Rosemary Wells

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." "When I was two years old I began to draw and they saw right away the career that lay ahead of me and encouraged me every day of my life. As far back as I can remember, I did nothing but draw."

Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books, ranging from board books to young adult literature. She has won numerous awards, and has given young adult readers vivid historical fiction like Red Moon at Sharpsburg and Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories, as well as great mysteries like The Man in the Woods and When No One Was Looking.

Her writing career has been a "pure delight," she says. "I regret only that I cannot live other lives parallel to my own. Writing is a lonely profession and I am a gregarious sort of person. I would like someday to work for the FBI. A part of me was never satisfied with years of tennis. I still yearned to play basketball."

Books by This Author

Ivy Takes Charge

Illustrated by: Jim LaMarche
Age Level: 6-9
Ivy lives on a Nevada ranch with her parents. During the summer of 1949, with her best friend gone, Ivy's gentle ways and affinity for animals leads to unexpected adventures and a job with a veterinarian, causing Ivy to dream of one day becoming one.

Max & Ruby's Treasure Hunt

Age Level: 3-6
Rain spoils Max and Ruby (and friends) outdoor plans but their clever grandmother's treasure hunt more than makes up for it. Clues in the form of traditional rhymes are numbered, hidden beneath small but sturdy flaps as well as in spot art are sure to make this a modern classic.

Max's Bunny Business

Age Level: 6-9
Ruby and her friend sell lemonade in order to buy matching rings. When Max's help is rebuffed, he sells leftover Halloween candy to Grandma in time to buy the last ring. Good-natured competition and lots of humor make this another Max and Ruby winner.

My Havana

My Havana

Product Description: "You're always drawing in that notebook of yours," Dino's friend teases. To the small boy, 1950s Havana is alive with color, music, and glamour, and he itches to capture it on paper. When Fidel Castro and the Communist Party take over the Cuban government, Dino's family must move to New York, where the lonely boy pours his heart into making a model of Havana's archways and balconies, buildings and streets. Rosemary Wells composes a tender ode to an immigrant boy who grew up to be a U.S.

On the Blue Comet

Illustrated by: Bagram Ibatoulline
Age Level: Middle Grade (9-14)
The Great Depression changed everything for 11-year-old Oscar and his widowed dad. Oscar's prized model trains are sold, his dad leaves Illinois to find work in California, and Oscar begins an adventure through time and places after he jumps onto a model train.

Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina

Illustrated by: True Kelley
Age Level: 6-9

Maria Tallchief shares the story of her childhood and path to becoming America's first prima ballerina. Growing up on the Osage Indian reservation, Maria was a gifted pianist and dancer, but at the age of twelve, her father told her that she must choose between dance and music. Maria chose ballet, changing the course of her life and the face of classical ballet in America.