Clyde's Fans (12)

Clyde Robert Bulla

Author profile

born

January 09, 1914 in King City, Missouri, The United States

died

May 23, 2007

gender

male

genre

Children's Books

About this author

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Born to be a Writer
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”

First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but...more Born to be a Writer
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”

First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.

The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.

Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.

About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”(less)

combine editions
Books by Clyde Robert Bulla

Average rating: 3.70 · 1,831 ratings · 300 reviews · 64 distinct works

	Squanto, Friend Of The Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla, Peter Buchard (Illustrations) 3.72 avg rating — 306 ratings — published 1954 — 8 editions	My rating:
	A Lion to Guard Us 3.61 avg rating — 254 ratings — published 1981 — 10 editions	My rating:
	The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla, Bruce Bowles (Illustrations) 3.85 avg rating — 207 ratings — published 1956 — 5 editions	My rating:
	The Chalk Box Kid 3.64 avg rating — 228 ratings — published 1987 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Pocahontas And The Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla, Peter Burchard (Illustrations) 3.63 avg rating — 155 ratings — 6 editions	My rating:
	Shoeshine Girl 3.91 avg rating — 107 ratings — published 1975 — 8 editions	My rating:
	The Ghost of Windy Hill 3.61 avg rating — 110 ratings — 5 editions	My rating:
	Riding The Pony Express 3.75 avg rating — 63 ratings — published 1948 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Daniel's Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla, Joan Sandin (Illustrations) 3.62 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 1979 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Viking Adventure 3.84 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 1963 — 4 editions	My rating:

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Clyde's Fans (12)

Clyde Robert Bulla

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Clyde Robert Bulla

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Clyde Robert Bulla