Ethel Frances Pochocki was a children’s book author living in Brooks, Maine.
She developed a passion for books and writing working at the New York City Public Library. While raising eight children, she turned to writing in the early morning hours. Her writing career began when she won an essay writing contest about her experience taking in inner city kids with the Fresh Air Project in New York City. Through the 1960s and 1970s, she contributed numerous essays and poems to the leading Catholic publications of the time. Her award-winning books include her collaborations with Maine illustrator Mary Beth Owens, such as The Gazebo, Penny for a Hundred and Rosebud and Red Flannel. She also collaborated with award winning illustrator Barry Moser on Blessing of the Beasts and The Mushroom Man.
Her contributions to children’s literature were recognized by the Maine Library Association with the 2008 Katahdin Award for Lifetime Achievement and the 1991 Lupine Award for outstanding childrens literature. Her classic, Penny for a Hundred, was designated a notable book of 1996 by the Smithsonian Magazine.
Books in order of publication:
Once Upon a Time Saints (Volume 1) – 1977
The Attic Mice – 1990
A Penny for a Hundred – 1991
Rosebud and Red Flannel -1991
The Mushroom Man – 1993
Wildflower Tea -1993
The Gypsies’ Tale – 1994
Saints and Heroes for Kids – 1995
More Once Upon a Time Saints – 1998
A Writer’s Garden – 2000
The Gazebo -2002
Maine Marmalade – 2004
The Blessing of Beasts – 2007
Around the Year Once upon a Time Saints – 2009
Saints & Heroes – 2012
Oak Lawn Library Friends 