Kathleen Krull
Author of Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
About the Author
Image credit: www.kathleenkrull.com/author.html
Series
Works by Kathleen Krull
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) (1993) 708 copies, 4 reviews
Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) (2000) 538 copies, 20 reviews
The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss (2004) 512 copies, 30 reviews
Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) (1994) 402 copies, 5 reviews
Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) (1995) 392 copies, 8 reviews
Lives of the Scientists: Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought) (2013) 343 copies, 10 reviews
Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) (1997) 182 copies, 6 reviews
Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country) (2010) 131 copies, 7 reviews
A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights: Curfews, Censorship, and the 100-Pound Giant (1999) 130 copies, 3 reviews
A Pot O' Gold: A Treasury Of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, And (of Course) Blarney (2004) 116 copies, 2 reviews
The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum (2008) 93 copies, 9 reviews
Lives of the Explorers: Discoveries, Disasters (and What the Neighbors Thought) (2014) 72 copies, 3 reviews
THEY SAW THE FUTURE: Oracles, Psychics, Scientists, Great Thinkers, and Pretty Good Guessers (1999) 48 copies
I Hear America Singing!: Folksongs for American Families with CD (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays) (2003) 45 copies
Walking toward Peace: The True Story of a Brave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim (2021) 45 copies, 17 reviews
One Fun Day with Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice (2018) 43 copies, 2 reviews
The Night the Martians Landed: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) About Invaders from Mars (2003) 35 copies, 5 reviews
Bridges to Change: How Kids Live on a South Carolina Sea Island (World of My Own) (1995) 34 copies, 1 review
The Other Side: How Kids Live in a California Latino Neighborhood (World of My Own) (1994) 34 copies
Frenemies in the Family: Famous Brothers and Sisters Who Butted Heads and Had Each Other's Backs (2018) 29 copies, 1 review
A Kids' Guide to America's First Ladies (Kids' Guide to American History) (2017) 29 copies, 2 reviews
What Really Happened in Roswell?: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) About UFOs and Aliens (2003) 20 copies, 3 reviews
Writers and Their Pets: True Stories of Famous Authors and Their Animal Friends (2019) 18 copies, 2 reviews
Starstuck 1 copy
Good Times Bad Times 1 copy
Lives of Extraordinary 1 copy
Associated Works
Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places (2003) — Contributor — 41 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Krull, Kathleen
- Other names
- KRULL, Kathleen
- Birthdate
- 1952-07-29
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA
- Places of residence
- Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA
Wilmette, Illinois, USA
San Diego, California, USA - Education
- Lawrence University
- Occupations
- author (children's)
- Short biography
- Kathleen Krull's neighbors knew her as a quiet person with noisy habits, such as playing Bach, Joplin, and Satie on the piano with the windows open. As a child she enjoyed practicing piano, organ, violin, viola, and guitar, and she went on to study music at Northwestern University, the North Shore School of Music, and Lawrence University. These days, when she is not writing or swimming, she likes to tend her vegetable garden, eat popcorn, and investigate the quirky lives of her favorite musicians, authors, and neighbors. She does all of these things at her home in San DiegoCalifornia where she lives with her husband. [adapted from Lives of the Musicians (1993)]
Members
Reviews
Author’s Note and Introduction give more information about the first woman to be a candidate for President. And many other firsts.
I read the first few pages. The writing is delightfully cheeky at times ("he became the king of the snappy soundbite, always bemused, sort of cuddly, with soulful eyes") and very readable. The author's tone is conversational. Occasional illustrations don't add much, but don't hurt either.
134 pages, with a list of sources and a pretty robust index (there's an entry for the Large Hadron Collider!).
The other books in this series (Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, and Freud) have been well-reviewed and I can see why.… (more)
134 pages, with a list of sources and a pretty robust index (there's an entry for the Large Hadron Collider!).
The other books in this series (Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, and Freud) have been well-reviewed and I can see why.… (more)
Vibrant art, and an inspiring woman of Wilma's journey to overcome polio to become the first woman to win 3 gold medals in a single Olympics.
Lists
4th Grade Books (3)
Female Author (1)
Awards
The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss (Nominee – Informational Books – 2006)
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) (Nominee – Informational Books – 2000)
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 92
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 13,775
- Popularity
- #1,680
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 577
- ISBNs
- 508
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 4
I usually enjoy Kathleen Krull's work greatly, but this one didn't do it for me. I found the narrative kind of tedious to start with, although eventually it picks up a little. Still, it never quite hits its stride. I do like the idea of focusing on the childhood of Ted Geisel to explain the career of Dr. Seuss but somehow it was mostly dull instead of interesting.
Further, while books for children do tend to quickly gloss over difficult topics, this one ignores them completely. It's noted how young Ted's experiences coming from a German immigrant family in the lead up to World War I influenced his desire of "justice" later in life and in his works; nothing is mentioned about his anti-Japanese cartoons made during World War II. Meeting his future wife is explained for the influence it was on his life/work, but the affair he had that probably contributed to her suicide is completely ignored in favor of just stating that they were married until her death.
The full-page illustrations on each page spread are paintings that invoke a sense of nostalgia for a quaint town in the Americana style. I suppose that fits with the book's overarching theme, but I didn't feel like these illustrations really contributed anything to the overall reading experience. I did enjoy that each vignette from Geisel's early life was accompanied by a small illustration from one of his later works.… (more)