editorial Board of Cricket
magazine and the Board of Directors for the Vermont Center for the Book. At Simmons College
Graduate School of Library Science in Boston, Massachusetts she teaches "Modern Book Publishing" and at St. Michael's College
in Winooski, Vermont, she teaches "Children's Book Author Studies".
honored her with an official award during the town's bicentennial celebration in 1994. In addition, Vermont College bestowed an honorary Master in Fine Arts in Children's Book Writing on Silvey in 2000. She is also the winner of the Women's National Book Association Book Women Award in 1987 and, in 2008, the Ludington Award of the Educational Paperback Association for her lifetime of dedication to children and books.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and literary critic in the genre of children’s literature. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, Silvey has served as Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
and as vice-president at Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
where she oversaw children’s and young adult book publishing. She has also authored a number of critical books about children's literature, including 500 Great Books for Teens and The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators. Publishers Weekly said that with regards to children's literature, "It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice than Anita Silvey." In October 2010, she began publishing the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac on line, a daily essay on classic and contemporary children's books. (http://childrensbookalmanac.com)
Work
In 1975, Silvey was a co-founder of the publication that became the Boston ReviewBoston Review
Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...
. She served from 1985 to 1995 as Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine. She also created the spin-off magazine The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books.
Between 1995 and 2001, Silvey worked as vice-president at Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
where she oversaw children's and young adult book publishing for both the Houghton and Clarion divisions. Among illustrators and authors she promoted were David Wiesner
David Wiesner
David Wiesner is an American author and illustrator of children's books and publications. His work has won several honors, including three Caldecott Medals and two Caldecott Honors.-Career:...
, Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He twice won the Caldecott Medal, for Jumanji and The Polar Express , both of which he wrote and illustrated, and both of which were later adapted into successful motion pictures...
, Virginia Lee Burton
Virginia Lee Burton
Virginia Lee Burton was an American illustrator and children's book author. Burton wrote and illustrated seven self-illustrated children's books, including the Caldecott Medal winning The Little House. Also known by her married name Virginia Demetrios. She died in 1968 of lung cancer...
, and Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
.
In 2002, Silvey published The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators, 100 Best Books for Children and 500 Great Books for Teens. She also penned a young adult book on women soldiers in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, I'll Pass for Your Comrade. In 2008, she wrote an influential article in School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
in which she "criticized the Newbery selections as too difficult for most children." A series of interviews with people from all walks of life was published in Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book in 2009.
Silvey is a member of the Editorial Board of Cricket
Cricket (magazine)
Cricket is an illustrated literary magazine for children published in the United States, founded in September 1973 by Marianne Carus, whose intent was to create "The New Yorker for children." Marianne Carus still serves as the magazine's editor-in-chief.Each issue of Cricket is 64 pages...
magazine and the Board of Directors for the Vermont Center for the Book. At Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
Graduate School of Library Science in Boston, Massachusetts she teaches "Modern Book Publishing" and at St. Michael's College
St. Michael's College
St. Michael's College may refer to:* Saint Michael's College, a private liberal arts college located in Colchester, Vermont, USA* St Michael's College, Adelaide, Australia, a private Roman Catholic primary and secondary school founded by the Lasallian Brothers* St...
in Winooski, Vermont, she teaches "Children's Book Author Studies".
Awards
Her hometown of Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
honored her with an official award during the town's bicentennial celebration in 1994. In addition, Vermont College bestowed an honorary Master in Fine Arts in Children's Book Writing on Silvey in 2000. She is also the winner of the Women's National Book Association Book Women Award in 1987 and, in 2008, the Ludington Award of the Educational Paperback Association for her lifetime of dedication to children and books.
Partial bibliography
- Henry Knox: Bookseller, Soldier, Patriot, Clarion Books, 2010
- Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2009.
- I'll Pass For Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War, Clarion Books, 2008.
- 500 Great Books for Teens, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006.
- 100 Best Books for Children: A Parent's Guide to Making the Right Choices for Your Young Reader, Toddler to Preteen, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.
- The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators, Mariner Books, 2002.
- Help Wanted: Short Stories about Young People Working, Little Brown and Company, 1997.
- Children's Books and Their Creators, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995.