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Visiting Author Series
March 8, 2006, 1–2 p.m. ET
Moderated Author Chat
Mark Teague

Growing Up
Celebrated author and illustrator Mark Teague is a doodler, a scribbler, and a sketcher from San Diego, CA. Some of his earliest memories are of dictating stories to his mother, who would type them up for him; he would then draw illustrations to accompany his tales. But Mark never thought of drawing for a career — he has no formal art training — it was just something he did for fun. But then, while working on window displays at Barnes & Noble, he was inspired to try and create a children's book of his own. This book, The Trouble with the Johnsons, earned him a place in Publishers Weekly as one of the top new authors of 1989. Since then, he has gone on to write and illustrate numerous beloved children's books. Learn more about the author in Mark Teague’s biography.

books

About His Books
Mark Teague says his books always begin with words; he only begins to illustrate after he hears back from his editor. Mark tries to focus on common childhood themes and fears, sometimes making them bigger than they actually are so that the humor in every situation shines through. For example, the book Dear Mrs. LaRue is based on the typical story of a homesick child writing home from summer camp — except in this case, the homesick child is a clever dog writing home from obedience school! Learn about all of his titles in Mark Teague's booklist.
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illustration © Tyson Smith