Founder of Scholastic’s Cartwheel imprint and author Bernette G. Ford, 70, died June 20 of lung cancer. As the NYT notes, she “was a leading advocate of making children’s books more diverse and making sure that people of color had opportunities to write and illustrate them.” Ford joined Scholastic in 1989 and “was among the first Black executives at a major children’s book publisher.” In 2002 she formed Color-Bridge Books, which consulted on and packaged books for children. Wade Hudson of Just Us Books called Ford “an unsung hero in the push to bring more people of color into children’s book […]
Obits
Obituaries
Two-time Newbery Honor author for Lily’s Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff, 86, died on June 22.
Obituaries
Janet Malcolm, 86, New Yorker writer and author of The Journalist and the Murderer died Wednesday of lung cancer.
Obituaries
Lucinda Riley, 56, the bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series, died on June 11 of cancer. Jeremy Trevathan, managing director of Pan Macmillan’s adult publishing division, said, “It’s been an immense and very rare privilege to work with Lucinda. Popular fiction is often looked down on but when authors like Lucinda break through and strike an emotional chord with their readers that really is the joy of publishing. Lucinda had an enormous capacity for fun, friendship and love and I was honoured to call her a friend. I, and the whole team at Pan Mac, are so thankful to […]
Obituaries
James Hornfischer, 55, Austin-based literary agent and president of Hornfischer Literary Management, died on June 2.
People, Etc.
At Viking Children’s Tamar Brazis has been promoted to associate publisher; Aneeka Kalia to associate editor; and Meriam Metoui to assistant editor. At Penguin Children’s, Ellice Lee has been promoted to senior art director, and Kate Renner has been promoted to associate art director. Eric Carle, 91, author and illustrator of more than 70 books for children including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, died on May 23 at his summer studio in Northampton, MA. Illustrator of books including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and Caldecott Honor recipient for Color Zoo in 1990) Lois Ehlert, 86, died on Tuesday in Milwaukee.