The author and sometimes illustrator of over 80 (and counting) wildly popular books, Daniel Pinkwater is also an occasional commentator on National Public Radio’s All Thing Considered and appears regularly on Weekend Edition Saturday. His acclaimed books (many illustrated by him) include The Terrible Roar (1970), Blue Moose (1975), Lizard Music (1976), The Big Orange Splot (1977), The Wuggie Norple Story (1980), The Snarkout Boys series (The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death [1982] an The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror [1984]), Young Adult Novel (1982), Fish Whistle (1989), Chicago Days, Hoboken Nights (1991), The Education of Robert Nifkin (1999), Irving and Muktuk stories (Bad Bears Go Visiting [2000], Two Bad Bears (2002), Bad Bears in the Big City [2005], Bad Bears and a Bunny [2006], and Bad Bear Detectives [2007]), The Werewolf Club series (The Magic Pretzel [2001], The Lunchroom of Doom [2001], Meets Dorkula [2002], Meets the Hound of the Basketballs [2002], and Meets Oliver Twit [2005]), Bushman LivesMrs. Noodlekugel series (Mrs. Noodlekugel [2012], Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice [2013], and Mrs. Noodlekugel and Drooly the Bear [2015]), Bear and Bunny (2015), ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL (2020), Vampires of Blinsh (2020), Kat Hats (2022) and CRAZY IN POUGHKEEPSIE (2022). In 1989, Pinkwater along with artist Tony Auth produced the syndicated strip Norb for 52 weeks. The praised cartoon was collected by MU Press in 1992.

Pinkwater’s frequent NPR appearances include reviewing children’s books on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, “random” phone calls to Car Talk, and in the early 2000s, co-hosting (with Charity Nebbe) Chinwag Theater. In the early 1990s, he voiced a series of humorous Ford radio advertisements. Pinkwater has also contributed to New York Times Magazine, OMNI, Wondertime, and numerous other outlets.

All of us at Tachyon wish Daniel, everybody’s favorite lovable curmudgeon, a happy birthday. May it be full of snark, fun, and games! Lots of snark.