From School Library Journal
reSchool--This pleasant story introduces one of the first major milestones in a child's life. Billy is growing out of his crib, which he shares with a large collection of stuffed bears. He and his parents visit a furniture store where the boy enjoys bouncing and rolling on an array of mattresses. However, when a new, bright-red bed is delivered and set up in his room, he ignores it and chooses the familiar comfort of his crib. His parents wisely allow him to adapt gradually to the bed-he uses it to display his bears and for nighttime stories, but continues to sleep in his cozy crib. After a dream of growing too large for it, Billy decides he is ready for the roomy new bed. Clear watercolors depict a happy youngster and his patient parents. The sweet watercolor illustrations, worked in cheerful primary colors, tell the story well even without the words.
Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Phyllis exhibited artistic talent at the age of two and a half when she presented her mother with a drawing of a butterfly, followed by a man selling peanuts at a peanut stand. She was anxious to follow her older brother and sister to school in Stratford, Connecticut, where she was soon writing poems and stories to illustrate and give to family and friends.
As a child she was always curious about nature and enjoyed exploring in the woods behind her home. The Limbacher house was always filled with pets and an occasional wild, orphaned animal.
Phyllis was a voracious reader and loved her town library where she selected stacks of books for summer reading. She would often climb onto a branch of an old chestnut tree outside the library to read a book and study the detailed art of one her favorite illustrators like Arthur Rackham and Beatrix Potter.
After graduating with honors from high school, Phyllis attended Rhode Island School of Design where she received a B.F.A. as an illustration major. She spent her senior year in Rome as a European Honor Student. For her senior thesis she wrote and illustrated an eastern European folktale for children titled Sasha
Phyllis L. Tildes has worked as a designer for Hallmark and was the assistant art director for Hopkins Art Center at Dartmouth College after her graduation from RISD. She was a freelance graphic designer for over twenty-five years, doing everything from logos to opera and ballet promotion pieces.
However, she never lost sight of her original dream of becoming an author/illustrator and in 1995 her first children's book, Counting on Calico, was published. Since then she has published several other books ranging from pets and wildlife to ethnic tales. One of her more recent books, The Magic Babushka, evokes her own Russian heritage.
For many years, Phyllis has lived with her family in Connecticut. They have also lived in Nottingham, England and enjoy travelling to exotic places like the rainforests of Costa Rica. They live in Savannah, Georgia, where Phyllis enjoys birdwatching, gardening, writing, and expanding her artistic abilities.
