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In Memoriam: The Great Ed Young

The first time I saw the great Ed Young (1931–2023), I felt awestruck by his presence. Tall, angular jaw, prominent ears that looked like they listened. He exuded calm and grace. There was often a deep chuckle ready to break out, as if, to him, life itself was wry. [Photo ©...

In Memoriam: To Tweeter from Curly: Thirty-Five Years of Making Picture Books with Lois Ehlert

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Lois Ehlert (1934–2021) and I first met when I was twenty-four and an editorial assistant at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ) in San Diego. We went on to work together for thirty-five years, and we made twenty-nine books. Lois had a fondness for nicknames, and while we were working on one...

If Only You Knew Kitty Donohoe

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I want the children’s literature world to know about Kitty Donohoe. She passed away just a few months after publication of her debut picture book, How to Ride a Dragonfly (Anne Schwartz Books, 2023), a magical outdoor adventure with Alice-like changes in size that drive the narrative. Her death is...

Phyllis J. Fogelman (1933-2022)

We were very sorry to hear about the death of Phyllis J. Fogelman, one of the “Great Ladies” of children’s publishing, on December 18, 2022. In a phone call earlier this week with her close friend (and former husband) agent Shelly Fogelman, he reiterated her groundbreaking contributions to the field...

Tribute to Patricia MacLachlan

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Dear Patio, I finally dreamed about you. It was a dream within a dream. “What are you working on?” you asked. “Your eulogy,” I answered. “Oh LeeLee, you can do that,” you said. “Pad, I miss our daily phone calls. I wish I could talk to you.” “Just write me...

Ashley Bryan (1923-2022)

Beloved author and illustrator Ashley Bryan passed away last Friday at the age of ninety-eight. The winner of the 2012 Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement and the 2009 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now Children's Literature Legacy), Bryan was a Newbery honoree and winner of a dozen Coretta Scott...

Jerry Pinkney (1939-2021)

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Everybody here at the Horn Book is deeply saddened by the death of Jerry Pinkney, a great Friend of the Horn Book for many decades. I had just talked to Jerry, along with Rosemary Wells, for a Talks With Roger interview about their new picture book The Welcome Chair, which...

Gary Paulsen (1939-2021)

"Anytime I’m on the ocean, or in a forest, next to a dog, or reading or writing a book, I’m home. I am — I know — a very lucky man." We were sad to hear about the death yesterday of author Gary Paulsen. A three-time Newbery honoree — for Hatchet,...

Eloise Greenfield (1929-2021)

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The inimitable and beloved poet, author, and memoirist Eloise Greenfield has passed away at the age of 92. Teaching for Change offers a beautiful remembrance. See also her 2018 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award speech; "Lift Every Voice: Words and Music" from the May/June 2019 Horn Book Magazine: Special...
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