“Amy ran at life full speed and heart first,” Maria Modugno, her editor at Random House, said in a phone interview. “Her writing was who she was.”
She started writing ad copy after graduating from Tufts University in 1987. After nine years at Foote, Cone & Belding (now FCB), Ms. Rosenthal was on maternity leave with her two toddler sons and infant daughter at McDonald’s when she experienced what she called a “McEpiphany,” deciding to become an author.
What she described as her plastic fork in the road led to countless dead ends, however, until she published “Little Pea,” about a pod denied his favorite dessert (spinach) until he finished all his candy (which he detested). The book received favorable reviews, and her course was set. Her other books included “Spoon,” “Duck! Rabbit!” and “Little Oink.”
I've only recently come across Rosenthal and her work, ironically, because of her passing. From the sampling I've read, she's one that spreads inspiration, even with three children in tow. Based on her obituary, even after her diagnosis, she still managed to produce seven more books.
Her favorite line from literature was in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," when Emily bids the world goodbye. She says, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?”
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