An acclaimed artist in many mediums, Meade is perhaps best known for her intricate woodblock prints, and among children’s librarians for her more than 30 picture books. These include Hush! A Thai Lullaby (Melanie Kroupa/Orchard Books, 1996), written by Mingfong Ho, which was named a Caldecott Honor book in 1997; and John Willy and Freddy McGee (Marshall Cavendish, 1998),  for which she was named an honoree for the Charlotte Zolotow Award for Creative Writing.

“Holly Meade was so special. [Her] warmth and wonderful spirit permeated her whole being—and her art,” Melanie Kroupa tells School Library Journal. “With her own special way of viewing the world she created a style all her own: unpretentious and full of life. In illustrations that reflect her own elegant simplicity, Holly allowed us to step into a story and see the world in a fresh way….The books we did together remain some of my very favorites:  Hush! A Thai Lullaby, Boss of the Plains by Laurie Carlson, and Goose’s Story by Cari Best [an SLJ Star Book in 2002], to name a few. Each is distinctive in its own way thanks to Holly’s vision and illustrations. Her woodcuts of recent years are truly wonderful—so alive and fresh!”

Meade was born in Winchester, Mass., on September 14, 1956.  She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1978, and went on to explore a variety of artistic mediums in her work, such as drawing, collage, printmaking, basket making, and fabric design. Though she enjoyed a career as an independent artist, beginning in 1992, she also brought much to the world of children’s books, which she called “the other focus of my work life.” She added woodblock printing to her many talents in 2002, after a workshop with printmaker Hester Stinnett at the Haystack Mountain School.

Her woodblock printing techniques are featured in many of her more recent picture books—such as David Elliott’s series that includes On the Farm (Candlewick, 2008), In the Wild (2010) and In the Sea (2012)—as well as in her stand-alone art works, which can be viewed online via her own Reach Road Gallery site.

Numerous online tributes and memorials have already begun to appear this week from colleagues and friends who have since learned of her death, including one from Curious City, the children’s book consulting company founded by Kirsten Cappy, urging friends and fans to donate copies of her picture books to the Maine Children’s Cancer Center Program (MCCP) in Meade’s honor. “It is utterly heartbreaking to think there will not be another children’s book illustrated by Holly Meade,” Cappy says.

Notes Julie Danielson, co-creator of the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast book blog, “Holly’s work was simply beautiful….may her legacy live on in her exceptional illustration work.”

Meade is survived by her father, Russell Meade; brother, Jeffrey Meade; sister, Andrea Lawson; daughter, Jenny Smick; son, Noah Smick and his wife, Micki; and grandson, Nathan Smick.

“I have never entered a school library for a visit without noticing one of Elaine’s books,” says Alix Finn, author of Towering (HarperTeen, 2013). “Elaine’s boundless energy was an inspiration to many, and her giving personality made her a friend. She will be greatly missed by many.”

This April, she was part of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) School Library Month Community Gallery. “A school library is the jewel of any school. It’s a place where students can learn and grow,” Landau said. “There’s no better place for anyone to be!”

Always an advocate for librarians, she dedicated each book in her “The Best Dogs Ever” (Lerner) series to a different member of the profession, including Carl Harvey, past president of AASL and school librarian at North Elementary School, Noblesville, IN.

“Elaine easily tackled non-fiction topics and made them so understandable for student readers,” Harvey tells School Library Journal.  “She certainly will be missed, but her memory will live on each and every time one of her titles is checked out and enjoyed by a child.”

Another book in the series was dedicated to Diane Chen, who in 2012 said of Landau’s work: “Often when I pick up a nonfiction title that reads clearly and is popular with students, I look to see who the author is and discover…Elaine Landau.”

Says Landau’s editor at Lerner, Sara Hoffman: “There are no words to express the sorrow I feel over the loss of Elaine Landau, an immensely talented longtime Lerner author whom I was also privileged to call a friend. Elaine’s impact on the school and library publishing world is immeasurable, as is her impact on those of us fortunate enough to have known her.”

Many of Ms. Landau’s titles have been included on prestigious awards lists and have also received a number of honors including: ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, International Reading Association’s Children’s Choice and IRA Young Adult Choice, NCSS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year.

“Besides being an extraordinary nonfiction writer, Elaine was a mentor to many in the Florida SCBWI and her boundless energy and encouragement were an inspiration to fellow writers, many of whom considered a good friend,” says Catherine Balkin, founder of Balkin Buddies, which arranges author visits to schools and libraries. “Elaine’s contributions to children’s non-fiction will live on in her many readers, and those of us who had the privilege to know her personally will miss her greatly.”

Landau is survived by her husband, Norman Pearl, and her son, Michael Pearl.