Famous Author and Illustrator Birthdays in June

June 2nd: Norton Juster

Juster’s books include “The Phantom Tollbooth,” winner of the George C. Stone Centre for Children’s Books Award, “The Dot and the Line,” and “The Hello Goodbye Window,” a Caldecott Medal winner. Beyond being an author, Juster was also an architect and served as a professor of architecture and environmental design for over twenty years at Hampshire College.

June 2nd: Helen Oxenbury

Some of Oxenbury’s well-known works include “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” written by Michael Rosen, “The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig” written by Eugene Trivizas, and “Farmer Duck” written by Martin Waddell. Beyond being an author and illustrator, Oxenbury also worked as an assistant designer at the Colchester Repertory Theatre, and spent three years as a painter and designer for the Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is one of only 14 illustrators to have been awarded two Kate Greenaway Medals, and she also was the recipient of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award among many others. 

 

June 6th: Cynthia Rylant

Rylant’s works include the “Henry and Mudge,” “Annie and Snowball,” and “Mr. Putter & Tabby” series along with many others. Rylant is the recipient of a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor, a Caldecott Honors, and several Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors. Several of her books have been named a “Best book of the Year for Young Adults” by the American Library Association. 

Visit her at: https://www.cynthiarylant.com/

June 10th: Maurice Sendak

Over his sixty-year career, Sendak illustrated over 150 books, collaborating with many authors including Ruth Krauss, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Else Holmelund Minarik. Sendak was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal, the Children’s Literature Legacy Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and was presented in 1996 with the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton. Sendak was also the first American author to receive the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal. 

Learn more at: https://www.sendakfoundation.org

Visit the Reinberger Children’s Library Center Website to view our Maurice Sendak collection: https://www.kent.edu/iSchool/reinberger-childrens-library-center

 

June 11th: Robert Munsch

Over the course of his career, Munsch has published more than 54 books, and three of his stories have been adapted into movies. The characters in his books are based on children he has met including his own kids, and the characters change with each new book. In his free time, Munsch visits schools and daycares—and usually doesn’t say that he is stopping by until he is already there! 

Visit Robert Munsch at: https://robertmunsch.com/

 

June 14th: Bruce Degen

Degen has created over forty children’s books and many will recognize his work as the illustrator of the Magic School Bus series, as well as the author and illustrator of “Jamberry,” and “Daddy Is a Doodlebug.” Degen has also collaborated with other children’s authors including Jane Yolen, having illustrated her “Commander Toad” series.

 

June 15th: Brian Jacques

Best known for his “Redwall” series, Jacques wrote over 20 books and was a lifelong advocate for children. Jacques first wrote “Redwall” for the children of the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind, carefully developing his writing to be as descriptive as possible so that the school children could fully enjoy his stories. Since then, his novels have been published in twenty-28 languages and sold more than twenty million copies worldwide. 

Visit Jacques website to learn more at: https://www.redwallabbey.com/

 

June 18th: Chris Van Allsburg

Allsburg is perhaps best known for his books “Jumanji,” and “The Polar Express” both of which have gone on to become well-known movies. Van Allsburg is also the recipient of the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature, a National Book Award, a Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Caldecott Medals.

Visit at https://www.hmhbooks.com/chrisvanallsburg/

 

June 24th: Kathryn Lasky

Lasky has written over 100 fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, and picture books for children and adults with her most recognizable work for children being the “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” series. She has been the recipient of the John Newbery Medal, and the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature. 

Visit her at https://www.kathrynlasky.com/

 

June 24th: Jean Marzollo

Over the course of her career, Marzollo wrote over 100 books, the most popular of which are the “I Spy” series for children. The “I Spy” books are written completely in rhythm and rhyme, making them popular among children of all ages. Beyond writing children’s books, Marzollo also edited Scholastic’s “Let’s Find Out” Magazine for twenty years and spent a year as the Director of Publications for the National Commission on Resources for Youth. 

Visit Marzollo at http://jeanmarzollo.com/

 

June 25th: Eric Carle

Carle wrote and illustrated over 70 children’s books, including the classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and more than 170 million copies of his books have been sold around the world. Together, Eric Carle and his wife, Bobbie, founded the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art where more than 750,000 patrons have visited since its opening in 2002. He was the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award in 2003, the Regina Media, and was the 2010 U.S. nominee for the prestigious and international Hans Christian Andersen Award. In 2011, a movie called “Eric Carle: Picture Writer” was made about Carle’s life and his picturebooks. Though Carle sadly passed in 2021, his legacy lives on in his many books loved by readers of all ages and in the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. 

 

To learn more about Eric Carle, please visit https://eric-carle.com/ 

To learn more about the Eric Carle Museum of Art, please visit https://www.carlemuseum.org/

 

June 29th: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Perhaps most well remembered for his book “The Little Prince” which has been translated into 300 languages. de Saint-Exupéry became a laureate of several of France’s highest literary awards and was the recipient of the United States National Book Award.

 

June 30th: David McPhail

Since the publication of his first children’s book in 1971, McPhail has written and/or illustrated more than 100 books including “The Teddy Bear,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!” “I Am Just Right,” and “The Puddle.” McPhail is the recipient of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, the Silver Honor Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation, and was awarded the Outstanding Books of the Year selection from the New York Times among many others. 

To learn more about McPhail, please visit http://davidmcphailillustrations.com/ 

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