Classical music radio host Lloyd Moss, who transferred his love of music to several acclaimed children’s books, including the Caldecott Honoree Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! (S&S, 1995), died on August 3 in Westchester County, NY. He was 86.
Marc Simont, Beloved Caldecott Medalist, Dies at 97
By on July 17, 2013 Leave a Comment
Acclaimed children’s book creator Marc Simont, who illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, died on Saturday, July 13. He was 97. His many honors include a Caldecott Medal for the art in Janice May Udry’s A Tree is Nice, and Caldecott Honors for illustrating Ruth Krauss’s The Happy Day, and his own The Stray Dog.
Barbara Robinson, ‘Best Christmas Pageant Author,’ Dies at 85
By on July 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
Barbara Robinson, author of the now-classic children’s novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Harper, 1972), died on July 9, 2013. She was 85. The book was named an ALA Notable Children’s book and received the Georgia Children’s Book Award, the Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award, and Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award.
Holly Meade, Artist and Kids’ Book Author/Illustrator, Dies at 56
By on July 5, 2013 1 Comment
Holly Louise Meade, an artist and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, died on June 28, 2013, at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital near her home in Sedgwick, ME, the local Newburyport Daily News has reported. She was 56.
Elaine Landau, Prolific Nonfiction Kids’ Author, Dies at 65
By on July 5, 2013 Leave a Comment
Elaine Landau, author of more than 300 books that supported schools’ curriculum and children’s quest for information, died on June 29 in Miami, FL, due to complications from autoimmune disease. She was 65. Her death was announced by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Florida.
Author/Illustrator Bernard Waber, Lyle the Crocodile Creator, Dies at 91
By on May 20, 2013 2 Comments
Author/illustrator Bernard Waber, creator of the iconic character Lyle the crocodile and more than two dozen picture books for children, died on May 16 after a long illness. He was 88.
Fredrick McKissack, Half of Award-Winning Writing Team, Dies at 73
By on May 3, 2013 Leave a Comment
Fredrick L. McKissack, who with his wife Patricia wrote more than a hundred books for children capturing the black American experience, died on April 28 from heart failure. He was 73. The McKissacks’ collaboration led to numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King (CSK) Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
E.L. Konigsburg Remembered, Celebrated for Inspiring Kids to Be Themselves
By on April 22, 2013 1 Comment
Newbery Medalist Elaine Lobl Konigsburg, author of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and 18 other books for children, died Friday in Falls Church, VA. She was 83. The author, better known as E.L. Konigsburg, will be remembered fondly for her creativity, her humor, and her intricate storytelling that celebrated each kid’s uniqueness, her friends, colleagues, and fans say.
Librarian, Kid Lit Champion Caroline Feller Bauer Dies at 77
By on April 17, 2013 8 Comments
Librarian, educator, and champion of children’s literature Caroline Feller Bauer, died Monday at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel where she made her home, following a four-year battle with mesothelioma. She was 77.
eva efron, Librarian and Advocate, Dies at 66
By on March 25, 2013 7 Comments
Long Island (NY) school librarian and tireless school library advocate eva efron died March 20 at the Tuttle Center in Port Washington, NY, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 66. At the time of her death, efron—who spelled her name in lower case—was a candidate for supervisor section representative to the American Association of School Librarians executive board, and was serving as chair of the AASL supervisors section.
Poet, Photographer Nancy Wood Dies at 76
By on March 14, 2013 1 Comment
Award-winning poet, author, and photographer Nancy Wood, who devoted her career to exploring the culture and lives of the Native American people of the Southwest, died this week in Santa Fe, NM.
Storyteller and author Diane Wolkstein dies at 70
By on February 4, 2013 Leave a Comment
Acclaimed storyteller, folklorist, and author Diane Wolkstein died on January 31 following emergency heart surgery while traveling in Taiwan. She was 70. Wolkstein’s talent as a storyteller and teacher of storytelling won her international fame; she also wrote more than 20 books, taught mythology at NYU, and hosted a storytelling show on NYC public radio.
Jan Ormerod, Author/Illustrator, Dies at 66
By on January 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
Jan Ormerod, author and illustrator of many books for young children, died Wednesday in England. Ormerod began her kid-lit career more than 30 years ago after the birth of her first child; previously she taught art and design. Her first book, Sunshine, won the 1982 Mother Goose Award for British kid lit and was named the Australian Picture Book of the Year and an ALA Notable Book.
Caldecott Honoree Antonio Frasconi dies at 93
By on January 23, 2013 1 Comment
Antonio Frasconi, the award-winning illustrator best known for his woodcuts, died on January 8 at age 93. Among his notable contributions to children’s literature are his bilingual picture books The House That Jack Built, a Caldecott Honor Book, and The Snow and the Sun, an ALA Notable Book.
Gerald McDermott: A Legacy of Magical Storytelling
By on January 17, 2013 3 Comments
Gerald McDermott, award-winning author, illustrator, and filmmaker who died on December 26 at age 71, will be fondly remembered for his unique style of vibrant, visual storytelling, which has inspired and engaged generations of kids. Highlights of McDermott’s career, which spanned a 49-year period, include a Caldecott Medal, two Caldecott Honor books, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.
‘Anansi the Spider’ Author/Illustrator Gerald McDermott Dies at 71
By on January 11, 2013 2 Comments
Gerald McDermott, award-winning author and illustrator best known for his original take on folktales, died on December 26. He was 71.
In Memoriam 2012
By on January 2, 2013 3 Comments
Jean Craighead George, Maurice Sendak, and Jan Berenstain were among the many wonderful authors and illustrators who passed way last year.
Children’s Sci-fi/Fantasy Writer Josepha Sherman Dies at 65
By on August 27, 2012
Science fiction and fantasy writer Josepha Sherman died on August 23 in New Haven, CT, after a long illness, in which she battled dementia. She was 65. Sherman’s works include Gleaming Bright (Walker, 1994), a story of a resourceful young princess who goes in search of a magic box to avoid marrying a cruel king, and an adult fantasy, The Shining Falcon (Avon, 1989), a tale of love, hate, and magic that’s filled with Slavic mythology.
Award-winning Author Nina Bawden Dead at 87
By on August 24, 2012
Nina Bawden, one of the rare authors who could write equally well for both children and adults, died August 22 in London. She was 87.
Award-winning YA Author Mollie Hunter Dead at 90
By on August 20, 2012
Mollie Hunter, whose novels for young readers won accolades on both sides of the ocean, died on July 31 in Inverness, Scotland. She was 90.
