In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2023

As we enter into a new year, let us not forget those incredible talents lost in the previous. To those authors, illustrator and, occasionally, librarians, I doff my cap and offer my salute. Here are the people we lost in 2023:

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Istvan Banyai

27 February 1949 – 15 December 2022

“In his smartly constructed visual world, people move fluidly through time and space, eerily disconnected from one another, and shadows seem to have a mind of their own. Pointed in its commentary, Istvan’s art conveys an air of quiet mystery, and his absorbing illustrations sometimes inspire more questions than answers, a reminder that things are not always what they seem.” – Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, Norman Rockwell Museum

Joan M. Lexau

March 9, 1929 – January 9, 2023

“She will be remembered for her intelligence, her wonderful sense of humor, her love of the Minnesota State Fair, and her overall ability to make life fun.” – The Star Tribune

Amy Schwartz

April 2, 1954 – February 26, 2023

“For all the time I knew her, she was caring and generous and funny and smart and such a canny observer of people, too. She often noticed things in a situation that had completely passed me by, and she usually saw straight through to the heart of any matter. I was always a little bit in awe of her ability to do that. Her books are like that, too: comical and heartfelt but most of all true.” – Leonard Marcus, Publishers Weekly

Ian Falconer

August 25, 1959 – March 7, 2023

“Ian wasn’t only a keen observer of kids, he was very much a kid himself, in the best sense . . . He was curious about everything, sweet, wickedly hilarious, empathic, deeply creative. I’d like to think that his incomparable work is a reminder to all of us in the industry that a picture book doesn’t need to be visually flashy or noisy to resonate with kids. It just needs to be true.” – Anne Schwartz, Publishers Weekly

Julie Anne Peters

January 16, 1952 – March 21, 2023

“Julie wasn’t just a talented writer. She was a courageous one. I hope that people understand just how gutsy it was to write an LGBQT+ novel in the early 2000s. What gave Julie the most satisfaction were the letters she received over the years from LGBTQ+ kids thanking her for making them feel less alone and helping them realize there was nothing wrong with them. Julie was smart, funny, sarcastic, and a joy to have as a client and a friend.” – Wendy Schmaltz, Publishers Weekly

Gerald Rose

July 27, 1935 – May 5, 2023

“The illustrator Gerald Rose, who has died aged 87, was the youngest winner of the Kate Greenaway medal for children’s book illustration, in 1960. Then still in his mid-20s and barely out of art school, he would go on, often in partnership with his wife, Elizabeth, a writer, to become an influential artist in the field of children’s picture books. His painterly, playful and gently anarchic artwork continues to be enjoyed around the world.” – The Guardian

Byron Barton

September 8, 1930 – June 3, 2023

“Being simple makes subjects easier for kids to understand and relate to on their own … But I think there is also a kind of mystery about large areas of bright colors. I want my drawings to be fun and I want them to be informative. The way the lines and shapes are drawn and the colors are put together is done with that feeling and intent. It is not a formula. Most of the time it is just feeling. I am very much influenced by kids’ drawings, and maybe kids see that.” – Byron Barton, Publishers Weekly

Nicky Singer

July 22, 1956 – June 17, 2023

“writing is like breathing, if you don’t do it, you die a little”. – Nicky Singer, The Guardian

Mary Ann Hoberman

August 12, 1930 – July 7, 2023

“Mary Ann, my dear old friend and creator of wonders in rhyme, how I will miss you! Musical, impeccable and often funny verses that go straight to the hearts of young children—how did you do that? Working with you was an undiluted pleasure—the rare experience of writer and editor being of one mind from the very first. Thank you, Mary Ann. I am forever grateful.” – Linda Zuckerman, Publishers Weekly

Ed Young

November 28, 1931 – September 29, 2023

“All the world was Ed’s paint box: a scrap of wrapping paper, a brown paper bag, a discarded piece of metal. Nothing was ever ‘found’ for Ed, every thing, every scrap, was something to be repurposed for art’s sake. Side by side with him in his studio, amid his scraps, bags, throwaways, I began to see art everywhere and in everything. But it wasn’t art alone; Ed’s ideas were attached to his art of whatever texture and story. They spun out from him, embracing humanity itself as he tried, valiantly, stubbornly, to attract children’s attention to the power of goodness and what was natural.” – Patti Lee Gauch, Publishers Weekly

“. . . my potential as an artist was subservient to my worth as a human being. To be truly successful, I needed to find a place where my work would also inspire others to fuller and happier lives.” – Ed Young

Eve Bunting

December 19, 1928 – October 1, 2023

“Eve’s 250+ books are evidence of her curiosity and ability to write about any subject, including difficult ones. That courage and range is a gift to any editor—but what also made her a dream author was her unfailing kindness, humility, and warm humor. Even when we were working through a creative problem or disagreeing—gently—about a story, she always made me feel as though I was her favorite person—and I suspect just about everyone felt that way around Eve. That open-hearted empathy is surely a big part of why her books have been so enduring.” – Jeannette Larson, Publishers Weekly

Janet Taylor Lisle

February 13, 1947 – October 5, 2023

“All literature is subversive to some degree, but children’s literature, at its best, is thoroughly renegade and insurgent. The stories that children want and need to hear are not about small, inexperienced sons and daughters struggling to fit themselves into the great and wonderful adult world. They are about smart, risk-taking people who make their own way, discover their own talents, and very often foil a system, whether well-meaning or willfully repressive, that would hold them back from the banks of glorious streams. These are, as it happens, the kinds of stories I like to write.” – Legacy.com

Louise Meriwether

May 8, 1923 – October 10, 2023

“We are honored to be the publisher of Daddy Was a Number Runner, one of the first contemporary American novels featuring a young Black girl as the protagonist. Meriwether’s groundbreaking text inspired the careers of writers like Jacqueline Woodson and Bridgett M. Davis, among many others. To honor her literary legacy, Feminist Press launched the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize in 2016 to lift up debut women and nonbinary authors of color.” – Feminist Press

Susan Patron

March 18, 1948 – October 24, 2023

“The higher power of Susan. That was always my first smiling thought after any conversation, letter exchange, or manuscript revision with her. She was incapable of writing even an email that you didn’t want to re-read three times as it was so insightful, provoking, or flat-out funny. I imagine her choosing each word with that particular slight tilt to her head when she landed on the exact one she needed.Susan had a sublime way of looking at, then writing about, the world—don’t get me started on owl pellets. Her way—in all things—was fierce yet gentle, grounded in reality yet bolstered by an almost visionary sense of hope that subsequently shimmered up through every book she wrote. Which made sense. To Susan, hope was a Higher Power that every kid deserved. She was also living proof of the power of words—a single word, in fact, one word that sent a quake through schools, libraries, and the media. Her response to the maelstrom that followed? Fiercely gentle, realistic but hopeful, trusting and respecting the reader’s intelligence, calmly fighting “the crows of fear caw[ing] into our ears.” The Higher Power of Lucky? The higher power of Susan Patron.” – Caitlyn Diouhy, Publishers Weekly

Special Librarian Mention:

Ellen Loughran

January 23, 1943 – January 2, 2023

“She was proud to be a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library on Grand Army Plaza, where she began her career in 1966. Her passion was children’s literature and services, and she ultimately held several influential leadership roles in this area until her retirement in 1997. A teacher and mentor to many librarians throughout the years, Ellen shared her extensive knowledge and sharp wit with an open heart.” – Clavin Funeral Home

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