DyAnne DiSalvo

DyAnne DiSalvo (DiSalvo-Ryan) is an American artist and author of children’s literature, best known for her string of books which focus on building better communities, including City Green (HarperCollins, 1994) and Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen (HarperCollins, 1991).

DiSalvo was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where she felt at the age of eight that "I already am an artist". A "reluctant reader", she attended Fontbonne Hall Academy for Girls in Brooklyn, and studied art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Before illustrating children's books, DiSalvo worked as an artist for Hallmark Cards.

In 1982, she met then-Senior Editor Jane Feder at Harper and Row, now HarperCollins. After 22 years at Harper and Row, Feder opened her own eponymous agency representing children's book illustrators, and DiSalvo was her first client.

DiSalvo is the illustrator of more than 50 books for children. Her career began in 1980, with the publication of That New Baby (1980). She went on to illustrate The Bear Under the Bed (E. P. Dutton, 1980), The First Day of School (1981), Best Friends (1983), The Half Birthday Party (1984), Those Terrible Terwilliger Twins (Raintree Heinemann-Raintree, 1984), and Sam Ellis's Island (1985).

DiSalvo has illustrated for some of the most noteworthy authors in children's literature, including Beverly Cleary: Two Dog Biscuits (1986), The Real Hole (1986), The Growing-Up Feet (1987), and Janet's Thingamajigs (), Mary Pope Osborne: Mo to the Rescue (1988) and Mo and his Friends (Dial, 1989) Amy Hest: The Mommy Exchange (1988), The Best-Ever Good-Bye Party (1989), The Go-Between (1992), Jean Fritz: George Washington’s Mother (1992) and You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? (1995), Patricia Reilly Giff: Friends and Amigos Series (1995), Jane O’Connor: Kate's Skates (1996), Nina, Nina Ballerina (1996), Nina, Nina Star Ballerina (1997), and Nina, Nina Copycat Ballerina (2000).

Other illustration works include: Saturday Belongs to Sara (Bradbury Press, 1988), What did Mommy do Before You? (Albert Whitman &Co, 1988), Why is Baby Crying? (Albert Whitman & Co, 1989), The Christmas Knight (1993), Olivia and The Real Live Pet (1995), True Blue (1996), The Bravest Cat, a True Story About Scarlet (1997), Now We Can Have a Wedding (1998), The American Wei (Albert Whitman & Co, 1998), If I were President (Albert Whitman & Co, 1999), Is It Hannukah Yet? (2000), Our Eight Nights of Hannukah (2000), and A Doll Named Dora Anne. (2002).

In the summer of 2010, Grandma’s Smile (A Neal Port Book/Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, 2010) was released. DiSalvo and author Randy Siegel, then-Editor of Parade (magazine), garnered the 2010 Gold and Platinum Oppenheimer Award along with critical success including Booklist's review, "DiSalvo's mixed media illustrations capture the child's experience with emotional warmth and rewarding attention to detail".

Inspired by her experience as a volunteer at Chips Soup Kitchen in Brooklyn, she wrote and illustrated Uncle Willie and The Soup Kitchen (1991). Uncle Willie and The Soup Kitchen was awarded the 1991 Children's Book of the Year/The Child Study Association of America Book Committee, and Notable 1991 Children's Book National Council for the Social Studies / Children's Book Council United. The book was featured on the highly regarded children's television show Reading Rainbow in 1996, and in 2000, it was adapted into a children’s play at Puttin' on The Ritz Theatre in Oakland, New Jersey.

The success of Uncle Willie and The Soup Kitchen was the first with the theme of "Helping Neighborhoods, One Book at a Time". This series aims to empower young readers to make a difference in their communities through volunteer work, building community gardens, cleaning local parks, shopping locally, and even how to become involved with Habitat for Humanity International.

DiSalvo followed up with City Green (1994), a story about a little girl who helps turn a city lot into a city garden. In 2009, the illustrations in City Green were reconstructed in the form of a children's playground and featured at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden's Storybook Playhouse competition. The book was also turned into a musical and produced in Berkley, California by Stagebridge Theater Company. In addition to its several awards, the title was also featured on Reading Rainbow, and has been printed in the following editions: Scholastic Spanish, Scott Forsman School, HBJ School, Macmillan McGraw-Hill, and Silver Burdett Ginn School.

DiSalvo wrote and illustrated Going to Grandma’s House (1998) and A Dog Like Jack (2000), a story about a boy who celebrates the life of his dog and grieves his loss when he passes away. DiSalvo's third book in the helping neighborhood series is Grandpa's Corner Store (2001), a story about a little girl who pulls a community together to save their local grocery store. A Castle on Viola Street (2001) taught young readers how to get involved and change neighborhoods through Habitat for Humanity International, and Spaghetti Park (2002) encourages them to make a difference in their community by cleaning up local parks.

DiSalvo's first novel for young readers, The Sloppy Copy Slipup (2006) teaches third through fifth graders how to write creatively through the eyes of an elementary school boy who just got another zero on his rough draft assignment. This critically acclaimed and award-winning book is expected to have a sequel, also by Holiday House.

DiSalvo has traveled to schools around the world with her artist/author presentation, which is targeted for students K through 8, and focuses on the art of writing rough drafts and what it really takes to be a working artist. In the fall of 2010, DiSalvo presented at the United Nations International School of Hanoi in Vietnam.

The Sloppy Copy Slipup, (Holiday House), 2006:

A Bank Street Bank Street Library Best Children’s Book of the Year

Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Nominee 2010–2011

Garden State Children's Book Award Master List 2008–09

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List 2008–09

Young Hoosier Book Award Master List 2008–09

Rhode Island State Book Award Master List 2008–09

Great Stone Face Book Award Master List 2006–07

A Castle on Viola Street, (HarperCollins, 2001):

Notable 2001 Children’s Book National Council for the Social Studies / Children’s Book Council

Grandpa’s Corner Store, (HarperCollins, 2001):

Notable 2000 Children’s Book National Council for the Social Studies / Children’s Book Council

Congressional Commendation recipient from the United States House of Representatives, First District, NJ

2001 Puttin' on the Ritz Children's Theatre Production The Ritz Theatre Co. Oaklyn NJ

A Dog Like Jack, (Holiday House, 2000):

Gold Medal recipient of the Irma S. and James H. Black Award/Bank Street College of Education Bank Street Library

June 1999 Philadelphia Children’s Reading Round Table Book of the Month

Publishers Weekly starred review

City Green, (William Morrow and Company, 1994):

Notable 1995 Children’s Book National Council for the Social Studies / Children’s Book Council

2010 Stagebridge Theatre Production Welcome to Stagebridge!.

2009 Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

1999 Puttin' on the Ritz Children's Theatre Production The Ritz Theatre Co. Oaklyn NJ

1996 Reading Rainbow Selection

February 1996 Philadelphia Children’s Reading Round Table Book of the Month

Scholastic Corporation Spanish Edition

Scott Foresman School Edition

Harcourt (publisher) HBJ School Edition

Macmillan Publishers (United States) McGraw-Hill School Edition

Silver Burdett Ginn School Edition

Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen, (William Morrow and Company, 1991):

2000 Puttin' on the Ritz Children's Theatre Production The Ritz Theatre Co. Oaklyn NJ

1996 Reading Rainbow Selection

Notable 1991 Children’s Book National Council for the Social Studies / Children’s Book Council

1991 Children's Books of the Year/The Child Study Book Committee

The American Wei, (Albert Whitman & Co. Albert Whitman & Company: Publishing children's books since 1919., 1998):

1998 National Parenting Publications Awards

Now We Can Have A Wedding, (Holiday House, 1998):

June 1998 Philadelphia Children’s Reading Round Table Book of the Month

You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?, (Putnam Publishing Group, 1995):

ALA Selection

Olivia and the Real Live Pet, (Macmillan Publishers (United States) for Young Readers, 1995):

October 1995 Philadelphia Children’s Reading Round Table Book of the Month

The Christmas Knight, (Margaret K. McElderry, 1993):

December 1993 Philadelphia Children’s Reading Round Table Book of the Month

George Washington’s Mother, (Putnam Publishing Group, 1992):

February 1993 Philadelphia Children's Reading Round Table Book of the Month

• Munoz, Pam. "The American Wei (9780807503126): Marion Hess Pomeranc, Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 31, 2011. 
• Official Website "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved 2010-12-08.  Retained Dec 8, 2010

DiSalvo plays rhythm guitar for the power-pop rock and roll band Smash Palace. Signed by Zip Records in 1999, the band has toured the US and the UK and was listed on the BBC Liverpool's Best Top Ten Live Acts, 2006.

DiSalvo lives in the greater Metropolitan Philadelphia area in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. with her husband, guitarist and songwriter Stephen Butler. She is the mother of two adult children. Her son, John Ryan, is an educator/entrepreneur and co-owner of "These Guys Tutoring" in central Pennsylvania, and her daughter Marja-Lewis Ryan is the writer/producer/actor of the film, The Four-Faced Liar.