Welcome to Marianne's Web Site

Marianne Berkes has spent much of her life as a teacher, children's theater director and children's librarian. She is listed in "Something About the Author" and also in "Who's Who in American Education (2007.)

Marianne lives with her husband, Roger, on the east coast of Florida, where the cacophony of sounds she hears from the pond in back of her home served as the inspiration for her first book, Marsh Music published in 2000. She is a favorite presenter at schools and literary conferences, reading her award-winning books and talking about her publishing adventures.

Before moving to Florida 18 years ago, Marianne was an early childhood educator in New York, and also directed children's theater. Music, theater and writing have been a constant in her life and she puts all this to good use in her "interactive" children's picture books.

"I write about things that interest me," says Marianne. "And I love to do the research. For example, I have always been fascinated with frogs, and when I moved to Florida, I couldn't believe the variety of sounds that came from the pond in the back of our home. I recorded them. Then, of course, I needed to find out which frog was making which sound; that required a lot of research."

Marianne says she learns so much when she writes her books, and has always loved telling stories about animals and nature.

The idea for Marianne's second book, Seashells by the Seashore came when she was collecting shells at Sanibel Island in Florida. "I had never seen such a variety of shell shapes and colors in any one place," says Marianne. "It was amazing to me that the creatures living inside these shells could create such incredible works of art."

"I pictured children discovering shells that were bumpy or smooth, big or small, heavy or light--all very different and very special, just like them." The paperback edition of this book contains a tear-out identification card to enhance the hands-on lesson in nature's simple wonders.

Marianne's third book, Marsh Morning picks up where Marsh Music left off. As dawn appears a blackbird begins the first song of the morning. "I'm not an early morning person, but I had to get up before the birds to start this story. Once I got going, I loved recording the different bird sounds and doing the research."

Marianne likes to tell students how important doing the research is, and that all of her books are checked by experts. The frog book was reviewed by a herpetologist at The Bronx Zoo, her seashell book by a marine biologist, the bird book by a director of bird conservation with the Audubon Society, and her ocean book by the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center.

Over in the Ocean, in a Coral Reef is about sea creatures living in an ocean reef, and once again there is a lot to be learned. "There is so much about the blue planet that we still don't know. It's such an amazing place!"

When visiting schools Marianne wants to open kid's eyes to the magic found in our natural world, and "to touch the head as well as the heart. I want my books to educate, as well as entertain!" That's why she calls her books "faction," a combination of fact and fiction. "I have so many wonderful things I want to write about; ideas are all around us, especially in nature."

Her fifth book, Over in the Jungle, a Rainforest Rhyme, was released in March 2007. Please see www.dawnpub.com for the many wonderful reviews and awards this book has received, including an IRA Teachers' Choice in 2008 and a NYSRA nomination in 2009.

Marianne's sixth book, Going Around the Sun: Some Planetary Fun was released in March 2008, and was endorsed by the Hayden Planetarium in NYC. Her next book, Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Winds Blow was released in Sept. 2008. Both of these books have garnered accolades and awards. Due out in early 2010 is Going Home, the Mystery of Animal Migration and in 2011 Over in Australia, Animals Down Under .

GREAT NEWS!...Over in the Ocean, in a Coral Reef, is now on numerous state library recommended reading lists and the Bank Street College of Education Best Book List. The book has received many awards since it was published in fall 2004. In March 2006 it was released in a board book version for the younger set. In May, the Florida Reading Association named it their FRA Honor book for best Children's Picture Book, K-Grades 2 for the 2006-2007 school year. It was also a nominee in 2008-2009 for Indiana's 2008-2009 Young Hoosier Award.

More GREAT NEWS: "Over in the Jungle, a Rainforest Rhyme" is a 2008 IRA Teachers' Choice and is also a New York State Teachers' Nominee for their 2009-2010 Charlotte Award. Please see more information on Marianne's new blog.