George Ancona, prolific author, photographer, and art director died on Jan. 1 at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 91.
Obituary: George Ancona from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Mexican American children’s book author, photographer, and filmmaker George Ancona, widely acclaimed for his crisp slice-of-life photoessays introducing children to new experiences or cultures,
By Bree Rae
Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Mitsumasa Anno died Dec. 24, 2020. He was 94.
Obituary: Mitsumasa Anno by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “He grew up in Tsuwano, a small town surrounded by mountains, where his talent for drawing and an aptitude for mathematics began to shine,
Kathleen Krull, award-winning author and editor, died after a brief illness on Jan. 15. She was 68.
Author Kathleen Krull Remembered After Unexpected Death from School Library Journal. Peek: “Children’s author Kathleen Krull died unexpectedly over the weekend. Her sister-in-law announced her death on Krull’s Facebook page,
Virginia Buckley, esteemed and beloved editor, died on Oct. 21 at her home in Leonia, New Jersey. She was 91.
Obituary: Virginia Buckley from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Buckley was a novice editor at the publisher Thomas Y. Cromwell in 1971 when she was paired with a writer named Katherine Paterson,
Sam McBratney, author of nearly 70 books for children and young adults, died Sept. 18 at his home in County Antrum, Northern Ireland. He was seventy-seven.
Sam McBratney is best known as the author of the best-selling children’s book Guess How Much I Love You illustrated by Anita Jeram (Candlewick,
Jennifer Lane Wilson—a beloved author, loving mother, and wife—passed away from cancer Oct. 13 in Topeka, Kansas. She was forty-eight.
Obituary: Her family and friends shared their reflections here.
As news of her death broke, Jennifer’s friends shared their reflections: Clelia Gore,
David Gale, talented and beloved editor, died Oct. 9 after a long illness. He was 65.
Obituary: David Gale from Publishers Weekly. Peek:
“Children’s book editor David Gale…shaped a distinguished roster of award-winning titles and proudly championed works of LGBTQ literature….”
Joanna Cole, the popular and beloved creator of The Magic School Bus Series, died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on July 12 in Sioux City, Iowa. She was 75.
Joanna Cole, Who Imagined Fantastical Bus Rides, Dies at 75 from The New York Times. Peek: “Her ‘Magic School Bus’
By Stephani Martinell Eaton, above photo by Peter Norby
Rudolfo Anaya, groundbreaking and much-celebrated author, died after a long illness on June 28 at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was 82.
Rudolfo Anaya, a Father of Chicano Literature, Dies at 82 from The New York Times. Peek: “His coming-of-age novel ‘Bless Me,
Our deepest sympathies to the friends, family, colleagues, and readers of Texas children’s author and poet Jerry Wermund, who died July 15 at age 94. He’s pictured above at a Texas Library Association conference.
A founding member of Austin’s SCBWI chapter, Jerry was a geologist who began writing for children after retiring from the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin.