Robert Kimmel Smith

Who is Robert Kimmel Smith?

Robert Kimmel Smith is a novelist and award-winning American children's author.

Between 1957 and 1965, he was a copywriter at an ad agency, and was a partner and creative director at Smith and Toback from 1967 to 1970. In 1970 he became a full-time writer; his first children's book, Chocolate Fever, was published in 1972. His other works for young readers include Jelly Belly and The War with Grandpa.

He started writing stories for young readers "by accident". He told his daughter bed-time stories and then he wrote them. That led to his first book Chocolate Fever. He gets his inspiration from his own life. Jelly Belly refers to his own life when he was the fattest kid in school.

Smith also penned several novels for adults, most notably Sadie Shapiro's Knitting Book, and its two sequels Sadie Shapiro in Miami and Sadie Shapiro, Matchmaker; as well as Jane's House. The latter was made into a 1994 television movie of the same name, starring James Woods and Anne Archer. Won the Massachusetts children's book award.