Gary Soto is an award-winning Mexican-American writer born in 1952 in Fresno, California. He began writing poetry in high school and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree. Soto has received numerous awards for his writing including the National Endowment for the Arts Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation. Some of Soto's most popular books for children include Chato Goes Cruisin', Chato's Kitchen, and The Old Man and His Door.

1. GARY SOTO Author Study by Denise Wright-Garcia

2. GARY SOTO Award winning Mexican-American writer

3. Quote of the Day What do you like to do? “ Read. It appears these days I don’t have much of a life because my nose is often stuck in a book. But I discovered that reading builds a life inside the mind. I enjoy biographies and novels and reading in Spanish. Also, I like theater, tennis, basketball, traveling (especially London) and working in the garden…sometimes.”

4. GARY SOTO BIO Born in 1952 in Fresno, California Father killed in factory accident in 1957 Gary Soto forced to become a bread winner for the family at a very young age Began writing poetry for fun in high school Began college at Fresno City College Then, accepted to California State University Graduated in 1975 from University of California, Irvine, Master of Fine Arts degree

5. AWARDS U.S. Award of the International Poetry Forum The California Library Association's John and Patricia Beatty Award Discovery-The Nation Prize Recognition of Merit from the Claremont Graduate School Silver Medal from The Commonwealth Club of California Tomás Rivera Prize National Endowment for the Arts Award PEN Center West Book Award Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association

6. AWARDS CONt California Arts Council Award Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation For ITVS, he produced the film The Pool Party, which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal

7. My Favorite Gary Soto Books Chato Goes Cruisin' "Ten best illustrated books," New York Times , 2005

8. Chato’s Kitchen "Soto commands a poet’s gift for defining characters quickly, densely and, in this case, with hilariously choice words." Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

9. If the Shoe Fits "…a gentle and honest story about a close-knit Mexican-American family." School Library Journal

10. The Old Man and His Door "It’s a story children will want to retell themselves." Kirkus "...preschool audiences will enjoy the humor and goodwill of the old man’s journey." Horn Book

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