Book Stack

Judith Viorst (born February 2, 1931) is an American author, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is perhaps best known for her children's literature, such as The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (about the death of a pet) and the Alexander series of short picture books, which includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), which has sold over two million copies.

Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968, Viorst signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, she turned to the study of Freudian psychology. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

Among Viorst's books for children is the "Alexander" series (including Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), whose narrator is a 5-year-old boy who lives with his parents and two brothers, Anthony and Nick, who are named for Viorst's own three sons. Viorst's books for adults include nonfiction psychology books such as Grown-up Marriage, Imperfect Control, Necessary Losses, and People and other Aggravations. Viorst is also a newspaper columnist and has written frequently for The New York Times and The Washington Post, and has been a contributing editor to Redbook magazine.

Excerpt from Wikipedia

Selected Works

1. The Wonderful World of Science
2. Projects: Space
3. 150 Science Experiments Step-by-step
4. The Natural World: A guide to North American wildlife
5. The Village Square
6. The Changing Earth
7. Sunday Morning

For children

1. I'll Fix Anthony
2. Try It Again, Sam: Safety When You Walk
3. My Mama Says there Aren't any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things
4. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
5. The Good-bye Book
6. Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest
7. Just in Case
8. And Two Boys Booed

Poems for Children and Their Parents

1. If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries
2. Sad Underwear and Other Complications

Alexander

1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
2. Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday illus. Ray Cruz
3. Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move
4. Alexander, Who's Trying His Best to Be the Best Boy Ever
5. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: A Musical
6. Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days: An Almost Completely Honest Account of What Happened to Our Family When Our Youngest came to Live with Us for Three Months

Lulu

1. Lulu and the Brontosaurus
2. Lulu Walks the Dogs
3. Lulu's Mysterious Mission

For adults

1. People and Other Aggravations
2. Yes, Married: A Saga of Love and Complaint
3. A Visit from St. Nicholas to a Liberated Household
4. Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life
5. Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow
6. Murdering Mr. Monti: A Merry Little Tale of Sex and Violence
7. Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggles With Power and Surrender
8. You're Officially a Grown-up: The Graduate's Guide to Freedom, Responsibility, Happiness, and Personal Hygiene
9. Grown-Up Marriage: What We Know, Wish We Had Known, and Still Need to Know About Being Married

Age-related poetry series

1. t's Hard to Be Hip Over 30 & Other Tragedies of Married Life
2. How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities
3. When Did I Stop Being 20 & Other Injustices
4. Forever 50 & Other Negotiations
5. Suddenly 60 & Other Shocks of Later Life
6. I'm Too Young to Be 70 & Other Delusions
7. Unexpectedly Eighty & Other Adaptations