Yates, Philip – Writer
Born a Virgo in Pennsylvania, Philip grew up in a show business family. His father, Edward Yates, was the director of American Bandstand from 1956 to 1973. He married Maria Beach, another Virgo, in June 1996.
Philip graduated from Widener University with a bachelor in Arts and later obtained a major in Theater Arts and playwriting. His many produced plays include REM, SPLITTING IMAGE, and CHARLIE COMPANY, for which he received a Council on the Arts Grant. A failure at stand-up comedy, Philip teamed up with fellow comic and author, Matt Rissinger, and together they have published over 14 books of humor for young children, including GREAT BOOK OF ZANY JOKES, BIGGEST JOKE BOOK IN THE WORLD, WORLD’S SILLIEST JOKES, and IT’S NOT MY FAULT BECAUSE.
His first solo picture book effort published by Penguin Books, TEN LITTLE MUMMIES, with illustrations by G. Brian Karas drew rave reviews from the critics. “The misadventures here will draw chortles from young readers,” commented Kirkus. Horn Book found TEN LITTLE MUMMIES “a cheerfully offbeat addition to the genre,” while BOOKLIST called the work “an excellent read-aloud.”
A resident of Austin for ten years, Yates is currently working on a young adult novel with the help of his two cats, Sam and Johnnie.