This Goodly Land

Cindy Wheeler (May 17, 1955–present)

Alabama Connections

• Montgomery, Montgomery County: birthplace, early childhood residence
• Auburn, Lee County: education

Selected Works

• Wheeler, Cindy. A Good Day, A Good Night. New York: Lippincott, 1980. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. Marmalade's Christmas Present. New York: Knopf, 1984. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. Rose. New York: Knopf, 1985. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. Bookstore Cat. New York: Random House, 1994. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. Simple Signs. New York: Viking, 1995. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. The Emperor's Birthday Suit. Illus. R. W. Alley. New York: Random House, 1996. For younger readers.
• Wheeler, Cindy. More Simple Signs. New York: Viking, 1998. For younger readers.

Literary Awards

• Alabama Author Award, Alabama Library Association, 1986, for Marmalade's Christmas Present

Biographical Information

Cindy Wheeler was born in Montgomery, Ala., and grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Wise County, Va., and Henderson County, N.C. She attended Auburn University, graduating with a BFA in Graphic Arts in 1977. Wheeler’s first book, A Good Day, A Good Night, was a senior thesis project reworking a story she had created with her aunt, who was a first grade teacher. After graduating, Wheeler worked for a year at a Nashville bookstore. In 1978, Wheeler moved to New York City where she worked for the publisher Alfred A. Knopf and took graduate courses at the School of Visual Arts. A Good Day, A Good Night was published in 1980, and Wheeler became a freelance writer and illustrator of children’s books.

In the late 1980s, Wheeler and her family moved from their home in Cold Spring, N.Y., to Asheville, N.C., so that her children could be nearer their grandparents. Wheeler and her husband owned and operated a bookstore in Asheville that specialized in children’s books. She continued to write and illustrate books for children through the 1990s. In the early 2000s, Wheeler moved to Marin County, Calif., seeking expanded opportunities for work as a commercial illustrator. She began studying landscape painting, as well. She recently spent six months in South Africa working with endangered cheetahs and painting the African landscape.

Interests and Themes

Cindy Wheeler writes and illustrates books for preschoolers and early readers. Many of her books feature characters based on her cats.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.

Reference Book Chapters and Encyclopedia Entries

• "Wheeler, Cindy 1955-"; Something About the Author. Vol. 49. Detroit: Gale Research Company, . 204-206.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Wheeler.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.