Pen Name:
None
Genre:
Articles, Children’s, Middle Grade,
Poetry
Websites:
DavidLHarrison.com
Amazon Author Page
Social Media/Other:
Blog: DavidLHarrison.wordpress.com
Facebook: David.L.Harrison.37
Interview, Joe Pizzo, part 1: https://youtu.be/J1AI9glFcv0
Interview, Joe Pizzo, part 2: https://youtu.be/X7DhXNJCc4g
Wikipedia page: David L. Harrison
Contact Information:
davidharrison242@gmail.com
david@davidlharrison.com
Bio
David L. Harrison has been a musician, a scientist, an editor, a businessman, a poet, and an author. His 106 published books include poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers and educational books for teachers. He is the former poet laureate of Drury University and David Harrison Elementary School is named for him. A conference room is named for him in The Library Center in Springfield, Missouri, his work has been anthologized in more than 200 books, translated into twelve languages, sandblasted into the Burton Barr Children’s Garden sidewalk in Phoenix, Arizona, painted on a bookmobile in Pueblo, Colorado, and presented on television, radio, podcast, and video stream.
David has given keynote talks, college commencement addresses, and been featured at hundreds of conferences, workshops, literature festivals, and schools across America. He has edited two books by students called What I’ve Learned So Far and one book by Springfield community leaders called Our Good Community.
He holds science degrees from Drury and Emory Universities. Two universities have presented him with honorary doctorates of letters. Among dozens of awards, two of David’s books of poetry, Pirates and Crawly School for Bugs, represented Missouri in 2013 and 2018 respectively, at the National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. The Society of Midland Authors honored his book of poetry Now You See Them, Now You Don’t with its Children’s Nonfiction Literary Award for books published in 2016. In 2020 he received the first Laura Ingalls Wilder Children’s Literature medal for the body of his work. In 2023, he received a star for famous Missourians in the Walk of Fame in historic downtown Mansfield, Missouri. David lives with his wife, Sandy, a former high school counselor, in Springfield, Missouri.
Missouri’s New Poet Laureate!
In July 2023, Governor Michael L. Parson of Missouri appointed David L. Harrison as that state’s seventh Poet Laureate, for 2023-2025. As Poet Laureate, David will work with two audiences. “One is students, teachers, librarians, and parents,” he says. “The other is poets who focus on adult readers. Some poetry reaches both audiences more often than you might think!” Read the Missouri Arts Council’s full announcement here.
New Release: Nonfiction
Title: This Life: An Autobiography
Publisher: Ozarks Books, 2022
David L. Harrison is a native of Springfield, Missouri who has written over 100 children’s books in poetry and prose. Now, in his new autobiography, the author takes us back in time to his childhood and traces the evolution of a scientist turned writer. From Missouri to Arizona to Kansas, all the way across the globe to Malaysia, and spanning from the World War II era through 9/11 and on to the present, This Life chronicles the fits and starts, professional rejections and redirections, the inevitable personal life conflicts and tragedies, as well as the breakthroughs and triumphs in a career that has spanned seven decades…and is still going. Perfect for aspiring authors and fans of Harrison’s work as well as anyone who enjoys a tale of hard work, perseverance, and the joy of following your dreams.
Available for Sale
Poetry Anthology
Title: Art and Artists: Poems
Publisher: Everyman’s Library; First Edition (July 2012)
“It’s Me!” ♦ page 154
(On Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych)
A spacial poem about who the real Marilyn Monroe might be.
Art and Artists: Poems is a sumptuous collection of visions in verse — the work of centuries of poets who have used their own art form to illuminate art created by others.
A wide variety of visual art forms have inspired great poetry, from painting, sculpture, and photography to tapestry, folk art, and calligraphy. Included here are poems that celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, and Grant Wood’s American Gothic. Here are such well-known poems as John Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and W. H. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts,” Homer’s immortal account of the forging of the shield of Achilles, and Federico García Lorca’s breathtaking ode to the surreal paintings of Salvador Dalí. Allen Ginsberg writes about Cezanne, Anne Sexton about van Gogh, Billy Collins about Hieronymus Bosch, and Kevin Young about Jean-Michel Basquiat. Here too are poems that take on the artists themselves, from Michelangelo and Rembrandt to Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe. Altogether, this brilliantly curated anthology proves that a picture can be worth a thousand words—or a few very well-chosen ones.
Available for Sale
Children’s Books: Poetry
Title: The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet
Publisher: Holiday House, 2021
Genre: Nature/Science
Unearth the glorious mysteries that lie beneath our feet with 15 fun and fact-filled poems about soil — what it is, how it’s made, and who lives in it!
Spectacular vertical panoramas illustrating life underground accompany 15 funny, fascinating poems that explore dirt and the many creatures that make their homes underground. Spiders, earthworms, ants, chipmunks and more crawl across the pages, between stretching roots and buried stones.
This unique celebration of dirt — what makes it, what lives in it, and the many wonderful things the soil does to support life on our planet — is a whimsical, cleverly-illustrated pick for kids who love animals…or who just love playing in the mud.
Available for Sale
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Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
Title: After Dark: Poems about Nocturnal Animals
Publisher: Wordsong, 2020
Genre: Nature/Science
This collection of twenty-two poems explores the fascinating lives of North American nocturnal animals.
When the sun goes down, many animals come out. Crickets chirp their crickety song hoping to attract a mate. Cougars bury their leftovers for later, leaving few clues for others to follow. Armadillos emerge from their dens to dig for worms, leaving holes in the lawns they disturb. This collection of poetry from acclaimed children’s author and poet David L. Harrison explores the lives of animals who are awake after dark. Stephanie Laberis’s beautifully atmospheric illustrations will draw in readers, and extensive back matter offers more information about each animal.
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Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
Title: A Place to Start a Family: Poems About Creatures That Build
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2018
Genre: Nature/Science
A poetry collection introducing animal architects that build remarkable structures in order to attract a mate and have babies.
Many animals build something–a nest, tunnel, or web–in order to pair up, lay eggs, give birth, and otherwise perpetuate their species. Organized based on where creatures live–underground, in the water, on land, or in the air–twelve poems bring fish, insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds to life. Back matter includes more information about each animal.
Available for Sale
Amazon
Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
Title: Crawly School for Bugs: Poems to Drive You Buggy
Publisher: Wordsong, 2018
Genre: Nature/Science
This collection of laugh-out-loud poems explores the daily life of insect students and staff at Crawly School for Bugs.
Welcome to Crawly School for Bugs! Termites, stink bugs, gnats, and every insect in between attend this buzzy school where crickets take classes like “How to Be Annoying in 4 Easy Steps.” Some students struggle with the temptation to eat fellow classmates, while others deal with a mosquito nurse who always wants to draw blood, or attempt to make friends despite their own microscopic size. With funny illustrations by Julie Bayless, these humorous poems by award-winning author David L. Harrison are perfect for poetry fans and bug enthusiasts alike.
Available for Sale
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Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
Title: Now You See Them, Now You Don’t: Poems About Creatures That Hide
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2016
Genre: Nature/Science
Animals and insects use camouflage to hide from hunters or to ambush prey. Stealth is a very useful technique when it comes to survival. In this fun and informative collection of poems, we meet animals such as the polar bear and the octopus; the ghost crab and the copperhead snake; and many more that use camouflage to hunt or to hide.
Giles Laroche’s intricate cut-paper illustrations are beautiful and life-like. Readers will have to look carefully or run the risk of a hunter sneaking up on them.
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Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
More Children’s Poetry Books
- 1993 Somebody Catch My Homework
- 1994 The Boy Who Counted Stars
- 1996 A Thousand Cousins (with Mary Loberg)
- 1998 The Purchase of Small Secrets (with Mary Loberg)
- 1999 Wild Country
- 2000 Farmer’s Garden
- 2003 The Alligator in the Closet
- 2003 The Mouse Was Out at Recess
- 2004 Connecting Dots, Poems of My Journey
- 2005 Farmer’s Dog Goes to the Forest
- 2006 Sounds of Rain, Poems of the Rain Forest
- 2007 bugs, poems about creeping things
- 2008 Pirates
- 2009 Vacation, We’re Going to the Ocean!
- 2011 Goose Lake, A Year in the Life of a Lake; (e-book)
- 2012 Cowboys
- 2024 new collection in process at Charlesbridge
Children’s Books: Fiction
Title: The Book of Giant Stories
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; Reprint edition (2001)
What little secret would scare three terrible giants? Why would a giant tremble at the sight of a butterfly? Do giants throw temper tantrums? The answers to these questions are found in three mesmerizing tales of giants and a child. But the giants that crash and bellow through this book are unlike the giants of folklore. They behave in the most unusual manner, and find themselves in the most peculiar situations. What do these cantankerous, yet sympathetic giants have in common? They encounter a small little boy, who towers over the giants by way of wit and common sense. David L. Harrison’s classic collection, richly illustrated by Philippe Fix, has been translated into twelve languages and sold close to a million copies in it’s original edition. Now this Christopher Award-winning book is available again to a new generation of children.
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Title: Wake Up, Sun! (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2)
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; First Edition (1986)
When Dog wakes up early, in the middle of the night, he launches all the other farm animals in a worried search for the missing sun.
Illus. in full color. “A comedy about a menagerie of barnyard animals who mistakenly think the sun has forgotten to rise. Designed for children just beginning to read, the story’s vocabulary is simple, yet is smoothly written. A good choice.”–Booklist.
Wake Up, Sun! is in its 73rd printing and has sold more than 1.1 million copies.
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More Children’s Fiction
- 1969 The Boy with A Drum
- 1969 Little Turtle’s Big Adventure
- 1971 Lassie and the Big Clean-up Day (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1972 Lassie and the Secret Friend (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1973 The Little Boy and the Giant
- 1973 Piggy Wiglet and the Great Adventure
- 1974 The Love Bug: Herbie’s Special Friend (anonymously)
- 1974 Woodsy Owl and the Trail Bikers (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1969 The Little Boy in the Forest
- 1971 Smokey Bear Saves the Forest (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1971 Eloise and the Old Blue Truck (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1972 The Case of Og the Missing Frog
- 1974 The Huffin Puff Express
- 1975 Monster! Monster!
- 1975 Land of the Lost: Surprise Guests (ala Kennon Graham)
- 1975 The Pink Panther in the Haunted House (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1976 The Pink Panther in Z-Land
- 1976 The Pink Panther Rides Again (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1978 My Little Book About Flying (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1978 The Circus Is In Town
- 1980 Detective Bob and the Great Ape Escape
- 1981 Bugs Bunny, Escape from Noddington Castle (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1981 My Funny Bunny Phone Book
- 1986 The Snoring Monster
- 1989 Little Boy Soup
- 1994 When Cows Come Home
- 1997 The Animals’ Song
- 2001 Johnny Appleseed, My Story
- 2001 The Book of Giant Stories (reissued)
- 2001 Clifford and the Big Sleep Over (turned TV script into rhymed story)
- 2001 Clifford and the Doggy Detectives (turned TV script into rhymed story)
- 2001 Clifford and the Big Surprise (turned TV script into rhymed story)
- 2001 Clifford in Dogs and Cats (turned TV script into rhymed story)
- 2002 Dylan the Eagle-Hearted Chicken
- 2005 Miss Grub, Super Sub
- 2007 Piggy Wiglet (reissued)
- 2008 Paul Bunyan
- 2011 A Monster is Coming!
- 2013 A Perfect Home for a Family
- 2020 Rum Pum Pum
Children’s Books: Nonfiction
Title: I Want an Apple
Publisher: Holiday House, 2021
Genre: Anatomy/Physiology for Very Young
Your body is busy, busy, busy! Learn how it works in this funny-but-informative book.
I want an apple. Smart brain, help me find one. Sniffy nose, smell the apple. Bright eyes, help me see it.
Legs, feet, arms, teeth, tongue, tummy . . . and long intestine too . . . all snap into action when a child decides she wants an apple. A clever and humorous introduction to body parts and their function.
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Pagination
Title: And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins
Publisher: Holiday House, 2019
Genre: Nature/Science
Rumm . . . rumm . . . rumm. A male bullfrog sings. A female bullfrog likes his song. And a life cycle begins.
Eggs hatch and become tadpoles. The tadpoles nibble plants. They grow legs and start to breathe. Now they are little bullfrogs. They eat flies, fish, and spiders. In the winter they hibernate. And after three years, they are adult bullfrogs. Rumm . . . rumm . . . rumm.
Lyrical prose and elegant art depict the life cycle of a bullfrog in this nonfiction picture book by an award-winning poet-biologist.
Available for Sale
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Pagination
And your local bookstore.
More Children’s Nonfiction
- 1966 The World of Horses (with Mary Loberg)
- 1966 The Backyard Zoo (with Mary Loberg)
- 1966 The Kingdom of the Sea (with Mary Loberg)
- 1966 The Terrible Lizards (with Mary Loberg)
- 1969 About Me (Childcraft, Section I)
- 1970 The World of American Caves
- 1973 Let’s Go Trucks!
- 1973 Children Everywhere
- 1973 My Little Book of Cars and Trucks (aka Kennon Graham)
- 1975 The Busy Body Book
- 1981 What Do You Know!
- 1986 The Busy Machines
- 2001 Caves, Mysteries Beneath Our Feet
- 2002 Rivers, Nature’s Wondrous Waterways
- 2002 Volcanoes, Nature’s Incredible Fireworks
- 2003 Oceans, The Vast, Mysterious Deep
- 2004 Earthquakes, Earth’s Mightiest Moments
- 2005 Mountains, The Tops of the World
- 2006 Glaciers, Nature’s Icy Caps
- 2007 Cave Detectives, Unraveling the Mysteries of an Ice Age Cave
- 2010 Mammoth Bones and Broken Stones
- 2024 new title in process at Holiday House
Educational Resources for Early Literacy
Title: Partner Poems & Word Ladders for Building Foundational Literacy Skills: Grades K–2
Co-Authors: Timothy V. Rasinski and Mary Jo Fresch
Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources (2022)
Young learners can’t help but feel motivated when they’re reading a funny short poem or story with a partner. Follow this up with skill-building word ladders that focus on phonics and vocabulary, plus an engaging language arts mini-lesson on reading, writing, or word study, and you’ve got a comprehensive, strategic approach to teaching early literacy skills. This book provides essential practice in reading and writing the top phonograms that are most appropriate for young students.
Available for Sale
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Title: Partner Poems & Word Ladders for Building Foundational Literacy Skills: Grades 1–3
Co-Authors: Timothy V. Rasinski and Mary Jo Fresch
Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources (2022)
Motivate young learners to develop fluency with funny short poems they can read with a partner. Follow this up with skill-building word ladders that focus on phonics and vocabulary, plus an engaging language arts mini-lesson on reading, writing, or word study, and you’ve got a comprehensive, strategic approach to teaching early literacy skills. This book provides practice in reading and writing phonograms essential for learners who are ready to expand their vocabulary and experiences with print.
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Also available at Barnes & Noble and Pagination
More Educational Resources
- 1999 Easy Poetry Lessons that Dazzle and Delight (with Bernice Cullinan)
- 2003 Using the Power of Poetry (with Kathy Holderith)
- 2004 Writing Stories, Fantastic Fiction from Start to Finish: Grades 4-6
- 2009 Partner Poems for Building Fluency (with Tim Rasinski and Gay Fawcett)
- 2013 Let’s Write This Week with David Harrison (DVD series; guide book with Lauren Edmondson)
- 2013 Learning through Poetry: Short Vowels (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2013 Learning through Poetry: Long Vowels (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2013 Learning through Poetry: Consonants (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2013 Learning through Poetry: Consonants and Blends (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2013 Learning through Poetry: Rimes (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2016 Social Studies Literacy: Grades 4-6 (with Timothy V. Rasinski)
- 2017 7 Keys to Research for Writing Success: Grades 3-5 (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2020 Empowering Students’ Knowledge of Vocabulary (with Mary Jo Fresch)
- 2023 In process with Shell
- 2024 In process with Benchmark
