Name: Richard Michelson
Biographical Information: Richard Michelson’s Busing Brewster was one of the New York Times’ 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2010. As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom received the 2009 Sydney Taylor Gold Medal. Michelson has twice been a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and the Massachusetts Book Award. Four of his books have been New York Public Library Best Books, and Tuttle’s Red Barn was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007. He is the owner of R. Michelson Galleries, which represents many of America’s most notable children’s book illustrators.
Featured Book: Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King. In the mid-1800s the sport of baseball was working its way across the United States. Amateur teams were springing up, and in 1858 the National Association of Base Ball Players was formed. Lipman Pike’s father runs a small haberdashery in Brooklyn, New York, though Lip is more interested in watching the ball players than working behind the counter. His mother doesn’t approve—Jewish boys should be paying attention to more sensible matters. But when Lip is barely a teenager, he’s invited to join the local Junior Club. When he hits his first pitch over the right fielder’s head, Lip knows baseball is the sport for him.
Other Titles:
Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King
As Good As Anybody
Busing Brewster
Across the Alley
Too Young for Yiddish
Happy Feet
Oh No Not Ghosts
A is for Abraham
Animals Anonymous
Age Group of Materials published: Elementary
Honors:
Busing Brewster – New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2010
Notable Children’s Book of 2010: As Good As Anybody
2009 – Sydney Taylor Award – Gold Medal – Association of Jewish Librarians
2009 – Massachusetts Book Award Finalist
2008 – National Jewish Book Award Finalist – As Good As Anybody,
Tuttle’s Red Barn
2007 – Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2007
Across the Alley
2006 – National Jewish Book Award Finalist
2006 – Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book