Bethany Roberts


Barbara Snow Beverage, who uses the pen name Bethany Roberts, is an American children's author, known for her series of picture books informally marketed as Holiday Mice.

Personal life and education

Roberts was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. She aspired to become a writer from the age of six, and wrote her first stories at age eight; she was also a "neighborhood storyteller" and "a bit of a tomboy" while growing up.
Roberts graduated from Lyman Hall High School, then attended Bates College and received a degree in early childhood education from Southern [Connecticut State University].
She is married to Robert Beverage and has two daughters: Krista and Melissa. In 1994, she lived in Hamden, Connecticut.

Career

Roberts was a teacher and children's librarian before her writing career began. She taught children's literature at the Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury.
Her first book, Waiting-for-Spring Stories, came out in 1984. From the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, she and illustrator Doug Cushman collaborated on the informally named Holiday Mice picture-book series, which featured the title family of four—two children plus their mother and father.
As an animal lover, Roberts has included animal characters in many of her works, stating that they were "multicultural", highly relatable, and flexible in their use. "Many of story ideas," according to Gale's Something About the Author, "are generated from words that 'sound right' together, while others are inspired by her own experiences or by research."

Accolades

In 2001, Roberts' Gramps and the Fire Dragon was honored as a Children's Choice selection by the International Reading Association and Children's Book Council.

''Waiting-for'' series

''Holiday Mice'' series

The Holiday Mice books are illustrated by Doug Cushman and published by Clarion.

Standalone books