Patricia MacLachlan was born on March 3, 1938, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was the daughter of two teachers, Philo and Madonna Pritzkau. As a child, she was intrigued by books. Her preference of reading was any type of book that dealt with dogs and especially Robert Louis Stephenson's Child's Garden of Verses (Sakaria par. 2). “In a way,” MacLachlan said, “my childhood was one long bunch of pages...I read and read and read” (Gosnell 6). MacLachlan's parents became two powerful driving forces in her life. They both urged her to read books, which they felt would lead her to discover a sense of self (Britton par. 6). She still has vivid memories of reading books with her parents, “We read them, discussed them, reread them, and acted out the parts. I can still feel the goose bumps as I, in the fur of Peter Rabbit, fled from the garden and Mr. McGregor--played with a great verocity by my father--to the coat closet” (MacLachlan par. 1). Not only did she act out the stories, but in turn they would influence or change the plot. Being the only child, she developed close ties to her parents and had a busy imagination. This vast imagination started brewing inside her at a very young age. MacLachlan had an imaginary friend, Mary, who had her own place at their dining room table. At this age, MacLachlan had no desire to be a writer (Britton par. 7).

After living in Minnesota for a few years, she moved to Connecticut to attend the University of Connecticut. In 1962, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The same year, she married a psychologist, Robert MacLachlan. She went on to teach English at Bennett Jr. High School in Manchester, Connecticut. MacLachlan later taught Creative Writing at Smith College. She then left her job to move back to Williamsburg, Massachusetts where she started their family. They had three children: two sons, John and Jamie, and a daughter, Emily. Even as a devoted mother, she still found time to serve as a board member for the Children Aid Family Service Agency from 1970 to 1980 (Gosnell 6). During this time, she also wrote a series of journalistic pieces concerning adoption and foster mothers.

Remarkably, Patricia MacLachlan did not start writing until she was thirty-five years old and her children were all in school. With her children being older, she decided it was time to approach her career from a different angle. This became the starting point of her writing career. MacLachlan started by writing picture books. Her first picture book was The Sick Day. She made the transition from picture books to novels with the encouragement of her editor and her strong commitment for literature. Arthur for the Very First Time, her first book, was published a year later. She discovered it was more difficult for her to write a picture book than a novel (Britton par. 11). MacLachlan overcame this by discovering her own unique style to create characters. She said, “I do not think up topics. They tap me on the shoulder.” Then she begins to have conversations with them and her stories emerge from this (“Meet the Author” par. 2).

Arthur, for the Very First Time and Sarah, Plain and Tall were both adapted into filmstrips with accompanying cassettes. Sarah, Plain and Tall was later made into a movie for television starring Glenn Close. Mama One, Mama Two, Through Grandpa's Eyes, and The Sick Day were all adapted to cassette as well.

Currently, she is living with her family in Leeds, Massachusetts. They also have a summer home in Cape Cod. She is back at Smith College teaching Children's Literature and is on the adult lecturing circuit.

Patricia MacLachlan has received many awards throughout her lifetime. These awards include: Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers, 1980, for Arthur, for the Very First Time; Notable Children's Trade book, National Council for the Social Studies and the Children's Book Council, 1980, for Through Grandpa's Eyes, 1982, for Mama One, Mama Two, and 1985 for Sarah, Plain and Tall; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, 1984, for Unclaimed Treasures; Golden Kite Award, Scott O’Dell Historical fiction award, one of School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year, and one of the New York Times Notable Children's Books of the Year, all 1985, Newberry Medal from American Library Association, Jefferson Cup Award from Virginia Library Association, Christopher Award, and one of Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year, all 1986, Garden State Children's Book Award from New Jersey Library Association, and International Board on Books for Young People Honor List nominee, both 1988, all for Sarah, Plain and Tall; Parents' Choice Award, Parents' Choice Foundation, 1988, for The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (Britton par. 1).

Works Cited

Britton, Jason. “Caleb’s Story.” Publisher's Weekly. Vol. 248. Issue 43. 22 Oct. 2001. 26. 9 Feb. 2003.

http://www.galenet.com/servlet/GLD/hits?c=1&secondary=false&origSearch=true &u=CA

Gosnell, Kathee. Sarah Plain and Tall and Journey. Teacher Created Materials Inc.: Huntington Beach, 1993.

MacLachlan, Patricia. 1999 update. Educational Paperback Association.

http://www.edupaperback.org/authorbios/MacLachlan_Patricia.html 9 Feb 2003.

“Meet the Author.” Education Place. 29 Jan. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Co. 29 Jan. 2003

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/maclachlan.html

Sakaria, Neela. Interview with Patricia MacLachlan. Meet the Author. Nov. 2001. 29 Jan. 2003.

http://www.bookwire.com/MeettheAuthor/Interview_Patricia_MacLachlan.html

By: Jennifer Dillon, Jessica Lineberger, Lindsay Sutton, Christie Hulsing, Emily Schauer, and Stacia Weilert