April Pulley Sayre
{{Short description|American children's book author}}
April Pulley Sayre (April 11, 1966 — November 6, 2021) was an American children's book author from the 1990s to 2020s. Before becoming an author, Sayre worked at the National Wildlife Federation and National Geographic Society. Sayre published series on the biomes and continents between 1994 and 2003. She expanded into picture books during 1995. With her picture books, Sayre primarily wrote about animals while also writing about food and the weather.
Sayre was on the ALA Notable lists three times during both the 2000s and 2010s. Additional lists Sayre's books appeared on during this time period include the International Reading Association and National Science Teaching Association. From the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sayre won the Children's Science Picture Book category as part of the 2006 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books with Stars Beneath Your Bed. She received the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for Vulture View in 2008. At the Indiana Authors Awards, Sayre won the Genre Excellence category during 2016.
Early life and education
April Pulley's birth occurred at Greenville, South Carolina on April 11, 1966.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Sayre, April Pulley 1966- |encyclopedia=Contemporary Authors |year=2009 |publisher=Gale Cengage Learning |location=Detroit and London |url=https://archive.org/details/contemporaryauth0000unse_l6g6/page/296/mode/2up |access-date=September 22, 2023 |editor-last=Fuller |editor-first=Amy Elisabeth |series=New Revision |volume=181 |page=296 |isbn=9781414419251}} Pulley became interested in literature and nature while living with her two siblings during her childhood.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=April Pulley Sayre |encyclopedia=Children's Authors and Illustrators Too Good to Miss |last=McElmeel |first=Sharon L. |year=2004 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |location=Westport, Connecticut and London |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781591580270/page/182/mode/2up |access-date=October 15, 2023 |isbn=1591580277 |page=183}} Growing up, she provided the pill bugs for her family's educational toys.{{cite news |last1=Billmeier |first1=Gina |title=Young authors meeting invites science writer |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=March 29, 1997 |page=A3}} Pulley "wrote bedtime stories for her pet rock" as a student.{{cite news |last1=Berner |first1=Nicole |title=Author explains where she gets all those ideas |work=The Indianapolis Star |date=November 27, 2002 |page=W3}} She had asthma until it stopped during her teenage years.{{cite news |last1=Applegate |first1=Debra A. |title=Team A gets out word on asthma |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=September 13, 1992 |page=G1}} By 2000, April Pulley Sayre completed her post-secondary education at Duke University and Vermont College.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=April Pulley Sayre |encyclopedia=Ninth Book of Junior Author and Illustrators |year=2004 |publisher=The H.W. Wilson Company |location=New York and Dublin |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9788242104335/page/476/mode/2up |access-date=September 27, 2023 |editor-last=Rockman |editor-first=Connie C. |isbn=0824210433 |page=477}} For her programs, she studied science and writing.
Career
During the late 1980s, Pulley worked at the National Wildlife Federation and National Geographic Society as an intern before her marriage.{{cite web |last1=Maughan |first1=Shannon |title=Obituary: April Pulley Sayre |website=Publishers Weekly |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/87867-obituary-april-pulley-sayre.html |access-date=October 15, 2023 |date=November 11, 2021}} In 1988, Pulley started a three-year position as an associate editor with the NWF. The year after, Pulley wrote a primatologist biography that did not get published. When April Pulley Sayre began re-experiencing asthma in 1990, she created Team A with her husband and wrote about childhood asthma.{{cite news |last1=Spencer-Mention |first1=Kathy |title=A Team Approach |work=The Greenville News |date=November 12, 1993 |page=1B}} In the early 1990s, Sayre wanted to work in biology during her writing career. From 1994 to 2003, Sayre published one series of books on the biomes and two series on the continents.Fuller 2009, pp. 297-298
She expanded into picture books in 1995 after being inspired during an authors' conference.McElmeel 2004, p. 184 By the late 1990s, Sayre had written poetry that was private.{{cite news |last1=Sanderson |first1=Katherine |title=Author: Hard work, knowledge part of writing |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=March 30, 1998 |page=sec. Hometown p. 1}} Up to 2018, Sayre primarily wrote about animals in over forty books. Some of these animals were the hummingbird, bumblebee and squirrel.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Sayre, April Pulley 1966– |encyclopedia=Something About the Author |year=2018 |publisher=Gale, a Cengage Company |location=Farmington Hills, Michigan and Chicago |editor-last=Stock |editor-first=Jennifer |volume=320 |page=176 |isbn=978-1-4103-2463-4}} Other topics Sayre wrote about include the weather and food.Fuller 2009, p. 297
As a fiction writer, Sayre released Noodle Man, The Pasta Superhero in 2002.{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Michelle P.G. |title=Browsing: Children's Books |work=The St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=July 28, 2002 |page=F11}} For her husband's co-authored book in 2015 titled Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest, Sayre helped conducted plant research during the 2010s.{{cite news |last1=Dits |first1=Joseph |title=Midwest wildlife guide |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=May 6, 2015 |page=A12}} That year, Sayre created The Indiana Chant for the 200th anniversary of the state.{{cite news |last1=Housholder |first1=Grace |title=Project promotes state bicentennial reading |url=https://www.kpcnews.com/columnists/grace_housholder/kpcnews/article_02f13aad-6acf-574f-b6cb-61e0c43c83b7.html |access-date=October 20, 2023 |work=KPCnews.com |date=November 9, 2015}} By the time of her death in 2021, she had "created more than 80 books for young readers".
Writing process and themes
To create her publications, Sayre conducted research before starting the writing process.{{cite news |last1=Deagostino |first1=Martin |title=The writing life |work=Muncie Evening Press |date=April 22, 1996 |page=2}} Some places she visited for her books include the Galapagos Islands and Madagascar.{{cite news |last1=Spalding |first1=Mary Beth |title=Inspiring the young to write |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=March 16, 2001 |page=D7}} Her books took a minimum total of one combined year to complete the planning and publication stages.{{cite news |last1=Russell |first1=Erika Schmidt |title=A writer's voice makes many noises |work=The Journal-Press |location=Aurora, Indiana |page=1-B}} In 2004, Sayre stated she was "rejected probably 500 times" during her writing career.{{cite news |last1=Koch |first1=Gail |title=Aspiring writers told to get used to rejection |work=The Star Press |date=July 30, 2004 |page=3A}}
For her books, she focused on making them sound good when read out loud.{{cite magazine |last1=Smith |first1=Julia |title=Instilling Wonder: Talking with April Pulley Sayre |magazine=Booklist |date=December 1, 2019 |volume=116 |issue=7 |page=49}} Sayre released Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Song of Whales, Elephants, and Birds after she used onomatopoeia in multiple publications.Rockman 2004, p. 476 During the 2010s, she included photos that she took in her publications.
Awards and honors
In 2001, Sayre became a multiple recipient on the John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers from the John Burroughs Association.{{cite book |editor1-last=Bayuk |editor1-first=Michelle F. |title=Children's Books: Awards & Prizes |publisher=The Children's Book Council Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0933633076 |year=2005 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrensbooksaw0000unse/page/44/mode/2up |pages=45–49 |access-date=October 20, 2023}} That year, her book Splash! Splash! Animal Baths was a Children's Choice for the International Reading Association.{{cite journal |title=Children's Choices for 2001 |journal=The Reading Teacher |date=October 2001 |volume=55 |issue=2 |jstor=20205029 |pages=173, 180}} With the American Library Association, three of her books were on the ALA Notable lists in the 2000s.Stock 2018, p. 175{{Cite journal |title=The Best, Notable, & Recommended From 2007 |date=April 2008 |journal=Teacher Librarian |page=8 |issue=4 |volume=35 |publisher=E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC |location=Bowie}} She was on these ALA lists three more times during the 2010s.{{Cite press release |title=ALSC names 2014 Notable Children's Books |date=February 5, 2014 |publisher=American Library Association |url=https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/alsc-names-2014-notable-children-s-books |last1=Schulte-Cooper |first1=Laura |access-date=September 22, 2023}}{{Cite press release |title=ALSC names 2016 Notable Children's Books |date=January 19, 2016 |publisher=American Library Association |url=https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/01/alsc-names-2016-notable-childrens-books |last1=Schulte-Cooper |first1=Laura |access-date=September 22, 2023}} With Vulture View, Sayre was given a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor in 2008.{{cite web |title=Theodor Seuss Geisel Award |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/12/all_years |website=American Library Association |access-date=July 9, 2023}}
From the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Stars Beneath Your Bed received the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books for the Children's Science Picture Book category in 2006.{{cite web |title=2006 Winner: Children's Science Picture Book |url=https://www.sbfprize.org/stars-beneath-your-bed |website=American Association for the Advancement of Science |access-date=July 9, 2023}} During the 2010s, her books were chosen as Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12 multiple times by the National Science Teaching Association in 2014 and 2017.{{cite web |title=Outstanding Science Trade Books For Students K–12 |url=https://static.nsta.org/pdfs/ostb2014.pdf |website=National Science Teaching Association |access-date=October 18, 2023 |pages=69–70 |date=March 2014}}{{cite web |title=Outstanding Science Trade Books For Students K—12: 2017 |url=https://static.nsta.org/pdfs/2017OSTB.pdf |website=National Science Teaching Association |pages=2, 6 |year=2017 |access-date=October 18, 2023}} Sayre won the Genre Excellence category as part of the Indiana Authors Awards in 2016.{{cite web |title=Previous Award Winners |url=https://www.indianaauthorsawards.org/the-awards/previous-award-winners/ |website=Indiana Authors Awards |access-date=July 9, 2023}}
Personal life and death
In 1996, Sayre moved to South Bend, Indiana and lived there until her 2021 death.{{cite news |last1=Mazurek |first1=Marek |title=Author who featured South Bend in children's books is remembered for making 'the area hers' |url=https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2021/12/02/april-sayre-died-leaves-legacy-intertwined-south-bend-indiana-author/8819744002/ |access-date=October 20, 2023 |work=The South Bend Tribune |date=December 2, 2021}} Sayre had breast cancer before her death during November 6, 2021.
References
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Category:National Geographic Society
Category:American science writers