Cronin had begun writing children’s stories years earlier, but was unable to find publishers who would accept them. She worked for several years as an attorney in New York City, specializing in commercial and civil litigation and arbitration with insurance, contracts, and torts. John’s Law School, where she met her husband, also a lawyer. Pursuing post-graduate study, Cronin earned a J.D. in journalism and went on to work in the publishing industry. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1988 with a B.A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATIONĬronin was born in Queens, New York, the daughter of a police officer, and was raised on Long Island. Her characteristic absurdist slant is prominently featured in her humorous take on the vagaries of modern politics in Duck for President (2004) and in her series of fictional picture book diaries, narrated from the unusual perspectives of some of the animal kingdom’s most underappreciated creatures, which began with Diary of a Worm (2003). Cronin has been widely praised for her cunning animal protagonists and sense of playfulness in creating laugh-out-loud stories for young readers. This whimsical story of farm animals who go on strike, proclaiming their demands to Farmer Brown in typewritten notes, was followed by Giggle, Giggle, Quack (2002), in which the animals make the most of Farmer’s Brown’s week-long vacation. Her debut children’s book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (2000), illustrated by Betsy Lewin, was named a 2000 Caldecott Medal Honor Book. Lawyer-turned-author Cronin is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her best-selling children’s picture books. For further information on her life and career, see CLR, Volume 105. The following entry presents an overview of Cronin’s career through 2008. Cronin) American author of picture books.

Giggle giggle quack