Who Is "Father Goose"? | children's author, childrens poet, school assembly, speakers schools assemblies, school author visits

National Endowment for the Arts, 1974
Alabama State Council on the Arts and Humanities, 1974
Mary Robert Rinehart Foundation, 1977
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 1984

Pulitzer Prize nomination, Returning to Earth, 1990
Writer’s Digest 1st Place Poetry Award, “Divers,” 1977
International Sakura Haiku Competition 1st Place Award, “October,” 1993
Alabama Library Association Book Award, Animal Trunk, 2000
Parents’ Choice Book Award, Animal Trunk, 2000
Southeast Book Sellers Association Notable Book Award, Love Poems, 2000
Alabama Literacy Association, Read Alabama Award, 2018
Jefferson County Public Library Association Award, 2019
Alabama Library Association Author Lifetime Achievement Award, 2020
Birmingham Festival of Arts Silver Bowl Award for Literature, 1988
Lee County Florida Star Teacher Award, 1972
Helen Keller Literary Award, 1993
Teachers’ Choice Award, My Little Planet (4-book series), 2013
Cybils Award, Animal Planet: Strange Unusual Gross & Cool Animals, 2016
Outstanding Science Trade Book Award, Animal Planet: Strange Unusual Gross & Cool Animals, 2017
Kirkus Starred Review, A Carnival of Cats, 2017
CCBC Best Books for Kids Starred Selection, Who Can?, 2018
National Book Festival Selection, Alabama: My Home Sweet Home, 2018
Reach Out and Read Book Selection, Alabama: My Home Sweet Home, 2019
National Book Festival Selection, The Night the Forest Came to Town, 2020
CCBC Best Books for Kids, A Parade of Puppies, 2017
CCBC Best Books for Kids, First Times, 2018
Accelerated Readers, Tiny Tales (4-book series), 2018
Green Earth Book Award, The Night the Forest Came to Town, 2019
Northern Lights Book Award, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Purple Dragonfly Book Award, First Place, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Best Children’s Books 2021, A Poem is a Firefly, 2021
Alabama Dept of Education, Reading Initiative Program, Alabama My Home Sweet Home, 2023
National Book Festival Selection, The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry, 2024
INDIES Finalist, Bound to Dream: An Immigrant Story, 2024
International Book Award, Sweet Dreams: Moon Poems for Bedtime, 2025

Honor Member, Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, 1977
Poetry Reading, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1984
Poetry Reading, Library of Congress, 1978
Poetry Reading, American Library of Paris, 2005
Poetry Reading, American School in Paris, 2015
Poetry Reading, American Mensa Annual Conference, 2007
Poetry Readings, International Schools of South America, 1998
Books featured on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” 1991
Books featured, PBS-TV, 2012, 2014, 2017
Books featured, NPR, 2006
Books featured, Reading Rainbow, 2007, 2008
Books featured, Scholastic Book Clubs Catalogues, 1999-2021
Books selected, Book-of-the-Month Club, 1999
American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists, Tickle Day, 1994
American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists, Riddle Rhymes, 1995
Kirkus Starred Review, A Carnival of Cats, 2015
Publishers Weekly Starred Review, Animal Trunk, 1999

Poetry Editor, English Journal, National Council of Teachers of English, 1973-74
Poet in Residence, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL, 1974-1993
Poet in Residence, Michigan Art Train, 1974
Poet in Residence, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1984
Poet in Residence, M.I.T. Endicott House, 1984
Poetry Instructor, Samford University, Birmingham, AL, 1985
Correspondent, Writer’s Digest Magazine, 1989
Founding Board Member, Alabama Center for the Book, 2002
Founding Board Member, Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama, 2003
Poetry Judge, Birmingham News Annual Poetry Contest for Children, 1999-2001
Editorial Board, U.S. Kids Magazines, 2009
Advisor, Board of Directors, Alabama Interstate Character Council, 2013
Writer, Monthly Poetry Column, Cricket Media, 2015-2019
Writer, Monthly Poetry Party Feature, Birmingham Parent Magazine, 2015-2019
Nationally Syndicated Writer, Tribune Media Services, Daily Light Verse Feature, Snickers, 1993-1998
Sunday Feature Writer, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Mobile Press-Register, Goal Minds, 2021
Writer, director, performer, “Cabbages and Kings,” Alabama Educational Television, 1976
President, Circle K International, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL 1965
Vice President, Circle K International, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 1966
Teacher, English and Creative Writing, Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, FL 1967-1973
Instructor, Creative Writing, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL, 1973
Co-founder, Gulf Coast Writers Guild, Fort Myers, FL, 1968
Actor, Edison Players, Fort Myers, FL, 1968-1972
Actor, Asolo State Theatre, Sarasota, FL, 1972

B.A., English, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 1967
MEd, English Education, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 1970
Post Graduate, English and Creative Writing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 1973-74

Author of more than 5,000 poems, 2020
Author of more than 100 books and 150 anthologies, 2025
Author of “World’s Shortest Poem,” 2006

Charles Ghigna - Father Goose® lives in a tree house in the middle of Alabama.
He is a poet, children’s author, nationally syndicated feature writer, and the author
of more than 5000 poems and 250 books and anthologies for children and adults from

the 1990 Pulitzer Prize nominee Returning to Earth to the popular children's books

The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Poems illustrated by Eric Carle

and The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry: 101 Poems for Children.

His books are published by Random House, Simon & Schuster and Disney.
His poems for adults have been published in numerous journals and magazines including
Harper’s, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Saturday Evening Post and The Wall Street Journal.
His poems for children appear in Highlights for Children, Cricket, Ranger Rick, Humpty Dumpty,
Jack and Jill, Spider, Ladybug, Babybug, Caterpillar, Children’s Digest and The School Magazine.

Ghigna served as poet-in-residence at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, instructor of creative writing
at Samford University, and has received fellowship grants and various awards and recognitions
from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Mary Roberts Rinehart Foundation,
the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Library of Congress.
A popular speaker at schools, conferences, libraries, he has spoken at the American Library in Paris,

and at schools and conferences in South America, Alaska, and throughout the U.S. and overseas.

FUN FACT: Father Goose does NOT own a cell phone!