Mary Jo Reinhart

I have always wanted to write children's books. One of my first jobs was working at the library in my hometown of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. In the library, my favorite place was the picture book section of the children's department. I loved seeing the wonderful variety of cover art and titles. When I was returning books to the shelves using the author's last name, I imagined that someday someone would put away books with my name on them.

I went on to get a teaching degree from Chadron State College in Nebraska and sold computers when I settled in the Chicago area. When I began reading picture books to my daughers, I was reminded of my dream to write books of my own. The inspiration for my first book came from a nickname given to me by a special teacher.

When I was in school I was shy and didn't like to receive a lot of attention. In high school, I became more confident and wore a variety of hats. My algebra teacher called me "the Mad Hatter" and now, over twenty years later, Grinelda the Mad Hatter is my first picture book.

I'm working on several new picture book manuscripts and a Young Adult novel. I promise to update this site with any publishing news.


Thank you for visiting!

- Mary Jo

Write. Working to create a story and characters using just the right words is a wonderful experience. And editing those words, again and again, is also lots of fun. Don't just think about writing, write! You'll get better and you may surprise yourself when you find all the stories that are inside you waiting to be let out.

Get advice and support from other writers. Sharing your work with fellow writers and hearing their feedback is important. They will have valuable insights and will help you identify what you can improve. Work with your classmates or join a critique group. The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an international organization that offers great support for aspiring childrens' authors and illustrators. They will welcome you with open arms, support your efforts, and celebrate with you when your book is published. Also, for Northern Illinois/Chicago area writers, the Off Campus Writers' Workshop provides wisdom, motivation, and an amazing lineup of professional guest speakers.

Read. Reading will help you become a better writer and a better reader. Read fiction, read non-fiction, read the newspaper and read your horoscope. It may say that you are destined for great things! If it doesn't, create a new horoscope by imagining the best situation for you, writing it down, and then working to make your dreams come true.