⚰️ 2007 – Passed away: Madeleine L’Engle
She was a renowned American children’s and young adult author and poet (1918–2007). She pioneered the integration of modern high-dimensional theoretical physics, quantum spacetime exploration, and profound love, faith, and family bonds, ushering in a new era of children’s science fiction and philosophical fantasy in the 20th century.
- Supreme Honors and Representative Works:
- Wrinkles of Time (A Wrinkle in Time(1962) — Awarded 1963 Newbery MedalListed as one of the “1001 Children’s Books,” this is the first installment in the “Time Quintet.” The story revolves around Meg, a stubborn yet intelligent girl, her younger brother Charles with extraordinary insight, and their companion Kevin. Guided by the mysterious “Three Wives” (Mrs. What, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which), they use “Tesseract” (a fold in time) to jump through the universe to reach Kamazozz, a planet controlled by the cold, dark consciousness “IT,” to rescue their missing scientist father. Meg ultimately realizes that only genuine love can penetrate darkness and control.
- The Circle of Endless Light (A Ring of Endless Light(1980) — Awarded 1981 Newbery HonorThe story follows Vicky, a young girl who spends the summer on an island with her critically ill grandfather. Through facing the loss of loved ones, participating in a dolphin communication experiment in marine biology, and exploring love during adolescence, she comes to understand the resilient meaning of life and light.
| Deceased | Madeleine L’Engle | Madeleine L’Engle (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1939 – Died: Arthur Rackham
A renowned British illustrator and watercolorist (1867–1939), he was one of the leading masters of the “Golden Age of Illustration” in Europe and America from the late 19th to the early 20th century. His style is famous for its powerful and distorted ink lines, transparent and elegant gray-brown and olive green watercolor washes, and dreamlike Gothic fantasy forest scenes.
- Representative works and content passed down through generations:
- Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens(1906, JM Barrie) — Selected for “1001 Children’s Books”. Rackham, with his whimsical brushstrokes, depicted the young Peter Pan, only seven days old, escaping the human world to Kensington Gardens, wandering through a wondrous realm amidst falling leaves, fairies, and tangled old tree roots, laying the classical visual foundation for the Peter Pan character.
- Rackham’s Fairy Tale Picture Book (The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book(1933) — This collection brings together his exquisite illustrations for Andersen’s fairy tales, Grimm’s fairy tales and old English legends, presenting classic fantasy worlds of tree spirits, dwarves and witches.
| Passed Away | Arthur Rackham | Arthur Rackham (Wikipedia) |
🎂 Born 1958: Amelie Fried
A renowned German children’s author, television presenter, and novelist (1958). Her works are adept at confronting the unavoidable harsh realities of children’s lives, engaging in dialogue with children through extremely gentle, frank, and healing language.
- Top Award and Representative Works:
- Does Grandpa Wear a Suit? (Hat Opa einen Anzug an?(Illustrated by Jacky Gleich, 1997) — Awarded 1998 German Youth Literature Prize (DJLP) Picture Book AwardA classic picture book for contemporary children’s education on death and life. The young boy Bruno is bewildered by the sudden death of his beloved grandfather: why do adults say Grandpa is “gone,” yet Grandpa lies quietly in his coffin, dressed in a sharp black suit? Will Grandpa feel cold underground? After experiencing anger, confusion, and grief, Bruno gradually understands that as long as he keeps Grandpa’s smile and warmth in his heart, Grandpa will live on forever.
- His representative works of novels also include the humorous and realistic family life novel “I’m Just a Mother” (Ich bin hier bloß die Mutter).
| Birth | Amelie Fried | Amelie Fried (Wikipedia) |
🎂 1869 – Born: Felix Salten
Siegmund Salzmann (1869–1945), a renowned Austrian writer, literary critic, and journalist, was known for his extremely delicate and sincere observations of nature, poetic descriptions of forests, and keen reflections on the fate of animals and the shadow of human hunting.
- Representative works and content passed down through generations:
- Bambi (Bambi: A Life in the Woods / Original German name Bambi: Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde(1923) — Selected for “1001 Children’s Books,” a globally popular classic of nature writing. The story delicately chronicles the life of Bambi, a stag who rises from the forest, explores the world, makes friends, experiences the despair of his mother’s death at the hands of humans, learns independence and survival skills under the tutelage of the stag king, and ultimately grows into a profound and majestic new king of the forest. The work presents the harsh yet magnificent beauty of nature’s relentless cycle of life from a profound ecological perspective.
| Birth | Felix Salten | Felix Salten (Wikipedia) |
🎂 1863 – Born: Jessie Willcox Smith
A renowned female illustrator of the Golden Age of American illustration (1863–1935), and a distinguished student of Howard Pyle. She was skilled at using a blend of soft charcoal and watercolor techniques to vividly capture the innocent figures, pure spirits, and warm mother-child bonds of children. She illustrated the covers of magazines such as “Women’s Home Magazine” and “Good Housekeeper” for many years.
- Masterpieces of illustration that have stood the test of time:
- A Child’s Garden of Poems (A Child’s Garden of VersesRobert Louis Stevenson (1905) — She illustrated the entire set of color illustrations for Stevenson’s childhood poetry collection, expressing the pure and beautiful imagery of “swinging on the swing,” “the lamplighter passing by,” and “building a kingdom of pillows on the bed” in an elegant and warm way, and is hailed as one of the most classic illustrated versions of the collection.
- For Charles Kingsley’s famous novel “The Water Babies“The Water-BabiesThe underwater fairy tale scroll painted in 1916, and Mother Goose Rhymes (Mother Goose), Daily Fairy Stories (The Everyday Fairy Book).
| Birth | Jessie Willcox Smith | Jessie Willcox Smith (Wikipedia) |
🎂 Born 1969: Tony DiTerlizzi
American children’s picture book author, illustrator, and fantasy novelist (1969). He has long been engaged in visual design for fantasy board games, and is skilled at blending old-fashioned Hollywood black-and-white silent film compositions, Edward Gory’s dark gothic classical pen lines, and modern juvenile humor.
- Top Award and Representative Works:
- Spider and Fly (The Spider and the Fly(2002, Mary Howitt/Poetry) — Awarded 2003 Caldecott HonorDietrich transformed this long, admonitory poem from the Victorian era into a black-and-white picture book, a tribute to 1920s silent thrillers. The cunning and treacherous Spider Gentleman uses sweet words to lure the innocent and vain Miss Fly into a glamorous trap, the illustrations filled with dramatic tension through silver-gray lighting.
- ““Invading the Elf Kingdom” series（The Spiderwick Chronicles (Series, 2003, co-authored and illustrated with Holly Black) — A global bestselling children’s fantasy series that tells the story of the Grace siblings who, after moving into an old house, discover a fantastical wilderness survival manual containing information on invisible elves, gnomes, and trolls, embarking on an adventure to protect the magic of nature.
- His notable works also include “Big Cat, Little Dog in Paris” (a collaboration with Mo Williams).The Story of Diva and FleaChildren’s fantasy “Kenny and the Great Dragon“Kenny & the Dragon).
| Birth | Tony DiTerlizzi | Tony DiTerlizzi (Wikipedia) |
🎂 Born 1949: Krystyna Lipka-Sztarbałło
A renowned Polish picture book illustrator and graphic designer (1949). She is an important representative of the contemporary Polish illustration school, skilled at using collages with handmade textures, and simple, rich crayons and watercolors to create tranquil spaces full of philosophical metaphors.
- International Awards and Representative Works:
- With the help of “The Dream of Departure“Sen, który odszedłIllustrations drawn in 2001 won an award. Plaque Award, 2001 Bratislava International Biennial of Illustration (BIB).
| Birth | Krystyna Lipka-Sztarbałło | Krystyna Lipka-Sztarbałło (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1944 – Death: Eunice Tietjens
American poet, novelist, and travel writer (1884–1944). In her early years, she traveled extensively in Polynesia and the Far East, and was adept at showcasing tropical maritime culture with poetic and romantic language and detailed anthropological and folkloric observations.
- Top Award and Representative Works:
- “The Boys of the South China Sea” (Boy of the South Seas(1931) — Awarded Newbery Honor, 1932The story takes place on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia and tells the tale of Te Iqui, a Maori boy who grows up amidst coral reefs and coconut groves, surrounded by marine life, and facing the impact of modern civilization while upholding the fishing wisdom and ancient customs of his ancestors.
| Passed Away | Eunice Tietjens | Eunice Tietjens (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1973 – Death: Harry Behn
American children’s poet, historical novelist for children, and screenwriter (1898–1973). His poetry is characterized by its extremely refined and clear language, and he excels at capturing the subtle dynamics of the morning breeze, sunlight, and dew.
- Representative works and content:
- Representative children’s historical novel “The Distant Lourhorn” (The Faraway Lurs(1963) Set against the backdrop of Bronze Age Denmark, it depicts the tragic love story of an ancient tribe; the classic children’s poetry collection “The Windy Morning” (Windy Morning(1953) depicts the vibrant life of the treetops in the early morning breeze.
| Passed Away | Harry Behn | Harry Behn (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1977 – Death: Leslie McFarlane
A renowned Canadian novelist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker (1902–1977).
- Representative works and industry contributions:
- He is a famous American juvenile detective adventure novelist. ““Hardy Boys” series（The Hardy Boys He was the most important early core writer for the series. Under Edward Stratemeyer’s syndicate, he wrote the first 21 classic novels of the series under the pseudonym “Franklin W. Dixon,” establishing the classic narrative model of brothers Frank and Joe Hardy driving motorcycles and solving mysteries, which became a reading memory for generations of North American children.
| Passed Away | Leslie McFarlane | Leslie McFarlane (Wikipedia) |