SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

January 1, 2020 by Betsy Bird

Children’s Literary Obituaries: What We Lost in 2019

January 1, 2020 by Betsy Bird   7 comments

It’s not that I want to begin 2020 on a dour note. But while we traipse merrily into a new decade and a new era, it’s not the worst idea to look back and pay tribute to the authors and illustrators of children’s books we lost in 2019. Here is a recap of the creators that we should stand back and remember at least one more time:

John Burningham

April 27, 1936 – January 4, 2019

“… his genius lay in an ability to communicate in a childlike but never childish visual language and in his understanding of the mutually exclusive worlds of childhood and adulthood.” – The Guardian

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Jan Wahl

April 1, 1931 – January 29, 2019

“Mr. Wahl told The Toledo Blade in 2006 that as he grew older he recognized two different ways to view aging, only one of which made it easy for an adult to write for children.

‘I think that for many people, it’s like going from train station to train station, leaving things behind,” he said. “But for me, it’s more like a tree, adding rings every year. So it’s not that difficult to suddenly go back to being age 4’.” – The New York Times

Tomi Ungerer

November 28, 1931 – February 9, 2019

“I know how it feels to be different,” he said in an interview last year with Print magazine, “and I must say that all the children’s books I did after that were all actually ostracized animals. I did one about the rats, about a chauve-souris — a bat — about a vulture.”  – The New York Times

See Also: Beastly Boy: Tomi Ungerer and the Art of Provocation by Lisa Brown

Paul B. Janeczko

July 27, 1945 – February 19, 2019

“From his first anthology with us in 1999 to his forthcoming collection The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems [March], he made poetry joyful and resonant. He could be daring, as in A Poke in the I, or intensely moving, as in his two verse novels Requiem and Worlds Afire. He loved to teach and he loved to share the pleasure of poetry.” – Publishers Weekly

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

November 12, 1928 – March 12, 2019

“Marjorie Weinman Sharmat had two dreams as a child: to become a detective and to be a writer. By age 8 she had accomplished both, after she and a friend put out their own spy newspaper, The Snooper’s Gazette. Most of its news came from eavesdropping on adults.” – The New York Times

Judith Kerr

June 14 1923 – 22 May 22 2019

“She was just so funny. Even last week she was joking with me on the phone about she was rather pleased that she was exactly the same weight she’d always been, but that she’d let it go a bit far … She could always make me laugh. She always seemed to see the good.” – The Guardian

Lee Bennett Hopkins

April 13, 1938 – August 8, 2019

“I called him the Pied Piper of Poetry. Because that’s what he was.” – News-Press

Charles Santore

May 16, 1935 – August 11, 2019

 

“You have to be humble,” he said in a podcast released last year by the Woodmere. “You have to say, ‘I’ve got a hell of a lot more to learn,’ and try to be open to learn it even if you’re trying to teach yourself. So I never think of myself as a professional, always as an amateur.” – The New York Times

 

Mordicai Gerstein

November 24, 1935 – September 24, 2019

 

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

“All stories, in one way or another, are about this mystery of being a human being,” Mr. Gerstein said in a 2005 interview with TeachingBooks.net. “What are we here for and what are we doing? What are we supposed to do? How am I supposed to be a kid? How do I be a teenager? How do I be me?” – The New York Times

Richard Jackson

November 17, 1946 – October 2, 2019

“The words that come to mind are elegance, followed closely by eloquence and unfailing generosity of spirit. I will miss him dearly, as will all who knew him.” – Publishers Weekly

Berthe Amoss

September 26, 1925 – October 6, 2019

“She was a real model of how you could blend a demanding family life with a professional commitment.” – The New Orleans Advocate

Andrew Clements

May 29, 1949 – November 28, 2019

“He could surround a mystery, as in his Keepers of the School novels, on the measurement of a hidden room, the placement of a statue, the sound of a hollow, the trajectory of a wrecking ball. That the seemingly smallest details, the smallest actions, could matter so much, is what Andrew reinforced again and again. Andrew Clements, in innumerable ways, reminded us all the pen was mightier than the sword, quite literally.” – Publishers Weekly


And special remembrance to Sharon Hancock, Candlewick’s former Executive Direction of School and Library Marketing, who died on April 17th of 2019. She was always a pleasure to work with, and she will be sorely missed. You can read her Publishers Weekly obituary here.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
obits

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

BLUE FLOATS AWAY Turns Two!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Swim Team

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Write What You Know. Read What You Don’t, a guest post by Lauren Thoman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

2 Middle Grade Novels That Explore Climate Change in Different Ways

Graphic Novels: Inclusivity Fuels the Continued Boom!

SPONSORED

Ask Jason Reynolds Anything!

Making a Mark on Musical History: Flack, Franklin, and Beach | Biography Spotlight

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On Its Way! 7 Board & Picture Books Starring the Easter Bunny

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan N. says

    January 2, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    Beautiful post. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

  2. Tamora Pierce says

    January 2, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    A sad, gracious piece. Thank you for telling us these things about beloved members of out nation so graciously.

  3. LISA VON DRASEK says

    January 5, 2020 at 7:25 pm

    Thank you Betsy. They will be missed.

  4. Kate Kubert Puls says

    January 17, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    I’m so glad you mentioned Sharon, Betsy. (She hired me into my first job in our wonderful world, at Eeyore’s Book for Children in 1989, and became a dear friend as we moved through our lives, jobs, and years.)

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      January 17, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      I still expect to see here on the ALA Conference floor whenever I visit the Candlewick booth.

  5. Debra Cardillo says

    January 17, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    Nice tribute. But please check spelling of names — it’s Mordicai Gerstein. Such a lovely, talented man; we were so honored to work with him.

Trackbacks

  1. They will be missed | continuum | University of Minnesota Libraries says:
    January 5, 2020 at 7:32 pm

    […] It is not a comprehensive list but until I make my own. Please go here […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023