Sketches: Galumpagalooses by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
About the Author
Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the only child of Geneviece Lucinda and Loy Hamilton Jarvis, was born on December 9, 1915 in Houston, Texas. Eloise’s family moved to Oklahoma City when she was five years old. From an early age Eloise expressed an interest in writing. At age eight, inspired by the gift of a cedar pencil, she wrote a story entitled “The Cedar Pencil Boys”. Her story drew upon the magical adventures she read about in Frank Baum’s Oz series. Eloise believed that young authors would always emulate the authors they read, so it would become important to her, as an author, to give children quality material to imitate.
E. J. McGraw 
Eloise McGraw’s writing career began in 1943 when Parent’s Magazine accepted her first article. In 1945 she submitted a manuscript to a publishing house, but was rejected, though she did receive excellent criticism. In 1947 Eloise had a short story published in Jack and Jill. She returned to writing longer works in 1949 when major surgery forced her into idleness for six weeks. This attempt proved more successful and her career as a juvenile author started with the publication of her first novel, Sawdust in His Shoes. The book was a great success and was listed as a Junior Literary Guild selection.
When asked of her theories on writing, McGraw explained, “Writing is my natural gesture, as necessary to my well-being as breathing or eating. I never have a more specific purpose in mind than writing another book, exploring some character and situation that have captured my interest. But I have also been exploring my own emotions, clarifying my attitudes, sometimes resolving an inner conflict and coming to terms with a problem in my life.”
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What is Art?
Drawing Lesson
Create to Share
After treading the short follow up selection Different Ways of Seeing, watch this video to learn about creating a “Five Senses” display for your younger brother.
