Dorothy Donohue

Dorothy Donohue was an art teacher before she began illustrating and writing children's books. After working at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, she started to do children's books. Currently Dorothy has published 16 picturebooks.

Dorothy Donohue lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 2 dogs and 2 children. She is a volunteer at the Humane Society, where she gets ideas for her stories and dogs.

Ten-Gallon Bart and the Wild West Show
by Susan Stevens Crummel (Author),
Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books (March 2008)
ISBN-10: 0761453911
ISBN-13: 978-0761453918

Ten-gallon Bart by Susan Stevens Crummel, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books (March 15, 2006) TenGallon.jpg (10808 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal Bart, a dog, is looking forward to retiring as sheriff of Dog City. Then on his last day on the job, he learns that Billy the Kid (a goat) is headed toward town. Miss Kitty (a cat) implores him to stay on, promising that she and the other residents will do their part, too. Deputies Bill Hiccup and Wyatt Burp (pigs), Dixie and Pixie (chicks), and Buffalo Gal (a cow) all wait for Billy, but when he does appear, they scatter and only Bart is there to resist him. After the Kid butts Bart and chomps on his hat, the other animals come forward and help; and as the sheriff jumps on Billy's back, the old goat coughs up rope and soap, saddles and paddles, and socks and clocks until he feels a heap better, and the town settles down into being a peaceful place again. Crummel has captured the feel of the Old West, with language that is playful and sometimes rhymes. At times the text twists and turns across spreads, and the beautiful textured papers and collage characters are full of detail and humor. This is a terrific read-aloud, with lots of wordplay that may be beyond the youngest listeners, but will be enjoyed by older kids.-JoAnn Jonas, Chula Vista Public Library, San Diego, CA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist Ten-Gallon Bart, canine sheriff of Dog City, is about to retire when he hears that Billy the Kid, "the roughest, toughest, gruffest goat in the country," is coming to town. After rounding up his deputies and the other animal residents of Dog City to support him, he faces Billy in a dramatic showdown with a surprise ending. Crummel's colorful language is complemented by Donohue's detailed, three-dimensional collage illustrations, which work best from a distance. The text harks back to the 1950s television westerns, with the repeated description of Bart as "brave, courageous, and bold" (the Wyatt Earp theme song) and a character named Miss Kitty (Gunsmoke), who at one point screeches "like a cat on a hot tin roof." Along with deputy names Wild Bill Hiccup and Wyatt Burp," these references are more likely to resonate with grandparents than with young children. Even so, with its flavorful and often funny text and its large-scale illustrations, the book is a natural for reading aloud to groups. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

If Frogs Made the Weather by Marion Dane Bauer, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (March 2005) IfFrogs.jpg (52268 bytes)

ISBN: 0823416224

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal In this imaginative poem, a young boy thinks about 10 different animals and theorizes about their favorite environmental conditions. For example, "If robins made weather,/trees would always be budding,/the grass fresh and green./And the melting snow/would set every worm awiggling." For hawks, "the wind would blow and blow,/rising and rising,/swirling and swirling./Hawks would stretch/their wings/and drift,/drift/down." Occasionally, the language is a bit challenging, but, for the most part, the text is lyrical and evocative. The artwork jumps out at readers with its vivid, 3-D-style, textured-paper collages. The animals form the centerpiece of each composition, while the boy, or some part of his body, appears somewhere in the background. Brightly colored backdrops help to pull the scenes together. In one eye-catching spread, three large bats take center stage against a pink sky, while the child, looking small in a field of spruce-green grass, gazes at them with arms uplifted. The pictures are masterful enough to tempt children to thumb through the book again and again. Wonderful for reading aloud or enjoying one-on-one, this enticing offering will also make a great jumping-off point for imagination games or creative writing.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

City Dog, Country Dog by Susan Stevens Crummel, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Baby-Preschool Edition: Library Binding, Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp.; (January 2004)
CITYDOGCOUNTRYDOG.jpg (45302 bytes)

ISBN: 0761451560

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal Vincent van Dog and Henri LaPooch meet at art school and, despite their different backgrounds and temperaments, they become fast friends. Vincent is tall and quiet; Henri is short and noisy. Vincent paints flowers; Henri paints dancers. On the last day of school, they promise to write. Vincent invites Henri to come to the country for a picnic. He prepares a rustic meal of fresh vegetables, but Henri finds country life boring and returns home. He invites his friend to paint the town red. Vincent dislikes the fancy food and the noise. When the dogs are thrown out of the Moulin Rouge, Vincent returns home. Again, the pups correspond and decide to meet at the beach, where they have a marvelous time. Unlike the original fable, these two friends compromise to find something that they both can enjoy. The moral here is: "Vive la diffrence!" French words in the text are defined with pronunciation at the bottom of each respective page. The large paper-cut illustrations are filled with texture, bright colors, and humor. Artworks done in the style of van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec are incorporated into the pictures. A lively and fun take on Aesop's beloved tale.–Linda Staskus, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
All in One Hour by Susan Stevens Crummel, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding School & Library Binding: 32 pages ; Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb; (September 2003) Allin1Hour.gif (26773 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews A mouse leads a series of pursuers in a merry chase that lasts exactly one hour. At precisely 6:00 a.m., an orange cat spies "the mouse that started it all" enjoying cookie crumbs while its master sleeps. It leaps out the window after the mouse, only to be itself followed by a dog, then the dogcatcher, a bank robber, and a police officer-to be finally thwarted when the whole parade runs afoul of a grocer's bananas. Crummel (And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon, 2001, etc.) employs the tried-and-true rhythms of "The House that Jack Built"; while the rhythm occasionally falters, it does move the story along. The double-paged spreads are framed in a deep blue; the text (preceded by a digital read-out of the time) snakes its way around this border, occasionally moving aside when a picture element breaks the frame. Donohue (Sweet Hearts, 2002, etc.) provides the concept for this offering, according to the title page, and her cut-paper collages offer a bright and cheery setting for the mayhem. While the layering of the papers creates an immediate three-dimensional effect, the figures are arranged against the background with a flat and childlike sense of perspective, making the illustrations as a whole pleasingly in tune with their audience. This flatness of perspective, however, is out of tune with the readouts of the time: the characters simply don't seem to go very far, despite the generous one-hour allowance. ....this offering does serve to help them develop a sense of elapsed time; that the story ends at 7:00 with everyone back in place except for a new mouse nibbling the crumbs will give those readers a happy vision that the romp will begin all over again. (Picture book. 4-7)

From School Library Journal Vibrant cut-paper collages on large spreads framed in navy illustrate this lively cumulative tale that takes place during one hour. A digital display on the side of each left-hand page alerts readers to the passing of time. The useful sequencing possibilities make this spirited romp informative for read-alouds, and the intricate, colorful art and mazelike quality of the story make it compelling as a solo choice, as well. A terrific addition to most picture-book collections.
Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist Highlighting the story are brightly colored paper-cut collages, which employ multiple layers of paper to create depth and perspective in the scenes. Particularly effective is Donohue's use of fringed paper to mimic fur on the dog and the cat. Crummel's brief text, with a rhythm somewhat reminiscent of "This Is the House That Jack Built," is wrapped around the border of each double-page spread. Every line is headed by a notation of the time printed in digital script, which changes and moves, pushing the text around the picture border, as both the time and the story progress. ... a good choice for preschool story hours, especially given the intriguing illustrations. Kay Weisman Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Veggie Soup by Dorothy Donohue Reading level: Ages 4-8 40 pages Publisher: Winslow Press, 189081721X.01.LZZZZZZZ (56457 bytes)

Hardcover (Sept 2000)
ISBN: 189081721X

Paperback (Nov 2002)
ISBN: 1588370208

Fans of Stone Soup will want to join in when Miss Bun sets out to make her first vegetable soup. The pot gets filled with all sorts of odd ingredients as Bird, Cat, Toad, and Cow add their own favorite foods. But worms, fish, bugs, and straw make for a soup a bit too unusual for good eating, so Miss Bun starts again, this time creating enough vegetable soup to share with the local soup kitchen. The author's own cut-paper collage illustrations enhance the playfulness of the story.

Editorial Reviews
From Horn Book Miss Bun, a rabbit, is cooking veggie soup, but her friends Crow, Cat, Frog, and Cow bring over such additions as worms, tuna, bugs, and hay, which ruin the soup. The friends make a new batch according to Great Nana's recipe, and they even have leftovers for a soup kitchen. . . . . the cut-paper collage illustrations are eye-catching. A recipe is included.Copyright 2001 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sweet Hearts by Jan Carr, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Baby-Preschool Edition: School & Library Binding, 32 pages Publisher: Holiday House; ; (October 2002) 0823417328.01.LZZZZZZZ (56343 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal A sneaky little panda secretly slips valentines into various hiding places for his parents to find. The rhymes are plain yet pleasant, "One heart on the bathroom mirror,/One heart in a shoe,/One heart by my mommy's mug/To tell her `I love you!'" Each construction-paper valentine is elaborately decorated with doilies and glitter glue. The panda family is also composed of layers of brightly colored paper, creating the effect of multidimensional collages, and the last page has easy instructions on how to cut out and decorate paper hearts. Preschoolers will enjoy both the colorful artwork and the simple rhymes.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

From Kirkus Reviews . . . Donohue's intricate collages offer a wealth of textures and colors to stimulate the eye. From the shaggy "fur" of the panda family's coats-comprised of rows of layered triangles-to the gaily decorated valentines, each spread offers an abundance of details for curious readers. A sweetheart of a tale to foster the holiday spirit. (Picture book. 2-6)

Splish, Splash, Spring by Jan Carr, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Publisher: Holiday House 0823415783_l.gif (19394 bytes)

Paperback ; ISBN: 0823417549; (April 2002)

School & Library Binding
ISBN: 0823415783; (March 2001)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Three playmates and a dog explore all the delights of spring. The raindrops and puddles, baby birds and crocuses, sunshine and wind. They have a perfectly lovely time dashing down a hill, popping up their umbrellas in the rain, mucking in the dirt for earthworms, and getting tangled in kite string. Carr's bouncing rhymes are full of choice adjectives--sloppy and bloomy, swooping and snapping--and there's plenty of visual appeal along with auditory fun. Donohue uses a lush, color-saturated palette for her paper-cut artwork, which is so tactile children will wonder how it's done and want to run their hands across the pages. The blades of grass look pointed, the brick sidewalk is full of bumps, and the kite strings seem real enough to grasp. The appealing pictures are a fine fit for the story premise--children's innocent fascination with the whole world. Shelley Townsend Hudson Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Dappled Apples by Jan Carr, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) School & Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Holiday House; (September 2001) 082341583X.01.LZZZZZZZ (65059 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Carr's playful, original way with words is evident from the opening pages of this spirited, staccato tribute to fall: "Flutter, flitter / Gold as glitter / Colors crackle / Round the tree / Rake a heap up. / Run and leap up / Fall is frisky-- / So are we!" Three children and a dog tumble and cavort through an apple orchard and a pumpkin patch, then prepare for Halloween and go trick-or-treating together. Filling the double-page spreads are detailed cut-paper collages, which are brightly colored, interestingly textured, and even crumpled, creating pleasing effects. The outdoor scenes convey a sense of depth in the picture plane that is appealing and somewhat unusual in collage illustrations for picture books. With its nimble text and eye-catching artwork, this will be a good bet for teachers seeking fall-themed books. Carolyn Phelan Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

No Time for Mother's Day by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator), Reading level: Ages 4-8 School & Library Binding: 32 pages Publisher: Albert Whitman & C 080754955X.01.LZZZZZZZ (44555 bytes)

ISBN: 080754955X; (May 1999)

Paperback: ISBN: 0807549568; (April 2001)

Hardcover Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media;
ISBN: 0606213562; (June 2001)

With only two days left until Mother's Day, Charity is at a loss concerning the perfect gift for her mom. But after rising Saturday morning and watching her mother go top speed all day, Charity realizes that what her mother needs is an extra set of hands and an extra set of legs. As Charity lies awake counting the minutes that night, an idea comes to mind--the perfect gift for a busy mom! Full color.

Editorial Reviews
From Horn Book As time runs out before Mother's Day, Charity tries to think of the perfect gift. After watching Mom juggle household tasks with calls from the office, Charity has an idea: on Mother's Day, she stops all the clocks in the house (and unplugs the fax and anything ''that beeps or bleeps or buzzes''), giving Mom a day of unscheduled time. The illustrations for this pleasant story reflect the busy lives of Charity and her parents. Copyright 1999 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Big and Little on the Farm (Golden Books Family Storytime, No. 7) by Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: Hardcover 32 pages Publisher: Golden Books Pub Co Inc; (April 1999) 0307102254.01.LZZZZZZZ (47091 bytes)

Book Description
Children learn the names of adult and baby animals on the farm. Artwork created by artist using handmade paper cut into shapes of animals and letters.

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Each pair of pages shows one big animal and its littler baby. This is hardly a new idea, nor is the farm setting, but the illustrations make this book particularly satisfying for use with the very youngest children. Bold background colors help highlight the paper-cut collages, made from crisp, textured papers. The animals, such as horse, cow, goat and goose, share a jaunty winsomeness, and each animal is large enough to fill most of the page inside the thick black border. This is a good choice for lapsitting story times, and the final spread, showing all of the animals (including the humans) together, will give children plenty of opportunity for pointing and naming. Susan Dove Lempke

Frozen Noses by Jan Carr, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding, 32 pages Publisher: Holiday House; (September 1999 0823414620.01.LZZZZZZZ (52949 bytes)

)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist The fun and frustration of a winter's day are energetically described in this brightly illustrated picture book: "Frozen noses / Tingly toeses / Sniffle, snuffle / Winter's cold!" Instead of using only standard picture-book words, Carr uses a rather sophisticated vocabulary. Words such as quiver, veer, and collide are folded so effortlessly into the rhyme that it seems a wonder such language isn't used more often in books for the very young. The collage illustrations, which appear to be paper or felt, feature a multiracial trio of friends whose brightly colored clothing contrasts nicely with the gray snow and sky. The book starts with a snowball fight and a sleigh ride and ends, as all winter days should, with a soothing cup of hot cocoa and a nap. Marta Segal

From Kirkus Reviews Colorful, full-page illustrations complement the text; Donohue's cut-paper collages incorporate a variety of textures to create vivid, dimensional images of the cheerful tots and their trusty canine companion. This exhilarating picture book joyously heralds the imminent arrival of winter. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Turkey Pox by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator), Laurie Halse Anderson Reading level: Ages 4-8
Edition: Paperback 32 pages Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co; (October 1998) 0807581283.01.LZZZZZZZ (54092 bytes)

ISBN: 0807581283;

Charity is disappointed when she comes down with chicken pox and will miss Thanksgiving dinner. But then Grandma arrives with roast turkey and four snowplow drivers! Full color.

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Anxious for her favorite roast turkey dinner at Nana's, Charity is up at dawn, scratching and watching as her family prepares for Thanksgiving. On the snowy drive to Grandmother's house, Charity's chicken pox is discovered, so her father turns the car around and heads home. The disappointed child is longing for her traditional holiday celebration when Grandma arrives with roast turkey and four snowplow drivers: she has offered them dinner in exchange for a ride to Charity's house. The bright watercolor paintings illustrate the story with warmth, humor, and a certain down-home zaniness. Featuring a satisfying story and appealing illustrations, this picture book is just right for reading aloud to classes in the fall, before the Thanksgiving holidays, and in the spring, during chicken pox season. Carolyn Phelan

Dear Daddy by John Schindel, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator), John Schibdel, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator), Abby Levine (Editor) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding Publisher: Concept Books; 0807515310.01.LZZZZZZZ (47435 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Jesse's daddy lives across the country, and the boy misses him very much. One day, after a phone call, Jesse becomes sad, so he writes his father a letter. When there's no timely response, an unhappy Jesse writes again. He exudes happiness when he finally receives a long, wonderful letter from his dad, who explains that he has been away. The next day, Daddy and Jesse talk on the phone and make plans for a summer visit. Although the story does have some minor unresolved points, the range of emotions Jesse experiences are realistic, and any child who is separated from a parent will easily relate. The soft pastel-colored illustrations rendered in watercolor and colored pencils complement the simple, reassuring story. April Judge

Believing Sophie by Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator), Hazel J. Hutchins Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: School & Library Binding Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co; ; (October 1995) sophie.gif (11223 bytes)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist This buoyantly illustrated picture book about a moral dilemma does a good job of maintaining the child's point of view. Everything's fine when Sophie goes to Mr. Luca's grocery store to buy chocolate for her giant cookies and cough drops for her father's throat. The trouble starts on the way home when the candy gets stuck in the spokes of her bike. Returning to the store, Sophie tries to buy more chocolate but is accused of stealing the cough drops. Determined to prove her innocence, Sophie triumphantly produces the receipt she has stashed away in her sock. The full-page colored-pencil-and-watercolor paintings are highly patterned with a good dose of exaggeration and new-wave flair. The picture-book crowd will need help with the recipe for Sophie's cookies, featured on the back page. Julie Corsaro

Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe by Susan Patron, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 9-12 0531054829_l.gif (30815 bytes)

Edition: Paperback Publisher: Yearling Books;
ASIN: 0440409691; (March 1995)

Hardcover: 87 pages Publisher: Orchard Books;
ASIN: 0531054829; (April 1993)

Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews The author of two delightful picture books brings her witty, believable dialogue and awareness of children's preoccupations to a chapter book. Here, the deft plotting of Five Bad Boys, Billy Que, and the Dustdobbin (1992) is secondary to the characterization of three sisters whose relationships with each other are thrown into relief when their single mother finds all of them a new, slightly larger apartment a few blocks away in their L.A. community. The focus is on PK, nine, an imaginative child who feels only somewhat oppressed by older sister Megan's superiority as certifiably Gifted and ``almost a teenager''; who regularly confides in her bike (``Bike''); and who regales little sister ``Rabbit'' with stories that she assures her she doesn't make up--she finds them in the laundry hamper. It's the little things that seem to matter when they move: the collections that are kept, the favorite shabby chair that's left behind, the realignment of sleeping arrangements, the built-in hamper back at the old place, which PK goes to visit in hopes of renewing her inspiration (a quest that's successful, thanks to her ingenious creativity and to the happy discovery of Josh, a compatible new tenant). Nice, bright, and beautifully individualized, PK and her sisters are a likable trio whose return will be welcome. Pleasantly understated b&w art. (Fiction. 7-10) -- Copyright 1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The Lemonade Babysitter by Karen Waggoner, Dorothy Donohue (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 School & Library Binding: Publisher: Joy St Books

Setting out to discourage her new babysitter from ever returning, Molly finds that she and Mr. Herbert from down the street might have a few things in common after all.

Editorial Reviews
From Horn Book Molly's stubbornness and unwillingness to like a new baby sitter is matched by Mr. Herbert's willingness to admit that he needs lessons in baby-sitting and to put up with Molly's energetic plans. The child-centered fantasy is suitably illustrated with cheerful pastel watercolor and ink drawings. Waggoner has created an endearing pair. -- Copyright 1993 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly ... Donohue's soft, sherbet-colored illustrations employ intricate patterns and designs--each section of text is headed by a tiny picture, while page borders and drawings alike twinkle with droll touches. As Mr. Herbert's amicable front neatly offsets Molly's transparent schemes, Waggoner's thoroughly winning story puts a playful spin on a timely theme. This lighthearted, quirky mix of text and art intimates that some of the best babysitters have really been there all along.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal.... the illustrations ... are bright, charming, and full of amusing details. A gentle message, well delivered. --Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dorothy Donohue looks forward to meeting and interacting with the children for whom she illustrates and writes her books. Her presentation will consist of 3 parts:

Copies of my books are available from the publisher at a discount for an author visit, or at your local bookstore.

Dorothy Donohue usually does 3 or 4 presentations during a school visit day.