| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A tireless traveler who has visited every continent, McGovern frequently incorporates her adventures into her books. Playing with Penguins and Swimming with Sea Lions were inspired by expeditions to Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands, respectively. Desert Beneath the Sea resulted from a scientific scuba expedition to the Red Sea, the Caribbean, and the China Sea with Shark Lady Eugenie Clark. And, for Questions and Answers About Sharks, McGovern took notes on her underwater slate with twelve sharks just inches away, after she took part in an underwater shark feeding in Papua New Guinea, where she was scuba diving.
But when McGovern visits schools to show slides of her travels and discuss how they provide ideas for her books, she emphasizes that inspiration can come from feelings and close-to-home experiences as well as far-off adventures.
McGovern grew up in New York City where she lives today. Her interest in books and writing began at an early age. "As a child, I developed a terrible stutter and never raised my hand in class," she says, "I became a writer to express the feelings that I couldn't speak about and an avid reader as way to escape a sad life."
Her formal education ended after her first year at the University of New Mexico, where the only "A" she received was in horseback riding. But McGovern believes her most valuable education has come form her travel experiences and scuba diving expeditions, along with the intensive research she does for her books.
McGovern credits her late husband, Martin Scheiner, with introducing her to many of the experiences that have come to influence her writing. "With Marty, I stopped stuttering, I learned to drive, scuba dive, sail, take risks - maybe too many - when lions growled outside our tent in East Africa and the time a shark got too cozy with me in the Great Barrier Reef," she says. "I plan to write about my journey to the North Pole, when the walrus poked its tusks into our rubber boat. I'll never run out of ideas - or memories!"
McGovern makes certain she visits schools and speaks to student as often as she can. "School children give me feedback that's wonderful for my work. Sometimes when I look at a sad, shy face in the audience, I see the lonely child I once was, and I hope that maybe my words can have some influence on a life. Making a difference in children's lives in why I plan to write until I am ninety."
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book for discussing loud and soft sounds,
By A Customer
This review is from: Too Much Noise (Sandpiper books) (Paperback)
As an elementary music teacher, I have found that Too Much Noise is an excellent story to read in music class when discussing dynamics (louds and softs) to first graders. After learning sound effects, i.e. "creaking","squeaking", "swish", "hiss" and animal noises, my students get swept up in the gradual crescendo of the story. The sudden quiet effect that occurs in the room when all the animals leave the old man's house is breath-taking and mesmerizing to the children. One can literally hear a pin drop. Such is the power of great story-telling!
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun for the reader and audience. Wonderful tale.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Too Much Noise (Sandpiper books) (Paperback)
This is one of my favorite children's books. It is a lot of fun to read and has repetative sounds that children love to hear. The audience of children can begin to anticipate what you are going to read and therefore participate in the reading of the book. It is also a classic tale as it reminds the reader and audience of how one needs to appreciate what one has, because it could be worse. A farmer complains to a judge that his house is too noisy. The judge instructs the farmer to obtain different animals one at a time until the poor farmer has a house full of a variety of animals. The judge then has some further instructions that in the end the farmer is very happy and content with how his home was in the beginning, and his home does not seem so noisy anymore. I would highly recommend this book for parents and teachers to read to children between the ages of 3-7yrs.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The absolute best!!,
By gmouse (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Too Much Noise (Hardcover)
This was one of my favorite stories as a kid, and still is as an adult. The text is easy to read with good repetition, without being dull. My daughter loves it as much as I do. As an amature storyteller, I can say this story is always a hit.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
See all 26 books citing this book
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
|
|
