Twain

After teaching the works of Mark Twain to his students for many years, William Anderson was able to write about one of his favorite authors. RIVER BOY: THE STORY OF MARK TWAIN, is currently being readied for publication by Harper Collins Children's Books and will be available in bookstores in March, 2003

Although Mark Twain's life has been written about many times, it remains a perennial favorite. Often times when William Anderson speaks at conferences, he is told by elementary educators that "we need more high interest beginning biographies for our students in the early grades." And 'Children in second and third grades like facts; they often ask: 'Is this book true?'"

So RIVER BOY is such a book; an exciting story of the fabled life of a great author and a biographical source for all readers.

William Anderson always tries to make his writing subjects very human; after all, most everyone has the same set of basic needs and desires. A story he uncovered in research seemed too good to be true. After all, wouldn't we like money to flow our way when we need it? This is not a fantastical story of a money tree, but it is almost as good;

RIVER BOY will feature art by Dan Andreason, who received critical acclaim for his art in William Anderson's PIONEER GIRL: THE STORY OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER. Dan has also done book jackets for titles by William Anderson, and the two have appeared at various confereces together as an author-illustrator team. Dan's wonderful sense of historical times and his brilliant use of color should make RIVER BOY's adventurous story line glow with the full page illustrations.

William Anderson spent a summer in Concord, Massachusetts as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for Secondary Teachers. Under the direction of eminent Henry David Thoreau scholar Dr. Walter Harding, the group studied works of the Transcendental era, including Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and the Alcotts. The seminar provided much opportunity for doing primary research and absorbing atmosphere at such places like Walden Pond, Boston, Lexington and the museums and libraries of the vicinity. Each educator was able to include much of this rich experience in subsequent classroom teaching.

Later, Japanese writer-translator Yumiko Taniguchi interested a Japanese publisher in a book of Concord, Massachusetts writers, focusing on the well-known Alcott family. Amos Bronson Alcott was a visionary educator, writer and important part of 'The Concord Circle' of philosophers. His daughter, Louisa May Alcott, was one of the most prominent writers of children's books. Her works, including LITTLE WOMEN, LITTLE MEN, and JO's BOYS, are still enjoyed more than a century after they first appeared.

For THE WORLD OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, William Anderson studied papers of the Concord writers kept at Harvard University, and visited the homes and haunts of the Alcotts and their friends in Massachusetts.

David Wade, award-winning travel and commercial photographer, took spectacular nature photography of the Massachusetts countryside, as well as first time pictures of many manuscripts and memorabilia of the authors. From the old streets of Boston to Walden Pond to the homes of Hawthorne, Thoreau, and the beloved Alcotts, Wade's work makes this literary era come alive once more.

The book was released in Japan by Kyuryudo Publishing Company, and later by Harper Collins Publishers - in time for the American release of the movie LITTLE WOMEN, starring Winona Ryder.

The book was re-released in April, 2001 by Harper Perennial, and is available from your local bookstore, from amazon.com, or direct from the historic Alcott home at www.louisamayalcott.org.