“A friend once told me that I should slow down
and take a rest from writing once in a while.
How could I? For me, writing is like breathing.
It's just plain necessary.”
Eve Bunting was born and educated in Northern Ireland. In 1958 she came to the United States with her husband and three children and settled in California. In 1969 she became a U.S. citizen. She has written more than two hundred books, though she didn’t begin her writing career until age forty. Her first book, The Two Giants, was published in 1972. “It was a story about Finn McCool, the Irish giant, and how he outsmarted Culcullan, the terrible Scottish giant,” she says. “I thought everybody in the world knew that story, and when I found they didn't—well, I thought they should.”
Since that first book, Eve has gone on to write many more, ranging from picture books to novels for young adults. Her honors include the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers; the Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People Award; the PEN Los Angeles Center Literary Award for Special Achievement in Children’s Literature; the Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People Excellence in a Series Award; the Edgar, given by the Mystery Writers of America; and recognition by the Commonwealth of Club of California.
Mrs. Bunting has taught writing at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is on the board of directors of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and The Writer magazine. She lives in Los Angeles .
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