A
vibrant, beautiful, educated and dynamic speaker, Virginia Hamilton is a
master of her time. She
writes fictional stories, each very different
from another. For instance, most authors make their plots and characters
from different stories similar to one another. She makes each story very
distinct in itself. On average, she has produced almost a new book every
year since 1967.
Her maternal grandfather was a slave who escaped to Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Born in 1936, she was one of five children who grew up on the
family farm there. She celebrates both her African
American and Native American roots. Both her father and her mother were
gifted storytellers. A graduate of Antioch College, she married Arnold
Adoff, himself an award winning children's book
anthologist, poet and
author. They have two children, a daughter Leigh and a son Jaime. Her
hobbies are reading and surfing the Internet. She also enjoys swimming
and walking.(2)
Influenced by her parents' gifts in oral storytelling,
Hamilton is a big
fan of using traditional oral storytelling
methods in her writing. For example, in her book, Miz Hattie Gets Some
Company, the story begins with "Once upon time, when dogs barked in
rhyme," and ends with "So be it, bow bended, don't you know. My story's
ended." Children love hearing adults use oral storytelling because it
gives the characters personality and makes the story come alive. In fact,
if you think hard to your life as a child, you will also remember how much
more alive stories seemed. She has said, "I rarely think about
writing until I sit down to write. I know that sounds strange, but
all the 'magic stuff' is kept way deep inside and all comes out when
I'm ready to write.(1)"
One of my favorite books is The People Could Fly in
1985. This is
a collection of American Black folktales which were written for pleasure.
The book has twenty-four stories divided into four-sections: animal tales;
tales of the real, extravagant and fanciful, tales of the supernatural;
and tales of freedom. In addition to all of this, she understands that
not everyone will understand the language used in this book, so she
included a glossary. As a child, I would have my mother read me a story
every night. I could never get enough. Virginia Hamilton takes us on a
storytelling journey and our imaginations can really run wild.
Throughout these collections of stories, the lessons taught
use animals,
mermaids, witches, vampires, and "real women." She even includes a
familiar friend, Brer Rabbit [Buh Rabby]. Her Catskinella resembles the
character, Cinderella.
Because she is such an excellent writer, she has been honored
with many
literary awards, including the Laura
Ingalls Wilder Medal in 1995. This
award honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a substantial
or lasting contribution to children's literature. In 1974 she
received the Newbery Medal for M.C.
Higgins, the Great which is set in the hills along the Ohio River. A
young boy does not understand his father's great feeling for their
ancestral home and fears that an overhanging slag heap will kill the
family. She received the Edgar Allan Poe
Award for The House of Dies Drear in 1968. Readers
will learn a great deal of information about the Underground Railroad as a
young boy learns the secrets of the old Dies Drear house. Wonder Works
Family Movies has made an excellent adaptation of House of
Dies Drear. She has
been honored with the Coretta Scott
King for Her Stories.
Among her recent books are The World, Shopping
Bag,
Limelight Theater, The Runaway, The Field House,
The Gallery, The Rec Room, The Book Nook, The
Pizza Place, School, Hot Links, and Back to Your
Room.
I recommend all of her books to adults and children. Everyone
can get
something from them. As one young reviewer has written in reviewing
Many Thousands Gone, "I
felt like I was really there." A fine tribute to an outstanding
author.
[Back to Top]
Biography Links
Virginia Hamilton's Home
Page
Virginia
Hamilton
Past biography from Educational Paperbacks
Virginia
Hamilton
Biography from Children's Book Council
Virginia Hamilton
Biography; books.
Virginia
Hamilton
Biography; book reviews. From University of Omaha
An
Interview with Virginia Hamilton
From Amazon.com
[Back to Top]
Lesson Plans
Virginia
Hamilton From ERIC.
The
Family That Endured: An Historical View of African-American Families as
Seen
through Art and American Literature
Unit Plan. Fifth Grade. By
Jean
Sutherland.
From Yale New Haven Lesson Plans
American
Families: Portraits of African American Members
Unit Plan by Frances Pierce. Afro-Americans, Family Life. For
Grades 6 - 8. From
Yale New Haven Lesson Plans
Choose
Your Path
5th and 6th grade English and drama; folktales; "John and the
Devil's
Daughter" "Wiley, His Mama, and the Hairy Man" from The
People
Could Fly
References &
Bibliography
Hopkins. "Virginia Hamilton" in More Books by More People
New York: Citation Press, 1974.
(1)"Meet Author Virginia Hamilton" in Minipage, Universal Press
Syndicate.
Akosua Demann is an undergraduate student at
James Madison University.
Bibliography of her
works
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Children's Lit/Elementary Resources
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