Barbara loves language at play. When she was growing up her grandfather was a source of proverbs and folk wisdom. She didn’t always understand what these idioms meant, but a lot of them had to do with horses (“no sense in locking the barn door after the horse is stolen,” or “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”). As a child she at first took these sayings literally, looking everywhere for the lock, the barn door, and the stolen horse.

When she was older, Barbara began to notice that all children at first take proverbs and idioms to mean exactly what the words say: they haven’t had enough experience to grasp figurative language. But then she noticed that some adults didn’t understand what idioms and proverbs meant, either! She wondered if perhaps people were slowly losing their connection to expressions that embody hundreds of years of humor and wisdom.

Out of this background and these observations, Waltur Buys a Pig in a Poke and Other Stories (Houghton, 2006) was born, representing not only words at play, but also a return to Barbara’s love of early readers. Waltur received excellent reviews in School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews, as well as a starred review in Publishers Weekly. It was also listed as a CCBC Choices 2006 title. A sequel appeared the following year -- Waltur Paints Himself into a Corner (Houghton, 2007).

Barbara gives speeches and conducts writing workshops in both children’s books and adult fiction and nonfiction. Her programs, frequently presented at libraries, have consistently been listed as “Best of the Best.” For more information, please visit her website.

Contact Information:
Email: barbara@barbaragregorich.com
Website: http://www.barbaragregorich.com