You'll find a brief biography of Robert McCloskey here (click), and an interview here (click). I read Homer Price out loud a number of times, and the sequel, Centerburg Tales at least twice. The stories and illustrations are great fun. The "Donut Machine" story is the one everybody remembers, but there are lots of others that are just as imaginative - kind of a mix between Walter Mitty, Rube Goldberg, and Garrison Keillor. The last time I read the books, my stepson Josh was twelve. The story of Miss Terwilliger and her knit dress that unravelled provided a perfect level of titillation for a 12-yr-old boy's mind.

McCloskey also wrote and illustrated highly-acclaimed books like Make Way for Ducklings and Lentil and One Morning in Maine and others, but my favorites will always be the two Homer Price books. I hope my kids give me grandchildren some day, so I have another audience to read the Homer Price books to.

-Joe Offer-