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Jim Averbeck
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Jim Averbeck was born and raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, a city built on seven hills of oak, maple, and walnut trees where he and his imagination could run wild. He loved to climb the trees and frequently threw himself from them when playing paratrooper or super-hero or gorilla. He broke his right arm three times in one year, causing his mother to bite her nails to the quick and his family doctor to say “tut-tut” as he built up each new cast from plaster-dipped bandages.
As an adult Jim continued his tradition of throwing himself blindly from the heights when he quit his well-paid engineering job and jumped from the shores of the United States to Cameroon, in West Africa. There he lived for nearly four years, working on water projects for the Peace Corps. He fell in love with the country, sampled the salty flavors of fried termites and crocodile, and learned how to say “Hello, I want one steamed bean cake, thank you,” in Bulu.
Upon his return, Jim plunged into the world of children’s literature, despite a minimum of formal training in writing or illustration. His first book, In a Blue Room, is a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection, a Publisher’s Weekly “Best Books of 2008” choice, and a CCBC “Best Books of the Year.” Jim’s second picture book, The Market Bowl, is forthcoming and is set in his beloved Cameroon.
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