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December kids

Happy birthday to our favorite children's authors! Every month we celebrate those amazing writers and illustrators who call on their talents and life experiences to create books that kids love. Read on to learn more about their lives and livelihoods.

Authors by their birthday month: January -- February -- March -- April -- May -- June -- July -- August -- September -- October -- November -- December
Munro Leaf
Author profile, Author Profiles, December kids, pacifism, Virginia Johnson, Favorite Characters, Kids Blog
12/02/2011 - 6:54pm
Munro Leaf

Wilbur Munro Leaf is best known for his beloved book, The Story of Ferdinand. It’s the tale of a peaceful yet rebellious bull that would rather enjoy the flowers in his meadow than fight in an arena. Munro Leaf and his friend, award-winning artist and writer Robert Lawson, had been talking about the kind of book they would want to write if they could get past the publisher’s ideas of what made a good book. It took him less than an hour—“25 minutes on a rainy Saturday”--to scribble down the story on a yellow pad of paper. With Lawson’s illustrations, the beatific bull was on his way to becoming internationally famous for his peaceful message in 1936--a time when the world was coming apart in war.

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Family Stories with Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Author Profiles, December kids, Spanish-American War, Virginia Johnson, African American, Autobiography and Biography, Families, Picture Book
11/30/2010 - 12:54am

Elizabeth Fitzgerald was born December 28, 1927 in Baltimore. Her family was filled with successful, professional people who formed a loving and uplifting environment for Elizabeth. She had a great childhood filled with wonderful memories of taking The Train to Lulu's with only her sister for company to see her relatives further south.

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Rosemary Sutcliff: “One of the Minstrelsy”
Author Profiles, Britain, Celts, December kids, Greek mythology, King Arthur, Roman Empire, Rome, Virginia Johnson, History
09/24/2010 - 1:53pm

“And then suddenly the wolf was there. With a crashing of twigs and small branches it sprang into the open, then, seeing the hunters all about it, checked almost in mid spring, swinging its head from side to side, with laid-back ears and wrinkled muzzle: a great, brindled dog wolf, menace in every raised hackle.”
(From Warrior Scarlet)

Rosemary Sutcliff’s splendid stories take place in Britain’s distant past. Shining Roman spears. Cloth woven red for warrior valor. A broken bit of barley cake on a hearth whose ashes grow cold. The last signal fire against the darkness of a massing enemy.

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Jan Brett--Especially for Christmas
Animals, Author Profiles, Christmas, December kids, Europe, France, Germany, Santa Claus, Scandanavia, Trolls, Ukraine, Winter, Arts and Artists, Autobiography and Biography, Folktales, Picture Book
01/04/2010 - 10:16pm

Bored? Nothing to do? Jump into a cozy picture book on a winter night. Troublesome trolls and a beauty's Beast! Helpful hedgehogs and polite polar bears! Whether you find yourself surrounded by swirling snowflakes or a chilly blue twilight, there are no better companions for winter's frozen brightness than Jan Brett's tales from the European tradition.

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Mary Downing Hahn: Woman of Mysteries
Author Profiles, Blended families, Bullies, December kids, Divorce, Ghosts, Vietnam War, Virginia Johnson, World War II -- fiction, Autobiography and Biography, Mystery
10/29/2009 - 3:43pm

When Mary Downing Hahn writes a book, she works along steadily until that magic moment when the characters develop their own voices. Whether it's a mean-mouthed boy who is hiding family secrets or a girl who is terrified of the ghostly presence haunting her small step-sister, this author's characters tell their own stories both believably and intriguingly.

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The Art and Craft of Mary Azarian
Alphabet books, Author Profiles, December kids, Farm Life, Virginia Johnson, Woodcuts, Arts and Artists, Picture Book
09/03/2009 - 2:44pm

Author Facts:

  • Born on December 8, 1940, in Washington, D.C. to L.G. and Eleanor Schneider
  • Received a B.A. in art from Smith College in 1963
  • Married Tomas Azarian, a musician, that same year
  • Mother of three sons—Ethan, Jesse, and Timothy
  • Now resides in Plainfield, Vermont

Mary was raised on a small farm in Virginia, yet her life's road would take her into the New England countryside where she would create folk art that celebrates the region's traditional farming culture. She has illustrated more than 50 books and written several of her own, often employing a 19th-century hand press to create her woodcut designs.

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William Joyce: The Reel Deal
Artists, Author Profiles, December kids, Dinosaurs, Imagination, Robots, Santa Claus, Autobiography and Biography, Fantasy, Humor, Picture Book
09/03/2009 - 2:13pm

Born December 11, 1957, William (Bill) Joyce's dream is to be remembered for "a significant contribution to the cause of global silliness." (Publisher's Weekly)
His books, TV shows and movies, from George Shrinks to Robots, have amazed and amused audiences for over 20 years.

Bill got an early start writing and illustrating his own stories. "Billy's Booger" was a popular picture book with his elementary school classmates. The plot is simple enough but guaranteed to get yucks: Billy sneezes out a slimy, smart-aleck booger who becomes his friend. The kids did love it, but unlike his later work, all it earned Bill was a trip to the principal's office. But the booger's adventures continue. These days Bill uses those stories and pix to break the ice at his school visits, which they do with cheerful grossness. There's even talk of reincarnating Billy's Booger as a genuine picture book.

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