Betty Paraskevas
{{short description|American writer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Betty Paraskevas
| birth_name = Rita E. Paraskevas
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|04|08}}
| birth_place = Linden, New Jersey, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2010|04|07|1929|04|08}}
| death_place = Southampton, New York, U.S.
| children = 2, including Michael
| alma_mater = Douglass Residential College
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Writer
- lyricist
}}
| years_active =
| nationality = American
| notable_works = Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
The Kids from Room 402
The Tangerine Bear
| spouse = {{marriage|Paul Paraskevas|1956|2001|end=d.}}
| website =
}}
Rita E. "Betty" Paraskevas (April 8, 1929 – April 7, 2010) was a New York-based writer and lyricist best known for her work on Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, adapted into an animated television series and produced by the Canadian studio Nelvana.
Early life, career and death
Born in Linden, New Jersey, Paraskevas attended the Douglass Residential College and majored in chemistry.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/tv-writer-betty-paraskevas-dies-80-l01755|title=TV writer Betty Paraskevas dies, 80|author=Barrios, Jennifer|date=April 11, 2010|work=Newsday|access-date=April 27, 2023}} Before becoming a children's author, she worked for many years as a playwright and lyricist on Broadway, working with producer Harry Rigby on shows such as Sugar Babies and No, No, Nanette.{{cite news | last = Tagliaferro | first = Linda | date = May 19, 1996 | title = Writer Mother and Artistic Son Beget an Impish Offspring | work = The New York Times | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/19/nyregion/writer-mother-and-artistic-son-beget-an-impish-offspring.html?pagewanted=2 | accessdate = 2008-10-06 }}
She married Paul Paraskevas in 1956, with whom she had twins Judith and Michael.{{cite web|url=https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/starledger/name/rita-paraskevas-obituary?id=24901766|title=Rita Paraskevas Obituary|work=The Star-Ledger|date=April 9, 2010|access-date=April 27, 2023}} The couple relocated to Roselle Park, New Jersey where they raised the children. Paul died in 2001.
Betty Paraskevas moved to Southampton in the mid-1980s.{{cite news|last=McGrath-Kerr |first=Debra |date=September 24, 1995 |title=East End Toon Getting Life On TV |work=Daily News (New York) |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/1995/09/24/1995-09-24_east_end_toon_getting_life_o.html |accessdate=2008-10-06 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Her collaborations with Michael began in the early 1990s when Michael – already a successful illustrator –{{cite news | last = Stamler | first = Bernard | date = June 18, 2000 | title = Mother, Son and TV Animation | work = The New York Times | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/nyregion/mother-son-and-tv-animation.html | accessdate = 2008-10-06 }} encouraged her to write a story which he could then illustrate. They produced On the Edge of the Sea, which was published by Dial Books in 1992. Their second book, also written by her, was Junior Kroll. Published in 1993, it led to their first series. The pair produced over 20 books, three of which were turned into television series and aired on networks such as Nickelodeon.
Paraskevas died on April 7, 2010, from complications due to pancreatic cancer; in Southampton, New York, one day before her 81st birthday.
Bibliography
: With Michael Paraskevas, unless otherwise noted
- On the Edge of the Sea (Dial Books, 1992)
- Junior Kroll (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1993)
- Shamlanders (Harcourt Children's Books, 1993)
- The Strawberry Dog (Dial Books, 1993)
- Junior Kroll and Company (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994)
- A Very Kroll Christmas (Harcourt Children's Books, 1994)
- Gracie Graves and the Kids from Room 402 (Harcourt Children's Books, 1995) — adapted into The Kids from Room 402
- Cecil Bunions and the Midnight Train (Harcourt Children's Books, 1996)
- The Ferocious Beast with the Polka-Dot Hide (Harcourt Children's Books, 1996) — adapted into Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
- The Tangerine Bear (HarperCollins Children's Books, 1997) — adapted into The Tangerine Bear
- Hoppy and Joe (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1999)
- Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: The Big Scare (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1999)
- The Big Carrot: A Maggie and the Ferocious Beast Book (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2000)
- On the Day the Tall Ships Sailed (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2000)
- Nibbles O'Hare (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001)
- Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001) — adapted into Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
- The Green Monkeys (Paraskevas Gallery, 2002)
References
{{reflist}}
{{Portal |Children's literature}}
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Category:American children's writers
Category:People from Linden, New Jersey