December 10th: Today in the History of Children’s Books

🎂 Born: December 10, 1958 Cornelia Funke

Ger­man writerCor­nelia FunkeCor­nelia Funke was born. She is hailed as “Ger­many’s J.K. Rowl­ing” and is one of the most suc­cess­ful chil­dren’s fan­ta­sy nov­el­ists of our time.

  • Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
    • “Ink Heart”Ink­heart(2003): This sto­ry tells of Mo, a pro­tag­o­nist who has the abil­i­ty to bring char­ac­ters from books into the real world. The book was includ­ed in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books” and was adapt­ed into a Hol­ly­wood film.
    • The Venet­ian ThiefHerr der Diebe / The Thief Lord(This refers to a sto­ry about a group of orphans’ adven­tures in Venice, which was also adapt­ed into a film of the same name.)
  • style: Her works areA grand imag­i­na­tion and a love of booksas well asDark­ness and warmth coex­istIt is known for its style.

born Cor­nelia Funke | Cor­nelia Funke (Wikipedia) |


🎂 December 10, 1903 – Birth: Mary Norton

British writerMary Nor­tonMary Nor­ton (1903–1992) was born. She was known for her writ­ing.Minia­ture WorldIt is famous for its fan­ta­sy sto­ries.

  • Impor­tant works and achieve­ments:
    • Carnegie Medal: Her rep­re­sen­ta­tive work isThe Bor­row­er-The Bor­row­ers(Pub­lished in 1952) won an award 1952 Carnegie Medal.
  • Influ­ence: The nov­el con­structs a world of tiny peo­ple liv­ing beneath human floors, sur­viv­ing by “bor­row­ing” human objects. This work has inspired the imag­i­na­tions of count­less read­ers and has been adapt­ed into film and tele­vi­sion works mul­ti­ple times (includ­ing Stu­dio Ghi­b­li’s “Arri­et­ty”).

born Mary Nor­ton | Mary Nor­ton (author) (Wikipedia) |


🎂 December 10, 1824 – Birth: George McDonald

Scot­tish writer, poet, and cler­gy­manGeorge McDon­aldGeorge Mac­Don­ald (1824–1905) was born. He is wide­ly rec­og­nized as…Pio­neers of mod­ern fan­ta­sy lit­er­a­tureIt pro­found­ly influ­enced lat­er giants such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

  • Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
    • His fairy tale nov­elPrincess and Demon-The Princess and the Gob­lin(Pub­lished in 1872) is a clas­sic of Vic­to­ri­an chil­dren’s lit­er­a­ture. **This book estab­lished…Good ver­sus evil, an under­ground fan­ta­sy worldCom­mon themes in mod­ern fan­ta­sy nov­els, such as those found in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books”, are includ­ed in the book.
    • His “At the Back of the North Wind” (1871) also has many fans and read­ers in Chi­na.

born | George Mac­Don­ald | George Mac­Don­ald (Wikipedia) |


🎂 December 10, 1907 – Birth: Ruma Gordon

British writerRuma Gor­donRumer God­den (1907–1998) was born. She was an extreme­ly skilled writer.Doll (toy) sto­ryThe author.

  • Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
    • Her clas­sic worksDoll­house-The Dolls’ House(Pub­lished in 1947) was includ­ed in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books”.
    • Her workHol­ly and Ivy’s sto­ry-The Sto­ry of Hol­ly and IvyPub­lished in 1958, illus­trat­ed by Bar­bara Cooney, the book tells a heart­warm­ing sto­ry of orphan Hol­ly and aban­doned Christ­mas doll Ivy as they search for each oth­er and a home dur­ing Christ­mas.
  • Influ­ence: This nov­el is because ofA del­i­cate por­tray­al of emo­tions, a explo­ration of lone­li­ness and hope.The explo­ration of the theme has become a clas­sic of West­ern Christ­mas sto­ries and has also been includ­ed in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books”.
  • style: Gor­don’s dolls pos­sess vibrant life and per­son­al­i­ties; though her sto­ries seem writ­ten for chil­dren, they con­tain pro­found mean­ing.On human nature, class and desireA pro­found obser­va­tion.

born Rumer God­den | Rumer God­den (Wikipedia) |


⚰️ December 10, 2006 — Passed away Olivia Coolidge

British-Amer­i­can writerOlivia CoolidgeOlivia Coolidge (1908–2006) died. She is best known for her works.His­tor­i­cal nov­els and mytho­log­i­cal retellingsis famous.

  • Impor­tant works and achieve­ments:
    • New­bery Hon­or: Her workAthe­ni­ans-Men of Athens(Pub­lished in 1962) won awards 1963 New­bery Sil­ver MedalThis is a col­lec­tion of short sto­ries about famous fig­ures from the Gold­en Age of ancient Greece (such as Per­i­cles and Socrates).

Death | Olivia Coolidge | Olivia Coolidge (Wikipedia) |