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Florence Parry Heide

Born

in The United States

February 25, 1919

Died

October 24, 2011

Genre

Children's Books

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"What do I like about writing for children? Everything," says Florence Parry Heide, the award-winning author of more than sixty children’s books, including the classic THE SHRINKING OF TREEHORN, illustrated by Edward Gorey. "I like the connection with children," the author says. "I like the connection with all kinds of book people. And I like the connection with my childhood self, which is the most of me. It is the most welcome and familiar of worlds. There miracles abound--indeed it is magical that something I might think of can be put into words, stories, ideas, and that those words end up in the heads of readers I will never meet."

Florence Parry Heide wrote SOME THINGS ARE SCARY, a humorous look at childhood bugaboos, more than thirty ye "What do I like about writing for children? Everything," says Florence Parry Heide, the award-winning author of more than sixty children’s books, including the classic THE SHRINKING OF TREEHORN, illustrated by Edward Gorey. "I like the connection with children," the author says. "I like the connection with all kinds of book people. And I like the connection with my childhood self, which is the most of me. It is the most welcome and familiar of worlds. There miracles abound--indeed it is magical that something I might think of can be put into words, stories, ideas, and that those words end up in the heads of readers I will never meet."

Florence Parry Heide wrote SOME THINGS ARE SCARY, a humorous look at childhood bugaboos, more than thirty years ago. "I had finished another book and was in the mood to write something else," she says. "I decided to get some kindling from the garage, reached into the kindling box and--good grief!--grabbed something soft and mushy. I fled back to the house, scared to death." A brave return visit to the kindling box revealed the object of terror to be nothing more than a discarded wet sponge, but the thought remained: some things are scary. As she recalls, "What scared me as a child was that I’d never learn how to be a real grownup--and the fact is, I never did find out how it goes."

One thing Florence Parry Heide does have a good handle on is the concept of friendship, in all its humorous manifestations. THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR, a tongue-in-cheek tale cowritten with Sylvia Van Clief in 1967, pokes at the tendency of well-meaning friends to offer advice instead of help, and presents a valuable lesson about what true friendship means. "One of my many (true) sayings is ‘A new friend is around the corner of every single day,’ " the author declares. "Also true: Friendships last. And last."

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Florence Parry Heide worked in advertising and public relations in New York City before returning to Pittsburgh during World War II. After the war, she and her husband moved to Wisconsin, where they raised five children, two of whom have cowritten critically acclaimed books with their mother. Florence Parry Heide now lives in Wisconsin.
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Florence Parry Heide’s books

Average rating: 3.88 · 6,312 ratings · 1,094 reviews · 126 distinct works • Similar authors

	Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated by Florence Parry Heide, Lane Smith (Illustrator) 3.92 avg rating — 1,526 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide, Edward Gorey (Illustrator) 4.15 avg rating — 1,389 ratings — published 1971 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide, Judith Heide Gilliland, Ted Lewin (Illustrator) 3.85 avg rating — 469 ratings — published 1990 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Be a Hero by Florence Parry Heide, Chuck Groenink (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.23 avg rating — 451 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Treehorn Trilogy: The Shrinking of Treehorn, Treehorn's Treasure, and Treehorn's Wish by Florence Parry Heide, Edward Gorey (Illustrator) 4.45 avg rating — 244 ratings — published 1991 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic by Florence Parry Heide, Carson Ellis (Illustrator) 3.50 avg rating — 246 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Some Things Are Scary by Florence Parry Heide, Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) 3.69 avg rating — 212 ratings — published 2000 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Always Listen to Your Mother by Florence Parry Heide, Kyle M. Stone (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.53 avg rating — 194 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Treehorn's Treasure 4.13 avg rating — 164 ratings — published 1981 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sami and the Time of the Troubles: A Moving Story About a Lebanese Boy in a War-Torn City for Kids (Ages 4-7) by Florence Parry Heide, Judith Heide Gilliland, Ted Lewin (Illustrator) 4.02 avg rating — 165 ratings — published 1992 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Florence Parry Heide…

Series by Florence Parry Heide

The Adventures of Treehorn (3 books)
by

Florence Parry Heide

4.17 avg rating — 1,938 ratings

Spotlight Club Mysteries (16 books)
by

Florence Parry Heide

3.74 avg rating — 187 ratings

Brillstone (6 books)
by

Florence Parry Heide,

Roxanne Heide Pierce

3.21 avg rating — 19 ratings

Quotes by Florence Parry Heide (?)

“My name is Sami, and I live in the time of the troubles. It is a time of guns and bombs. It is a time that has lasted all my life, and I am ten years old.”
― Florence Parry Heide, Sami and the Time of the Troubles: A Moving Story About a Lebanese Boy in a War-Torn City for Kids

tags: bombs, children, guns, lebanon, violence, war

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“A problem isn't a problem once it's solved, right?”
― Florence Parry Heide, The Shrinking of Treehorn

tags: problem, solving-problems

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“I find a piece of wood that looks like a gun and help Amir find one, too.

"My brother has a real gun," he says.

We run, we hide, we pretend to shoot, we pretend to die. I see my mother at a stall buying flowers, and she frowns at me. She does not like for me to play this game.”
― Florence Parry Heide, Sami and the Time of the Troubles: A Moving Story About a Lebanese Boy in a War-Torn City for Kids

tags: children, games, guns, lebanon, playing, playing-war, war

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See all Florence Parry Heide's quotes »

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