Barney Saltzberg is an American author and illustrator of about fifty picture books for children. Saltzberg is best known for the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series, with over one million copies in print. Also, he recorded several albums of music.
Saltzberg's books have won numerous awards, including NAPPA Gold Awards, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Starred Reviews. Melinda Gates, General manager at Microsoft, chose his Beautiful Oops (2010) as one of the top three books every child should read.
Barney Saltzberg grew up in Los Angeles and Hollywood. His mother was an educator and study skills counselor at UCLA. His dad was a shoe leather salesman.
"My parents read a lot, and there were always books in the house. I took it for granted growing up in a house full of books. My mom didn’t believe in coloring books but would give me blank books, that I could fill out myself," says Barney.
Barney Saltzberg studied art at Sonoma State College in Northern California and, later, took a class at Otis/Parsons in children’s book writing and illustrating. There he created his first books, Utter Nonsense (1980) and It Must Have Been the Wind (1982).
His most famous books are Beautiful Oops! (about the freedom to make mistakes), Arlo Needs Glasses, Good Egg, Cornelius P. Mud, and Crazy Hair Day.
He won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio award in 1998 for The Flying Garbanzos and was a California Young Reader Medal finalist in 1999 with Mrs. Morgan's Lawns.
In 2012 he lectured in China and Russia through a cultural exchange program through the United States State Department.
In addition to writing, Saltzberg also composes songs, often performing concerts for children in schools, and libraries across the US.
Barney Saltzberg lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dogs.
