Kate DiCamillo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to Florida at the age of five. A born storyteller, she always knew she wanted to write but didn't decide on children's books until she started working on the children's floor of a book warehouse. She attributes her skill at writing to being a constant reader and recommends that aspiring writers pay attention to the world around them and spend some time writing every day. Other titles written by Ms. DiCamillo include Because of Winn-Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and the Mercy Watson series. Her latest book is The Magician's Elephant. Ms. DiCamillo currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Awards & Honors for The Tale of Despereaux:
A complete listing of awards can be found at Candlewick Press.
Garden State Children's Book Award Winner, Fiction (2006)
Newbery Award (2004)
NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts (2004)
ALA Notable Children's Books (2004)
Parents' Choice Award Silver Honor (2003)
Booklist Editors' Choice (2003)
Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books of the Year (2003)
