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.
Representative John Lewis, Georgia congressman, icon of the civil rights movement, and award-winning author of the March trilogy (Top Shelf), died July 17. He was 80.
John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80 by Katharine Q. Seelye from The New York Times.
Our deepest sympathies to the friends, family, colleagues and readers of fellow Texas author Karen Blumenthal.
From Karen’s website bio:
“As a long-time journalist, Karen writes nonfiction for young people with the belief that nonfiction brings context to a complicated world.
“She is particularly fascinated by social change,
Our deepest sympathies to the friends, family, colleagues and readers of Thomas Low, co-founder of Lee & Low Books.
Obituary: Thomas Low by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek:
“Tom Low had been a successful businessman in New York heading his own temporary personnel agency when he changed course and teamed up with fellow Chinese-American businessman Philip Lee to co-found Lee &
Continue Reading In Memory: Thomas Low, Co-Founder of Lee & Low Books »
Robert Kimmel Smith, award-winning children’s author, died April 18 in Manhattan, New York of natural causes. He was 89. Since 2015, Smith had been living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Obituary: Robert Kimmel Smith by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “…known for such popular middle grade novels as Chocolate Fever (1972) and The War with Grandpa (1984) died April 18 at his home….”
Smith was born on July 31,
Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Susan Jeffers died January 22 at the age of 77.
Her book Three Jovial Huntsmen (Bradbury, 1973) received Caldecott Honors in 1974.
Jeffers studied art at the Pratt Institute, then worked in the children’s art department at three different publishing houses.
Working on other illustrators’
Andrew Clements, beloved and prolific author, died Nov. 28 in West Baldwin, Maine. He was 70.
Obituary: Andrew Clements by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Clements shared…that he credited his parents, both avid readers, with instilling a love of books and reading in him and his siblings,
Richard “Dick” Jackson, legendary children’s editor, publisher, and author, died Oct. 2, 2019. He was 84.
Richard Jackson, Who Had an Ear for Children’s Books, Dies at 84 by Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times. Peek: “[I]t was his work as an editor beginning in the 1960s that changed…literature for young people.
Mordicai Gerstein, Caldecott winning author and illustrator, died Sept. 24. He was 83.
Remembering Caldecott Winner Mordicai Gerstein by Kara Yorio from School Library Journal. Peek:
“‘Mordicai Gerstein was a genius, a master of both art and text,’ said Grace Maccarone,
Lee Bennett Hopkins, celebrated and renowned poet, educator, and anthologist, died Aug. 8 in Cape Coral, Florida. He was 81.
Obituary: Lee Bennett Hopkins from The New York Times. Peek:
“Mr. Hopkins was famed in the children’s book world for championing poetry as well as for the sheer volume of his output.