March 14: Today in the History of Children’s Books

🎂 Born March 14, 1889: Marguerite de Angeli

Amer­i­can renowned chil­dren’s lit­er­a­ture author and illus­tra­torMar­guerite de AngeliBorn in 1889–1987. She was known for cre­at­ing sto­ries that were authen­tic, heart­warm­ing, and deeply root­ed in his­to­ry.

  • Impor­tant works and achieve­ments:
  • New­bery Medal: With theDoor in the Wall-The door in the wall(Pub­lished in 1949) won awards New­bery Medal, 1950.
  • Con­tent and spir­it: The sto­ry is set in 14th-cen­tu­ry Eng­land. It tells the tale of a young boy named Robin who, after los­ing his legs, learns crafts, music, and courage with the help of monks, ulti­mate­ly achiev­ing great mer­it in war. The title car­ries a pro­found mean­ing: when one door clos­es, anoth­er “door in the wall” always opens for you.
  • Calde­cott Sil­ver Medal: She also won the award for her role in “The Leg­end of the Con­dor Heroes”.The med­dle­some Yuni-Yonie Won­der­nose)as well as“Moth­er Goose Nurs­ery Rhymes-Book of Nurs­ery and Moth­er Goose RhymesHe has won the Calde­cott Hon­or twice.

| Birth | Mar­garet de Angeli | Mar­guerite de Angeli (Wikipedia) |


🎂 Born March 14, 1947: Roberto Piumini

One of the most out­stand­ing con­tem­po­rary Ital­ian chil­dren’s lit­er­a­ture authorsRober­to Pumi­niborn.

  • Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
  • Mar­ty and His Grand­fa­therMat­tia e il non­noThis work was includ­ed in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books”.
  • Artis­tic fea­tures: This is a remark­ably ele­gant, poet­ic, and philo­soph­i­cal nov­el. Through a fic­tion­al stroll, it del­i­cate­ly explores the themes of death and farewell, recount­ing how a grand­fa­ther, in his final moments, uses his imag­i­na­tion to pass on the essence of his life to his grand­son. Poo­mini’s lan­guage is pure, pro­found, and full of vital­i­ty.

| Birth | Rober­to Piu­mi­ni | Rober­to Piu­mi­ni (Wikipedia) |


🎂 Born March 14, 1920: Hank Ketcham

Famous Amer­i­can car­toon­istHank KechamBorn (1920–2001).

  • Impor­tant works and influ­ence:
  • Mis­chie­vous AdanDen­nis the Men­ace: A clas­sic com­ic that has been seri­al­ized since 1951.
  • sta­tus: Ardan, the lit­tle boy in over­alls with a sling­shot in his pock­et who always unin­ten­tion­al­ly caus­es trou­ble for his neigh­bor Mr. Wil­son, has become a sym­bol of humor in Amer­i­can fam­i­ly life. His image has spanned more than half a cen­tu­ry, being adapt­ed into count­less ani­ma­tions, movies, and tele­vi­sion series, and is the rep­re­sen­ta­tive of the clas­sic lit­er­ary arche­type of the “naughty lit­tle boy.”

| Birth | Hank Ketcham | Hank Ketcham (Wikipedia) |


⚰️ March 14, 1992 — Died: Elfrida Vipont

British author and Quak­erAlfre­da VipontHe died in 1902–1992.

  • Impor­tant works and achieve­ments:
  • Carnegie Medal: With theLark’s Wings-The Lark on the Wing(Pub­lished in 1950) won an award 1950 Carnegie MedalThis is the sec­ond book in her series about a girl raised in a musi­cal fam­i­ly who pur­sues her singing dreams.
  • Pic­ture book con­tri­bu­tions: She col­lab­o­rat­ed with renowned illus­tra­tor Ray­mond Brig­gs on the clas­sic pic­ture book [Title Miss­ing].Ele­phant and Bad Boy-The Ele­phant and the Bad Baby(This type of pun­ish­ment) is pop­u­lar among preschool chil­dren because of its repet­i­tive rhythm and humor­ous dis­ci­pli­nary meth­ods.

| Died | Alfre­da Vipont | Elfri­da Vipont (Wikipedia) |


🗓️ Other Important Person Briefings

eventfig­ureDetails/AwardsMain Ref­er­ence
bornMal­ka Druck­er (Mal­ka Druck­er)Amer­i­can author and rab­bi. Known for his excel­lent non-fic­tion books on Jew­ish cul­ture and tra­di­tions, such as “Jew­ish Hol­i­days”.Mal­ka Druck­er (Wikipedia)
bornMary K. Parshor (Mary K. Per­shall)An Amer­i­can-Aus­tralian author. His most famous work is *The Road You Take*.You take the High Road), a pro­found work about teenagers fac­ing loss, grief, and fam­i­ly rela­tion­ships.Mary K. Per­shall (Wikipedia)
bornEmma Heinzel­man (Emma Heinzel­mann)Hun­gar­i­an illus­tra­tor.1983 BIB Hon­orary AwardThe win­ner.N/A