Thomas Rockwell celebrates his birthday on March 13th. Rockwell moved from New York to rural Vermont when he was five years old. His father (Norman!) was an artist, his mother an unpublished writer, his older brother became an artist, and his younger brother, a sculptor. Thomas majored in literature at Bard College and worked for a gardening magazine in New York before moving to Poughkeepsie, NY to help his father write his autobiography.

Thomas published his first children's book in 1969, Rackety-Bang and Other Verses. It received such crushing reviews that his publisher declined his next book of verse. Rockwell switched to novels and How To Eat Fried Worms, published in 1973, won ten awards.

Over the years, Rockwell has taught, sold second-hand books, worked for War on Poverty, and tried sporadically and half-heartedly to write for television and advertising to support his passion.

—Karen Ritz