Rita Golden Gelman family owned a small pharmacy and she spent lots of time in the store, helping out. As a teenager, she worked at the soda fountain in the store. Her favorite part of the job was interacting with the customers, who came in many sizes, shapes, accents and styles.

Rita Golden Gelman attended Beardsley Elementary School, Harding High School for her freshman year and Bassick High School for her last three years. She graduated from Bassick in 1954 and went to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she gained her B.A. in English and American Literature in 1958. Many years later she studied anthropology at UCLA.

After graduating from college, she moved to New York where she worked as a file clerk for the magazine FOR YOUNG NEW YORKERS. Eventually she became a writer for the magazine until it folded. After that, she freelanced writing whatever she could get paid for.

In 1960, she married. She then was the editor for an anthology of children’s books until she had children. Her son, Mitch, was born in 1962 and her daughter, Jan, was born in 1963. After having children, she was a stay at home mom.

Her first book, DUMB JOEY, was published in 1972. The book was about a group of kids in New York City who have nowhere to play.

In 1986, at the age of 48, on the verge of divorce, she decided there had to be more than one way to ‘do life’. She sold or gave away all her possessions and began to travel the world. She settles in wherever she goes, long enough to get to know the people and their customs. She describes herself as a modern day nomad, with no permanent home or address.

• More Spaghetti, I Say , Mort Gerberg (Illustrator), Oct. 1999

• Doodler Doodling , Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator), Aug. 2004

• Quiero Mas Fideos! ,April 2003

• Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World ,May 2001,

• Hello Cat, You Need a Hat ,October 2001

• Rice Is Life ,Yangsook Choi (Illustrator), May 2000

• Mole in a Hole, Holly Hannon (Illustrator) May 2000

• Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelman Oct 1999

• Why Can't I Fly? ,October 1999,

• Body Battles ,Elroy Freem (Illustrator), October 1999,

• Monkey Grows Up ,October 1999,

• Wet Cats Eric Gurney (Illustrator, May 1999)

• Queen Esther Saves Her People , Frane Lessac (Illustrator), February 1998,

• Que Son Los Cientificos? : Que Hacen Ellos? Vamos a Descubrirlo,Mark Teague (Illustrator), , Susan Kovacs Buxbaum,June 1995,

• Batallas Del Cuerpo ,Elroy Freem (Illustrator) May 1995

• I Went to the Zoo , Maryann Kovalski (Illustrator )September 1993,

• Una Monita Crece/a Monkey Grows Up , Gioia Fiammenghi (Illustrator), March 1995,

• Body Detectives : A Book About the Five Senses , Elroy Freem (Illustrator),September 1994

• Quiero Mas Fideos ,Mort Gerberg (Illustrator), June 1994

• A Panda Grows Up by Mary Morgan (Illustrator), February 1993,

• More Spaghetti, I Say ,January 1993

• Batallas Del Cuerpo ,Elroy Freem (Illustrator), , Amalia Bermejo (Translator)January 1992

• Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night , Nancy Lamb, C. B. Mordan (Illustrator), January 1992

• Monkey Grows Up , Gioia Fiammenghi (Illustrator), May 1991

• Dawn to Dusk in the Galapagos, Vol. 1, Tui De Roy (Illustrator)May 1991

• What Are Scientists? , Susan Kovacs Buxbaun,,January 1991

• Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night, Nancy Lamb,,Dec. 1991

• Monsters of the Sea , Jean Day Zallinger (Illustrator)June 1990 , 30. Monkeys and Apes of the World ,February 1990,

• Stop Those Painters!, Mort Gerberg (Illustrator),May 1989

• Cats and Mice, Eric Gurney (Illustrator) Jan 1989

• Hello Cat, You Need a Hat ,Eric Gurney, June 1988 , 34. Inside Nicaragua ,January 1988,

• A Koala Grows Up ,November 1987

• Splash! All About Baths ,Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Illustrator), , Susan Kovacs Buxbaum November 1987 , 37. El Sandwich Mas Grande Del Mundo ,September 1987

• Leave It to Minnie ,March 1987

• Splash! : All about Baths ,Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Illustrator, Susan Kovacs Buxbaum January 1987

• Pets for Sale ,November 1986 , 41. Listen and Look! : A Safety Book/#9205-1 , Cathy Beylon October 1986,

• Care and Share : A Book About Manners/#9205-2 Cathy Beylon, October 1986

• Benji Takes a Dive at Marineland July 1986

• A Koala Grows Up ,Gioia Fiammenghi (Illustrator), January 1986

• Body Noises , Susan Buxbaum, Angie Lloyd (Illustrator) January 1983,

• Boats That Float Marilyn MacGregor, , Susan Kovacs Buxbaum September 1981

• The Biggest Sandwich Ever, Mort Gerberg (Illustrator) Jan 1981

• ESP: Stories of Stange Happening July 1981

• America's Favorite Sports Stars ,Steve Gelman, Sept 1978

• UFO Encounters, Marcia Seligson Sept 1978

• Uncle Hugh : A Fishing Story Eros Keith, Warner Friedman June 1978,

• Hey, Kid! ,Carol Nicklaus, January 1977

• Ouch! : All About Cuts and Other Hurts ,April 1977

• Professor Coconut and the Thief , Emily Arnold McCully, Joan RichterJanuary 1977

• Dumb Joey , Cheryl Pelavin (Illustrator)January 1972

Awards and RecognitionDoodler Doodling was an ALA Notable Children’s Book in 2005. Tales of a Female Nomad was selected for the 2009 Community Read Program, Three Rivers, MI.