Sally Cook


Welcome to my website! I hope you'll have fun learning a little bit more about my books, my family and me. Happy Reading!


Recently I found the quote below by Margaret Wise Brown, author of two of my favorite children’s books, The Runaway Bunny and Good Night Moon. Her feelings about children’s literature are similar to my own.

Ms. Brown writes, “I don’t think I am essentially interested in children’s books. I’m interested in writing and in pictures. I’m interested in people and in children because they are people—little people—keener in some ways than they themselves will be later on. And I am interested in simplicity. In children’s books all these combine.”

Before I started writing for children I wrote and researched articles concerning family issues for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Family Circle, Family Life, Parenting, McCall's, and Stagebill. I also had the opportunity to interview authors and illustrators like Eric Carle, Jon Agee and Jim and Kate McMullan. These artists inspired me and I couldn’t wait to start writing for children.

My first effort, Goodnight, Pillow Fight, illustrated by Laura Cornell was published by Joanna Cotler Books /​ HarperCollins and received starred reviews in Booklist and School Library Journal. Nick Jr. named it the best good night book in 2004. Here's a recent article in COOKIE MAGAZINE about using this book is as a birthday party favor.

Sleeper Hit: Pajama Birthday Party
Too young for an overnight party, a 5-year-old birthday girl culls the best parts of a sleepover for a daytime pj celebration.
By Rebecca Miller French

"Bedtime" Story

As the guests arrive, have them spread out their sleeping bags, then settle the kids in to listen to a reading of the birthday celebrant's favorite books. Pick up a copy of Good Night Pillow Fight, an amusing, beautifully illustrated tale about a city of kids whose parents just can't seem to get them to fall asleep at bedtime.

Please contact me at the scook1199@​gmail.com if you want to order the book for a party favor!

My second picture book Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball, co-authored by James Charlton and illustrated by Ross MacDonald, was published by Simon & Schuster in February 2007. It was chosen to be a Junior Library Guild selection and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly as well as an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award. It received a 2007 Parent's Choice Silver Award. The New York Yankees ordered 1000 copies of "Batta" for their opening day dinner in 2007 as a party favor. You, too, can order this book for a baseball-themed party by sending me an email.

I enjoy visiting schools and libraries all over the United States and abroad. My presentation often includes an art project and a slideshow,"Making Books." For more information about fees and booking dates please send me an email. (scook1199@​gmail.com)

picture book ages 6-10
Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball, Sally Cook and James Charlton,illustrated by Ross MacDonald (Simon&Schuster 3/07)
A Junior Library Guild selection
picture book ages 3-8
Good Night Pillow Fight, illustrated by Laura Cornell (HarperCollins)
Author Sally Cook teams up with New York Times best-selling illustrator Laura Cornell in this uproarious ode to parents who would do anything to get their kids to sleep--and to kids who would do anything to make the task, well....challenging.
young adult and adult nonfiction
Another Season A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son with Gene Stallings (Little Brown, Broadway Books)
As Coach of the University of Alabama's powerhouse Crimson Tide football team, Gene Stallings encountered plenty of tough situations on the field. But,in 1962, as a young assistant under Alabama's legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant Stallings was handed one of the greatest challenges of his life: his newborn son, John Mark, (Johnny) was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Doctors said he probably wouldn't live to see his first birthday. At a time when many families were ashamed of having children who were "different" doctors and friends urged the Stallings to institutionalize Johnny so he wouldn't be a burden. But, that was not an option for the Coach and his family. Johnny, now 44 years old, lives a full life with his family and friends. Wherever Stallings coached --at Texas A&M, with the Dallas Cowboys, or with the St. Louis Cardinals--Johnny was an integral part of the team, whether chatting with the linebackers in the locker room or cheering them on from the sidelines. When Stallings took over as head coach for Alabama, the Crimson Tide took Johnny to heart, and he has become a familiar figure to the legions of Alabama fans.