Judy Schachner

Author profile

born

August 20, 1951 in Waltham, Massachusetts, The United States

website

http://www.judithbyronschachner.com

genre

Children's Books

About this author

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"I was the last child and only daughter born to Edward and Mary Francis Byron on August 20th, 1951 in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts. My oldest brother Ted was very good at art and my middle brother Kevin kept me laughing with his funny stories.

Growing up we didn't have much money. My mother was very ill, and to make matters worse, I was extremely shy. All my teachers complained that "Judith needs to speak up in class, Judith needs to improve in arithmetic, and Judith needs to finish her work on time." But no one complained about my artwork. On paper I drew myself a world where mothers were healthy and teachers were kind. My life was perfection in pencil.

In 1969, Massachusetts College of Art accepted me as a student despite my poor SAT...more "I was the last child and only daughter born to Edward and Mary Francis Byron on August 20th, 1951 in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts. My oldest brother Ted was very good at art and my middle brother Kevin kept me laughing with his funny stories.

Growing up we didn't have much money. My mother was very ill, and to make matters worse, I was extremely shy. All my teachers complained that "Judith needs to speak up in class, Judith needs to improve in arithmetic, and Judith needs to finish her work on time." But no one complained about my artwork. On paper I drew myself a world where mothers were healthy and teachers were kind. My life was perfection in pencil.

In 1969, Massachusetts College of Art accepted me as a student despite my poor SAT scores. I graduated in 1973 with a BFA in illustration and went straight into the greeting card factories which included a stint at Hallmark. For five years I designed cute cards, sad cards, funny cards, and wedding cards. I was not having fun; in fact I never wanted to pick up a paintbrush again.

Then I met my husband, Bob, and for the first time in many years I could step off the 9 to 5 treadmill and devote all my energy to creating a portfolio of children's book art. That was until two little baby girls were born. Then motherhood became my favorite new job

Over the years I read hundreds of books to my daughters. Inspired by the art and words, I was moved once again to finish my portfolio and take it on the road to New York. That's when I met Lucia Monfried.

The most important relationship in publishing is that of the author/illustrator and her editor. I am most lucky to have Lucia. With her gentle encouragement and wisdom she took me by the hand and helped me accomplish the impossible. In 1995 I not only illustrated my first picture book but I wrote it too. Willy and May was published to wonderful reviews and no one ever suspected my fear of semi-colons.

The great thing about my job is that one day I can be writing about history, as I did in Mr. Emerson's Cook. The next day I'm drawing a wacky old woman for I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. Or I can bring to life a beloved pet cat in my book The Grannyman. I live in a constant state of 3rd grade bliss - making up stories and drawing pictures. Isn't that what we all did as children?

Several years ago the great author Lloyd Alexander stood in my back yard admiring my daughters' Viking ship(that's another story.) Never in my wildest fantasies did I ever think that my art would inhabit his world of words. How the Cat Swallowed Thunder proves that dreams really do come true."
(from http://www.judithbyronschachner.com/b...)(less)

combine editions
Books by Judy Schachner

Average rating: 4.20 · 15,333 ratings · 1,541 reviews · 42 distinct works

	Skippyjon Jones (Skippyjon Jones, #1) 4.28 avg rating — 7,498 ratings — published 2003 — 12 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble (Skippyjon Jones, #3) 4.23 avg rating — 2,167 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse (Skippyjon Jones, #2) 4.22 avg rating — 1,514 ratings — published 2005 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones (Skippyjon Jones, #4) 4.19 avg rating — 1,079 ratings — 5 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice (Skippyjon Jones, #5) 4.21 avg rating — 635 ratings — 4 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones: Up and Down 4.04 avg rating — 214 ratings — published 2007	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones, Class Action 3.84 avg rating — 203 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones: Color Crazy 4.02 avg rating — 181 ratings — published 2007	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones Shape Up 3.97 avg rating — 128 ratings — published 2008	My rating:
	Skippyjon Jones 1-2-3 4.05 avg rating — 103 ratings — published 2008	My rating:

More books by Judy Schachner…

Series by Judy Schachner

Skippyjon Jones (5 books)
by Judy Schachner

4.26 avg rating — 12,892 ratings

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Quotes by Judy Schachner

“My ears are too beeg for my head. My head ees too beeg for my body. I am not a Siamese cat ... I AM A CHIHUAHUA!"
-- Skippyjon Jones (In his very best Spanish accent)”
― Judy Schachner

tags: chihuahua , childrens-book , humor , siamese-cat , spanish

67 people liked it

“My name is Skippito Friskito. (clap-clap)
I fear not a single bandito. (clap-clap)
My manners are mellow,
I'm sweet like the Jell-o,
I get the job done, yes indeed-o. (clap-clap)”
― Judy Schachner, Skippyjon Jones

tags: cats , humor , mexican , siamese-cats , skippyjon-jones

26 people liked it

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