Sandra Fenichel Asher

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Sandra Fenichel Asher is an American author and playwright, known most notably for her contributions to the fields of children's theater and literature.[1] She has written over 30 novels and stories, but is most well known for her plays such as A Woman Called Truth and In the Garden of the Selfish Giant.[2]

Education[edit]

Asher attended Indiana University where she completed a B.A. in English with a minor in Theatre in 1964.[3] In 1974 she received her Elementary Education Certification from Drury University.[3]

Novels and Stories[edit]

Young Adult Novels[edit]

Title Publication Year Notes
Summer Begins 1980 Later in paperback as Summer Smith Begins.[4]
Daughters of the Law 1980 [4]
Just Like Jenny 1982 Junior Library Guild Selection (1982), Mark Twain Award Master List (1984)[4]
Things Are Seldom What They Seem 1983 Junior Library Guild Selection (1983), Iowa Teen Award Master List (1987), Young Hoosier Award Master List (1987)[4]
Missing Pieces 1984 [4]
Everything is Not Enough 1987 Junior Library Guild Selection (1987)[4]
Out of Here: A Senior Class Yearbook 1993 YA Read-Alouds Too Good to Miss, Indiana (1996)[4]

Beginning Reader Series: Ballet One[edit]

Title Publication Year
Best Friends Get Better 1989[4]
Pat's Promise 1990[4]
Mary in the Middle 1990[4]
Can David Do It? 1991[4]

Chapter Books[edit]

Title Publication Year
Teddy Teabury's Fabulous Fact 1985[4]
Teddy Teabury's Peanutty Problems 1989[4]

Children's Picture Books[edit]

Title Publication Year Notes
Princess Bee and the Royal Goodnight Story 1989 Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith.[4]
Stella's Dancing Days 2001 Illustrated by Kathryn Brown.[4]
Why Rabbit's Nose Twitches 2004 Illustrated by Allan Eitzen.[4]
Too Many Frogs! 2005 Illustrated by Keith Graves.[4]

New York Library Association "Best of Season" Master List (2005), Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award Honor Book (2006), Keystone State Reading Association Keystone to Reading Master List (2006), North Dakota Flicker Tale Award (2006), South Carolina School Library Book Award Master List (2006), Texas Library Association 2x2 List (2006), Montana Treasure State Book Award Master List (2007), Wyoming Buckaroo Award Master List (2007), Georgia Picture Story Book Award Master List (2008), South Dakota Librarians' 100 Best Books for Children List (2008)[4]

What a Party! 2007 Illustrated by Keith Graves.[4]
Here Comes Gosling! 2009 Illustrated by Keith Graves.[4]

Books for Writers[edit]

Title Publication Year
Where Do You Get Your Ideas? 1987[4]
Wild Words: How to Train Them to Tell Stories 1989[4]
Writing It Right: How Successful Children's Authors Revise and Sell their Stories 2009[4]

Non-Fiction Books[edit]

Title Publication Year
The Great American Peanut Book 1997[4]
Discovering Cultures: China 2002[4]
Discovering Cultures: Mexico 2002[4]

Plays[edit]

Title Publication Year Publisher Notes
Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes 1989 Dramatic Publishing Company ATA Senior Citizens Project New Plays List (1982), Ellis Memorial Award Finalist, Theatre Americana (1987), Maxwell Anderson Playwriting Series: Best Play of New Season (1986)[5]
The Wise Men of Chelin 1992 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
A Woman Called Truth 1993 Dramatic Publishing Company National Playwrights' Showcase, First Prize (1987), Bonderman Award (1989), Joseph Campbell Memorial Award (1992), AATE Distinguished Play Award (1994)[5]
Dancing With Strangers 1994 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Sunday, Sunday 1994 Dramatic Publishing Company Little Theatre of Alexandria One Act Play Contest, First Prize (1983), Street Players Theatre Contest, First Prize (1989), Actors' Guild of Lexington New Play Festival Winner (1992)[5]
Once, in the Time of Trolls 1995 Dramatic Publishing Company Children's Musical Theatre of Mobile Contest, First Prize (1984), Dubuque Fine Arts Players Contest, First Prize (1984), East Central College Contest, First Prize (1993)[5]
Emma 1997 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from the Jane Austen novel of the same name.[5]
I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp 2000 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from the Larry Berger and Dahlia Lithwick book of the same name.[5]
Little Women: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy 2001 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name.[5]
Blackbirds and Dragons, Mermaids and Mice 2003 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Waiting for Bobo 2004 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
In the Garden of the Selfish Giant 2004 Dramatic Publishing Company Bonderman Award (2001), New England Theatre Conference Aurand Harris Award (2003), AATE Distinguished Play Award (2004)[5]
Romeo and Juliet - Together (and Alive!) at Last 2004 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from the Avi novel of the same name.[5]
Somebody Catch My Homework 2004 Dramatic Publishing Company Inspired by the poetry of David L. Harrison.[5]
We Will Remember: A Tribute to Veterans 2005 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Everything Is Not Enough 2006 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from her own book of the same name.[5]
Today I Am: Five Short Plays About Growing Up Jewish 2006 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Too Many Frogs! 2007 Dramatic Publishing Company Adapted from her own book of the same name.[5]
Family Matters 2008 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
To Life! Growing Up Jewish In America 2008 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Keeping Mr. Lincoln 2009 Dramatic Publishing Company [5]
Jesse and Grace: A Best Friends Story 2010 Dramatic Publishing Company Based on poems by David L. Harrison.[5]
The Ballad of Two Who Flew 1976 Plays Magazine [5]
Witling and the Stone Princess 1979 Plays Magazine [5]
The Golden Cow of Chelm 1980 Plays Magazine [5]
Who Will Bell the Cat? 1992 Scott Foresman Text [5]
The Wolf and Its Shadows 1998 Anchorage Press Plays AATE Unpublished Play Reading Project Winner (1994), Bonderman Award (1995)[5]

Critical reception[edit]

A Woman Called Truth, a play based on the life of Sojourner Truth, is perhaps Asher's most recognized stage-play.[6] The New York Times called it a "smart, strong play", stating that it "is bound to make young viewers believe that changes are indeed possible".[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Author Profile - Sandra Fenichel Asher". www.dramaticpublishing.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  2. ^ Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. vii, ix. ISBN 978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Sandra Fenichel Asher Papers 1976-2001". www.azarchivesonline.org. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. 369–370, 374–376. ISBN 978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Matetzschk-Campbell, Newman, Judy, John (2010). Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing Company. pp. 366–368, 371–373. ISBN 978-1-58342-674-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "NYTimes.com Search". query.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  7. ^ Leimbach, Dulcie (1991-01-25). "For Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
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