Catherine Woolley
Personal Information
Description
Catherine Woolley, known also by the pen name Jane Thayer, was an American children's writer. Thayer wrote 86 books for children, many of which (The Blueberry Pie Elf, The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy, The Popcorn Dragon) have become classics. She was so prolific that her editor suggested she publish some of her works under a pen name. Thus, Woolley authored picture books under the name Jane Thayer, her grandmother's name, while writing books for older children and adults under her real name. A 1927 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, she worked as an advertising copywriter and freelance writer in New York City during the late 1920s and early 1930s. From 1933 to 1940, she worked as a copywriter in publicity for the American Radiator & Standard Corporation. She found a job as a desk editor for the Architectural Record and as a production editor for the Society of Automotive Engineers Journal in the early 1940s. By the time Woolley had advanced to the position of public relations writer for the National Association of Manufacturers in New York City, she had also begun writing and publishing children's books. Her debut, I Like Trains, appeared in 1944. She left her public relations job in 1947 to concentrate full-time on writing, though she occasionally taught classes and led writing workshops. Her many books written under her own name include the "Ginnie" and "Cathy" series. As Thayer, she wrote such books as Sandy and the Seventeen Balloons (1955), Quiet on Account of Dinosaur (1964), and Mr. Turtle's Magic Glasses (1971). Her last book for children, Clever Raccoon, came out in 1981. In 1989, The Popcorn Dragon (1953) was reissued. That year she also published her one book for adults, Writing for Children. Source: [Wikipedia](
Books
Ginnie and the mystery light
While spending the Christmas holidays with a friend in South Carolina, Ginnie determines to discover the source of a mysterious light in the neighborhood.
Cathy and the beautiful people
The problems caused by a rock concert being held near their small country town at first threaten to split Cathy's family but then unites them.
Cathy uncovers a secret
Twelve-year-old Cathy tries to discover the secret associated with her house after her curiosity is aroused by a ninety-year-old visitor.
Ginnie and the cooking contest
When Ginnie spots the newspaper headline announcing a juvenile cooking contest, she is immediately fired with enthusiasm and determination to win first prize, a trip to Washington, D. C. For weeks she pored over a multitude of cookbooks trying to find the ideal menu to submit and a superlative recipe to prepare the day of the contest. Although an experienced cook for her age, Ginnie begins to lose confidence as she samples her friends' mouth-watering dishes and cannot decide on her own entry. Even with her plans settled, Ginnie finds she has not allowed enough time to prepare her material. How she manages to enter the contest on time, and what happens then, makes a suspenseful climax to a warm, appealing story.
Libby's uninvited guest
The peaceful mood of Libby's Christmas holiday at Cape Cod changes when she begins investigating a mysterious intruder.
Schoolroom zoo
Third graders create a zoo for small animals in their classroom.
Chris in trouble
When her mother and older sister go away for the weekend, and she has an out-of-town guest, nine-year-old Chris is determined to stay out of trouble--but finds that she is problem prone.
Ginnie and Geneva
When Ginnie's family settles in a new home, she gets to go to a real school for the first time, only it isn't so much fun as she'd hoped.
Railroad cowboy
David was a young train lover who met an adult who was also a fan and part of a train club. David decides to start his own club amongst his young friends.
Ginnie and the Mystery House
Ginnie & her friends are terrified that the house, where a frightened older woman lives alone, is haunted.--goodreads**
A Room for Cathy
Children's family story. The first of the series about the Leonard sisters, Cathy and Chris. When the Leonard family moves to a big house in a country town near New York City, it seems that fourth-grader Cathy will finally have a room of her own after years of doubling with her little sister. But her dream is snatched away, and she has to learn to share her house with strangers.
Ginnie and Geneva cookbook
Collection of approximately fifty recipes of dishes that are referred to in the author's Ginnie books, including cheese souffle, apple pie, and popovers.
Ginnie and the mystery doll
The name of the doll was Lady Vanderbilt, and she was very beautiful. Her gown was of lavender taffeta, and around her neck she wore a pearl. When Ginnie and Geneva heard about her, they longed to see her, but the doll had disappeared thirty years ago and no one knew where she was. Then, suddenly, she appeared at a church auction, and for a tantalizing moment the girls thought she would be theirs. But a twist of fate took her away once more, and it required all Ginnie's ingenuity and determination to find the doll and solve her mystery.
Ginnie joins in
Ginnie wanted to have curly hair and wear frilly clothes but she looked better with straight hair and simple clothes. She hated to do things she couldn't do well, but got over this on a gala holiday where swimming was essential for the sailing she yearned for.
Cathy's little sister
Chris just adores her older sister, Cathy, but she also wishes she could have something special happen just for herself. This is the story of something really nice that did happen to her, and her realization that she is an individual and can have a life of her own
Libby shadows a lady
A mystery set in New York City where a girl inadvertently breaks up a kidnapping ring supplying babies for adoption.
Ginnie and the mystery cat
In Europe with her family and best friend, Ginnie has an uneasy feeling about the suspicious happenings that dog them across the continent.