This page was created to celebrate and honor noted children's books authors who have recently passed away.  Of course each has left behind a literary legacy well worth revisiting and remembering.
 

CHILDREN'S CATALOGS How to order This is a self-made website by little old me, and while it might be big, it is not sophisticated.  The little  icon takes you to a generic order form where you can type in the author, title, price, and indicate whether you would like to send me a check or PayPal payment.  I will confirm availability via e-mail, and once I've received payment, I'll ship the book.  It's that easy.  If you have questions,  please don't hesitate to ask  via email. Condition Grades There's a standard bookseller vocabulary, with terms like Fine, Very Good, Good and Poor to assess condition (to see these terms defined, click on the link above).  Most of my books are in Very Good or better condition, and I tend to overemphasize their flaws so that any surprise is a pleasant one.  Feel free to ask questions, and if the book isn't in the condition described, you may return it for a full refund.  Wants Lists If I don't have the book you seek in stock, I will retain your book search in my wants files and email you when I do have a copy for sale. If you don't hear back from me immediately, that probably means I don't have a copy right now.  But fear not,  I keep extensive files and never stop looking....  so send me your request;  you've got nothing to lose! Not listed? Not everything is listed on-line. Let me know what you're looking for. Book Search Form In Print Books If it's in print, I can get it for you. Just ask me.

Robert McCloskey (1915-2003) Author and illustrator Robert McCloskey grew up in small town Hamilton, Ohio, which formed the basis of his books Lentil (1940), Homer Price (1943), Centerburg Tales (1951), but it was New England that provided the backdrop for his most beloved children's books. Make Way for Ducklings (1941), about a family of ducks who make their home in the Boston Public Garden, and Time of Wonder (1957), set in the coastal islands of Maine, both won the Caldecott Medal. McCloskey also wrote and illustrated Blueberries for Sal (1948) and its sequal One Morning in Maine (1952), which were based on his own daughter Sally. In addition, McCloskey illustrated many other books, including Journey Cake, Ho! (1953), by Ruth Sawyer, and the Henry Reed series by Keith Robertson. He died on June 30 in Deer Isle, Maine. Joan Lowery Nixon  (1927-2003) Joan Lowery Nixon was the author of more 140 books. She was perhaps best known for her spooky juvenile mysteries, four of which were awarded Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America  -- The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore (1979), The Seance (1980), The Other Side of Dark (1986), and The Name of the Game Was Murder (1993). She also wrote historical fiction for young readers, including the Orphan Train and Ellis Island series. Nixon died on June 28 of complications from pancreatic cancer.  Mildred Wirt Benson (1905-2002) Mildred Benson wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew mystery stories under the series pseudonym Carolyn Keene.  She also wrote many other episodes in the Stratemeyer Syndicate childrens' series, and worked as a reporter for the Toledo Blade for 58 years.  Her influence on American girls is still felt through the lasting legacy of the popular and fiesty teen-age sleuth Nancy Drew.  Visit the Mildred Benson Memorial Website for more info. Astrid Lindgren (1908-2002) The beloved author of Pippi Longstocking passed away  in Stockholm, Sweden.  Lindgren's children's books sold more than 130 million copies worldwide.  The red-haired pigtailed mischievous and freethinking Pippi won fans as soon as she appeared in print in 1945, and was the result of her storytelling for her daughter Karin.  Lindgren wrote over100 works, including novels, short stories, plays, song books and poetry, including the children's books Noisy Village, Karlsson-On-the-Roof, Mio My Son, and The Brothers Lionheart. She was awarded dozens of Swedish and international prizes for her books, among them the Hans Christian Andersen medal in 1958. Robert Kraus (1925-2001) Robert Kraus was a cartoonist, illustrator, and author who worked on more than 100 children's books, including Whose Mouse Are You? (1970) and Leo the Late Bloomer (1971).  He was a contract cartoonist for The New Yorker, author/illustrator of his own work, and eventually a publisher of his own firm Windmill, which (among other things) invented the Tubby series, waterproof books that float in the bathtub. Elizabeth Cavanna Harrison (1909-2001) Elizabeth Cavanna Harrison wrote more than 80 romances, mysteries and children's books during her 45-year career.  Most of her books were written under her maiden name, Betty Cavanna, and also under pen names Betsy Allen and Elizabeth Headley.  Works such as Going on Sixteen (1945) and A Girl Can Dream (1947) dealt with adolescent angst, lonliness, and family tensions, while her horse stories such as Spring Comes Riding (1950) and Joyride appealed to younger girls.  She also wrote a nonfiction series called Around the World and was the runner-up for the Edgar Allen Poe Award with Spice Island Mystery (1970) and The Ghost of Ballyhooly.  Stars in Her Eyes has made it to the Stump The Bookseller page several times. Elizabeth Yates (1906-2001) Elizabeth Yates, children's author, died. Cause of death was not released. She was 95. Yates wrote more than 50 books, including With Pipe, Paddle, and Song and  Amos Fortune, Free Man, which won the 1951 Newbery Medal, and several biographies about notably strong-willed and principled individuals. Tove Jansson (1915-2001) Tove Jansson, Finnish children's writer, died after a long illness. She was 86. Jansson is best known for publishing the Moomin books, and is considered the most translated author in Finland. She also received the Hans Christian Andersen medal in 1966. Eleanor Clymer (1906-2001) Eleanor Clymer, author of the beloved Trolley Car Family, died on March 31, 2001 at the age of 95.  Although The Trolley Car Family (published in 1947) may have been Mrs. Clymer’s best-loved work, it certainly wasn’t her only story—she published 58 books between 1943 and 1983, including The Tiny Little House (1967), My Brother Stevie (1967), and Hamburgers--and Ice Cream for Dessert (1975).  Born Eleanor Lowenton on January 7, 1906, Mrs. Clymer graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1928 with a degree in English.  She then married journalist Kinsey Clymer, and she is survived by her son Adam, who writes for The New York Times.  Frank Gilbreth Jr.  (1912-2001) Remember the family of a dozen children, carefully orchestrated to finish all household chores in a quick dash?  It's no wonder that their father (and Gilbreth's real-life father) was a construction engineer and efficiency expert.  Mother was a engineering consultant too, and together they used factory management principals to apply to the household.  Gilbreth's memoir about his childhood, Cheaper by the Dozen, became an instant best-seller in 1949.  He and sister co-author Ernestine Gilbreth Carey followed with a sequel, Belles on Their Toes, telling the story of the family after the death of the father, Frank Sr.  Gilbreth has lived in Charleston, S.C. for the last 50 years, writing for The Post and Courier under the pseudonym Ashley Cooper. He is survived by his second wife, 2 daughters, 1 son, 3 sisters, 4 brothers, 6 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.. Dare Wright  (1915-2001) The author and photographer of the beloved Lonely Doll series recently passed away. She was 86, and lived long enough to see two of her children's classics brought back into print.  Cleveland will particularly miss her, having a hometown pride in the Halle's doll who made it to the New York Times Best Sellers List.  Visit the Most Requested pages for more nostalgia on The Lonely Doll series.