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Photo of Helaine Becker

Helaine Becker

Author

Toronto, ON
M4N 2B3
Phone: 416 486 3391
Email: helbeck@rogers.com
Web: www.helainebecker.com

Born: August 9, 1961. Plainview, New York
Family: Married to Karl Szasz; 2 children, Michael (b. 1992) and Andrew (b. 1994)

Biography

Helaine Becker is an award-winning writer of books, articles, and educational materials. Boredom Blasters was published in 2004 by Mapletree Press and was selected as a Top Children's Pick by both BookSense and Indigo. It was shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Awards and was the winner of the Silver Birch Award for non-fiction.

Are You Psychic? (Mapletree Press, 2005), was selected as a "Top Ten Children's Book" by the Ontario Library Association and was shortlisted for Information Children's Book of the Year. Funny Business was published by Mapletree Press in September, 2005. Both Are You Psychic? And Funny Business are currently shortlisted for the Red Cedar Award. Like a Pro! (Mapletree, 2006) offers kids how-tos for 101 absolutely necessary skills, from how to skip a stone to how to survive on a desert island. New titles include Secret Agent Y.O.U., Mother Goose Unplucked and The Emperor Strikes Out, the fifth volume in a popular chapter book series, The Looney Bay All-Stars (Scholastic).

In addition, she is the author of nine phonic-based picture books published by Learning Resources (Vernon Hills, IL, 2004) for beginning readers. Titles include Rosa's Cold, Peanut-Free and Ben's Tent. Drew features a pre-schooler who is learning to skateboard; Twirly Girl is the story of a would-be ballet dancer who must buy new shoes.

She contributed to Learning Resources' Phonics Program (2005), writing poems and stories for beginning readers for whom English is a second language. Spelling Puzzlers for Grade 1 was published by Rigby Publishers in 2000. Collaborative Teaching in the Middle Grades: Inquiry Science was published in 2005 by Libraries Unlimited; Daily Skill Builders: Science and Technology was published in 2004 by J. Weston Walch.

Ms. Becker is a frequent contributor to major consumer publications such as Today's Parent and Canadian Living. She has taught a seminar in Writing for Children for the Canadian Authors Association and is in demand as a presenter and performer at schools across Canada. She toured the Yukon for 2004 Canadian Children's Book Week, and appeared on the Main Stage at Harbourfront's ALOUD Children's Festival.

Published Works

Children's Non-fiction

Mother Goose Unplucked, Mapletree Press (2007)
Secret Agent Y.O.U. 2006
Like A Pro! 2006
Funny Business 2005
Are You Psychic? 2005
Boredom Blasters 2004

Children's Fiction

Looney Bay All-Stars Fiction Series,Scholastic Canada:
Vol. 1 Pirate Power Play (2006) 64 pp.
Vol. 2 Attack by Knight (2006) 64 pp.
Vol. 3 Vikings Have a Field Day (2007) 64 pp.
Vol. 4 Explorers out of Bounds (2007)
Vol. 5 The Emperor Strikes Out (2007)
Vol. 6 Egyptian Slam Dunk (2007)
Read with Chirp 2006
Mama Likes to Mambo 2001

Poetry

Mama Likes to Mambo: A Collection of Verse, Stoddart Kids (2001)

Educational

Spelling Puzzlers for Grade 1 Rigby Publishers(2000) 96 pp.
John Brown: A Biography, Blackbirch Press ((2001) 104 pp.
Frederick Douglass: A Biography, Blackbirch Press (2001) 104pp.

Reading Rods Reader – Superdude 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Twirly Girl 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Ben's Tent 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Peanut-Free! 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Sheep Dee 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Lost and Found 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Socks 2004
Reading Rods Reader – Rosa's Cold 2004

Flip Over Math: Addition and Subtraction
Flip Over Math: Story Problems
Flip Over Math – Multiplication & Division
Decoding Math Vol 1. (2005)
Decoding Math Vol 2. (2005)
Decoding Math Vol. 3 (2005)
Graphing K-4 (2006)
Collaborative Teaching in the Middle School Inquiry: Science, Libraries Unlimited (2005) 200 pp. Daily Skill Builders: Science and Technology, J. Weston Walch (2004) 160 pp.

Awards

Secret Agent Y.O.U.
2006 Best of the Year – Resource Links
Top Ten Canadian Non-fiction Books for Children - OLA

Like a Pro
2007 Recommended – Canadian Toy Testing Council

Funny Business
Shortlist - Red Cedar Award 2007 Recommended Canadian Toy Testing Council

Boredom Blasters
- Indigo Non-Fiction Top 10 Children's Books, 2004
- BookSense Winter Pick 2004-2005
- Shortlisted – Silver Birch Book Award , 2006
- Shortlisted – Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2006
- Our Choice selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2005

Are You Psychic?
Shortlist - Red Cedar Award
2006 Canadian Children's Book Centre - Our Choice Selection
2005 Ontario Library Association - Best Bets List
Top Ten Canadian Children's Books; Children's Literature Roundtables
Shortlist - Best Information Book of the Year

Mama Likes to Mambo: A Collection of Verse
- Our Choice Outstanding Merit Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2001
- Ontario Elementary Teachers' Association, Recommended Summer Reading, 2001

Other Memeberships

The Writers Union.

Available For

Author Readings at school, libraries, museums, events! Always fun, always educational readings include puppetry and music.