Monika Bang-Campbell

Background

Monika Bang-Campbell was born in 1975 in the United States. She is a daughter of an acoustics engineer, Richard Campbell, and an author and illustrator, Molly Garrett Bang.

Education

Monika Bang-Campbell studied at Wheaton College. She got a Bachelor of Arts. Also, Monika studied at Boston University, where she got a Master of Social Work.

Career

Monika Bang-Campbell is a professional sailor. She joined her mother, a well-known author, and illustrator Molly Bang, in creating the "Little Rat" chapter-book series. Molly helped her daughter to pay her way through graduate school in social work, and as a way of putting her humorous, idiosyncratic style of telling stories onto paper.

In the first series installment, "Little Rat Sets Sail," Bang-Campbell drew on her extensive experience as a sailor to add authenticity to this children's book about the sport, while her mother provided the illustrations.

Little Rat's adventures continue in "Little Rat Rides" and "Little Rat Makes Music," two further mother-daughter collaborations. Having overcome her fear of water, Little Rat must now face a fear of horses in "Little Rat Rides," but when she learns to communicate with Pee Wee the pony, she earns a ribbon at a local horse show. In "Little Rat Makes Music" the young rodent dreams of becoming a virtuoso violinist, but when she picks up the instrument, she learns that practicing is boring and playing is harder than she thought.

Achievements

• Monika Bang-Campbell is known as the author of the acclaimed Little Rat series.
  
  According to Martha V. Parravano in Horn BookIn Bang-Campbell writes "with a remarkable understanding of childhood feelings" in "Little Rat Sets Sail." Parravano noted that Bang-Campbell "captures the joys of sailing while presenting it in terms of a reluctant participant." Also giving "Little Rat Sets Sail" a favorable review, a Publishers Weekly critic described the chapter book as "a breezy junket for aspiring skippers and confirmed landlubbers alike."
  
  About the second book Joy Fleishhacker from School Library Journal noted that the author "skillfully captures" the young rat's feelings "as she takes on a new challenge, and [gains]... the self-assurance that comes with success." Reviewing the text of "Little Rat Makes Music," which like other books in the series is divided into eight chapters, Horn Book critic Lolly Robinson wrote that Bang-Campbell "sets a matter-of-fact tone that allows her flashes of humor to shine more brightly."

Works

More photos

• book

  • Little Rat Makes Music

    (In this third book of Little Rat's celebrated tales of tr...)

    2008
  • Little Rat Rides

    (Little Rat can't wait to ride a horse, just like her dadd...)

    2004
  • Little Rat Sets Sail

    (It's time for Little Rat to start sailing lessons. But th...)

    2003

Connections

Father:

Richard H. Campbell

Mother:

Molly Garrett Bang

Molly Garrett Bang is an award-winning children's book illustrator and author.