David Harrison's first book for children (THE BOY WITH A DRUM), was released in 1969 and sold over two million copies. The first of his long list of awards came in 1972 when he received the Christopher Award for The Book of Giant Stories. Since then David has published 90 original titles that have sold millions of copies.

His work has been anthologized in more than 185 books, appeared in dozens of magazines, professional journals, and interviews in print and online, translated into 12 languages, and presented on television, radio, cassette and CD-ROM.

David's poetry inspired Sandy Asher's school play, "Somebody Catch My Homework," which is produced in the United States and abroad and received the Distinguished Play Award from American Alliance for Theatre and Education. Jesse and Grace, another Harrison-Asher collaboration, is a fourth-grade best friend's play in poetry that has been praised for its honesty of characters and use of art and music.

David's SKY HIGH ON READING program was the International Reading Association's nationwide winner in 2001. The Missouri Librarian Association presented him with its 2007 Literacy Award for the body of his work.

David has given keynote talks and presentations at more than 300 national, regional, state and local conferences across the country plus innumerable school visits and parent nights. He holds science degrees from Drury and Emory universities and honorary doctorate of letters degrees from Missouri State University and Drury University. David Harrison Elementary school is named for him and he is poet laureate of Drury. He lives in Springfield, Missouri with his wife Sandy, a former high school guidance counselor. They own Gamble's Gifts.

Books by David Harrison

Now You See Them, Now You Don't: Poems About Creatures that Hide

written by David Harrison with illustrations by Giles Laroche - Children's 5-9, Education, Poetry, Science