Arnold Adoff—noted anthologist, poet, and author—died on May 7 at home in Yellow Springs, Ohio surrounded by family after a brief illness. He was 85.
Obituary: Arnold Adoff from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Children’s poet, author, and anthologist Arnold Adoff, widely noted for his inventive poetry style and for depicting African American experiences in his work,
By Bree Rae
Award-winning artist and children’s book illustrator Irving James Toddy died Nov. 25, 2020. He was 69 years old.
Obituary: Irving James Toddy from The Navajo Times. Peek: “Irving was born Feb. 4, 1951, in Ganado, Arizona, into the Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms People Clan), born for Red Streak Across Forehead (Zuni).
By Bree Rae
Cricket Media editor-in-chief and founder, Marianne Carus died March 3 at age 92.
Obituary: Marianne Carus by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “The Caruses began to field requests from teachers for additional high-caliber literature, but in an even shorter format. Marianne’s research for such content sparked the idea for launching a children’s literary magazine to publish the work of contemporary writers,
Beverly Cleary, beloved, iconic, award-winning author died on March 25 in Carmel, California. She was 104.
Obituary: Beverly Cleary from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Cleary’s desire to read funny stories about kids like herself is something that drove her as she eventually became an avid reader,
Norton Juster, beloved author, died on March 8 at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts after complications from a stroke. He was 91.
Obituary: Norton Juster from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Children’s author Norton Juster, widely praised for the wordplay in his clever and whimsical books for young readers,
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,