Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborneis an American author of children's books. She is best known for the award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series, which has been translated into more than 30 languages and has sold more than 130 million copies worldwide...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth20 May 1949
CountryUnited States of America
books discovered imagination looked number single somewhere wrote
I discovered writing children's books was a way to keep living in my imagination like a child. So I wrote a number of books before I started 'Magic Tree House.' Then, once I got that, I never looked back because I could be somewhere different in every single book.
brothers constantly dad games happened heard informed kids military nearly played post saw stories war
A military childhood in the 1950s was very much informed by WWII. My brothers and I often heard stories from our dad - and from other kids - about things that had happened to their dads. We constantly played war games and, nearly every Saturday, saw a different WWII movie at the post theater.
books house laura loved secret wrote
I loved Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote 'The Little Princess' and 'The Secret Garden.' And I loved the 'Little House on the Prairie' books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
love
I love using my imagination. I love writing about animals.
home
A vacation for me is when I'm home and I'm writing.
kids works
Sometimes when I go out on the road, I feel almost embarrassed or dismayed because I can't be the image of what kids want me to be. So I just try to be myself, and usually that works out OK.
castle dolphins ghosts run
With my writing, I can still play inside an enchanted castle or live inside an old fort. I can run from ghosts or ride dolphins any day of the week.
acted continued dreary free high imaginary life local places seemed shakespeare spending tennessee time visit whether williams worked
When I was a teenager, I continued to visit imaginary places by spending all my free time at our local community theater. Whether I acted in a play or worked backstage, the world of Tennessee Williams or Shakespeare always seemed more real to me than the dreary life of high school.
jobs children teaching
I love teaching. It's a job that lasts forever. Whatever you teach children today travels with them far into the future.
home writing miracle
Writing is a miracle. You can travel anywhere in the world, to any time and any place — and still be home in time to have dinner.
darkness faces chance
I have to keep facing the darkness. If I stand tall and face the thing I fear, I have a chance to conquer it. If I just keep dodging and hiding it will conquer me.
jobs believe journey
When we believe we have all the answers, we are not open to mystery. To begin a mystical journey, you have to start with a sense of wonder, of not knowing where you are going or how you will travel. The initial phase of alchemy is called the nigredo-it's the phase of darkness, when it's "blacker than black." You feel this when you start something new-go off to college, start a new job, travel to a foreign land, or end a relationship that is not working.
live-life doubt difficult-times
You have to be willing to endure the discomfort, the doubts and unknowing, you somehow find the courage to walk through your doubts and the difficult times because you are living the life you are meant to live.
historical-novels giving perspective
The historical novel gives us perspective on our modern lives and helps us connect with the story, which we are continuing ourselves.