Becoming Children’s Authors: Sendak, Silverstein And Ursula Nordstrom
Neither Maurice Sendak nor Shel Silverstein started their careers with children’s literature as a focus. More
Katherine Paterson
I read because I want more than one life, and books give me a limitless number of lives—lives that are different from the one I was born into. More
Monster
Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. More
Soman Chainani
Whatever psychic wounds have turned me into a writer I am thankful for. More
Letter from Russell Hoban, author of Bread and Jam for Frances
Russell Hoban is known for his classic series about Frances, a badger who is a picky eater with a huge aversion to eggs (Bread and Jam for Frances). More
Letter recommending Sounder for publication
Harper editor Ferd Monjo wrote this letter to the head of the U.S. Harper Children’s division, Ursula Nordstrom, regarding a manuscript he had received in July 1968. More
Cammie McGovern
As the younger sister of an adored (sometimes overly perfect) sister, discovering Ramona and Beezus and the gang on Klikitat Street was a life-changer for me. More
Letter from Garth Williams regarding illustrations for the Little House series
When acclaimed illustrator Garth Williams was commissioned to create new illustrations for Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, he traveled west to see the actual sites Wilder referred to in her writings and to meet Laura herself. More
Lauren Oliver
I read so that I can learn and I write so that I can explore. More
Letter from Arnold Lobel regarding Frog and Toad Are Friends
This handwritten letter from Arnold Lobel to Ursula Nordstrom, head of the Harper Children’s division in the U.S., accompanied the submission of his manuscript for the now-classic Frog and Toad Are Friends. More
Gordon Korman
I read to be astounded by other writers’ ideas. More
Journey to Jo’burg
Groundbreaking book set in South Africa during the apartheid era and banned by its government. More
Danny and the Dinosaur
I Can Read! classic that was named a 1958 New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year. More
The Carrot Seed
An early classic in children’s literature about perseverance; never out of print. More
Thanhha Lai
I read because I dream of having a super power. More
From Printers to Publishers
James and John Harper began their business in 1817 primarily as printers, although they soon began to publish and sell original works. More
1963: Maurice Sendak receives the Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are…
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is published. It is awarded the 1964 Caldecott Medal. More
Flat Stanley
This series celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2014 and has sold more than one million copies. More
Pushing the Boundaries of Children’s Literature
Children’s books explored uncharted territory in the mid-1960s as Harper & Row began to champion boundary-pushing children’s and young adult books. More
Henry Huggins
The debut novel from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary. More
Howl’s Moving Castle
This popular novel stars one of the most beloved and charismatic characters in children’s literature. More
2017: HarperCollins celebrates its 200th anniversary…
HarperCollins Publishers celebrates its 200th anniversary. More
Marketing and publicity brochure for Charlotte’s Web
This 1963 marketing and publicity brochure for Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White includes a letter from White explaining how he got the idea for the story. More
Bread and Jam for Frances
Beloved story featured on at least two “top 100 picture books of all time” lists. More
Ursula Nordstrom
When Anne Carroll Moore, the powerful and opinionated superintendent of children’s work at the New York Public Library, asked Harper & Brothers editor Ursula Nordstrom why she felt qualified to produce children’s books, Nordstrom said only this: “Well, I am a former child, and I haven’t forgotten a thing.” More
Jenna Bush Hager
I read because it’s in my DNA. More
Kevin Henkes
