Gauch, Patricia
January 3, 1934 –
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Hyde Park, NY
Biography:
Patricia Lee Gauch was born to Muriel and William Melbourne (an investor) on January 3, 1954 in Detroit, MI. As a child she ran barefoot on the beaches of Michigan during the summer, racing turtles and swimming, and sipping milkshakes. She attributes this experience to the sense of freedom and spontaneity captured in her children’s books. Gauch received her B.A. in English Literature in 1956 at Miami University and subsequently worked as a reporter for the Louisville Courier Journal and a freelanced for the Detroit Free Press. She married Ronald Gauch, a scientist and administrator, and had three children, Sarah, Christine, and John. After the birth of her first child, Gauch turned from journalism to children’s literature. She took a writing class from a well-known children’s author, Jean Fritz, who Gauch attributes the sale of her first book. In 1970 Gauch received her M.A.T. and PhD at Manhattanville College and worked at Coward-McCann as a Publisher and Writer. Between 1972 and 1983 Gauch was a teacher for Gill – St. Berhards School and then went on to teach children’s literature at Drew University and Rutgers University. In 1985 she became the edititor-in-chief for Philomel Books and served as chairman of Rutgers University Advisory Council on Children’s Literature from 1984 t0 1986. Gauch has published almost forty picture books and novels, several of which have been inspired by her children. Her free-form verse book Thunder at Gettysburg is still used as a classroom resource thirty years after its publication date. In the 1970s Gauch was one of the first authors to present strong female characters in her books, which are now considered a requirement. Gauch currently lives with her husband in Hyde Park, New York.
Selected Works:
- Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys (2004)
- Tanya and the Red Shoes (2002)
- Presenting Tanya The Ugly Duckling (1999)
- Tanya and Emily in a Dance for Two, Philomel (1994)
- Dance Tanya (1989)
- Thunder at Gettysburg (1975)
Awards:
- 1976 Mark Twain Award Nominee
- 1978 Boston Globe – Horn book award
Critical Reception:
For Christina Katrina and the Box:
“You won’t believe how much fun a cardboard box can be! A gleeful little story of imaginative play enlivened by the delightful illustrations.”
—School Library Journal
“The idea of imaginative play is convincingly and elaborately pursued. The illustrations augment the story with visual detail.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
As a child Gauch spent her summers on the beaches of Michigan. She later incorporated her memories of the spontaneity and freedom of these summers in her children’s books.