🎂 1922 – Born: Pauline Baynes
A renowned British book illustrator and cartographer (1922–2008). She was a central visual founder of 20th-century British classical fantasy literature, known for her meticulously crafted medieval miniature style, elegant and intricate pen and ink drawings, and her profound understanding of heraldry and classical architecture. She was the illustrator’s trusted partner, handpicked by literary giants C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Supreme Awards and Timeless Masterpieces:
- Illustrations from the entire Chronicles of Narnia series（The Chronicles of Narnia The series, starting with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe(1950, CS Lewis) — Selected for “1001 Children’s Books”. Baines created nearly four hundred classic illustrations for the seven-volume series, establishing the visual foundations for Mr. Tumnus, the White Witch’s sleigh, the wings of Pegasus, and the great lion Aslan. His exquisite hand-drawn illustrations of Narnia remain an enduring memory for generations of fantasy readers.
- The Dictionary of Chivalry (A Dictionary of Chivalry(1968, by Grant Uden) — Awarded 1968 Kate Greenaway Medal (CIL)A comprehensive encyclopedia of medieval European knighthood, armor, lance tactics, and noble heraldry. Baines showcases exceptional classical craftsmanship and aesthetics with hand-drawn margins and figures reminiscent of medieval manuscripts.
- He drew the first official map of Middle-earth for Tolkien, *A Map of Middle-earth*, as well as the classic novella *Gilth the Farmer and the Dragon*.Farmer Giles of Ham), The Adventures of Tom Bombardier (The Adventures of Tom BombadilIllustrations for ( ).
| Birth | Pauline Baynes | Pauline Baynes (Wikipedia) |
🎂 1928 – Born: Gabrielle Vincent (born Monique Martin)
Monique Madonna, a renowned Belgian children’s picture book author, watercolor painter, and charcoal sketching master (1928–2000), initially devoted herself to fine art painting and sketching under her real name, Monique Madonna, before beginning her picture book creation under the pen name Gabrielle Vincent. Her style is known worldwide for its effortless and elegant sketching lines, warm and transparent watercolor rendering, and profound warmth without any didacticism.
- Representative works and content passed down through generations:
- ““Ernest & Celestine” series（Ernest et Célestine The series, its debut work in 1981 — included in “1001 Children’s Books,” a globally popular landmark of French lyrical picture books. The story revolves around Ernest, a large, clumsy, and kind bear, and Celestine, a delicate, sensitive, and mischievous little mouse. In its representative work, “Ernest & Celestine: Simon is Missing” (…Ernest et Célestine ont perdu SiméonIn the story, Celina’s beloved ragdoll monkey Simon is lost in the snow. Ete searches for him all night in a blizzard without success, but ultimately comforts Celina with a new ragdoll he sewed himself. The entire series presents a selfless familial bond that transcends species and generation.
- Song of a Stray Dog (A Day, A Dog / French original name Un jour, un chien(1982) — A stunning masterpiece of wordless books worldwide: using only raw and dynamic black and white charcoal sketches, it chronicles the day of a stray dog abandoned by its owner through a car window on a desolate highway—its bewildered chase, its wandering in the rain, a perilous car accident on the highway, until it meets and embraces a similarly lonely little boy on the beach. The entire book is wordless, yet it reveals the trauma of abandonment and the dignity of mutual support.
- His representative works also include the famous charcoal sketch “The Little Wooden Puppet” (Petite marionnette).
| Birth | Gabrielle Vincent | Gabrielle Vincent (Wikipedia) / Douban People |
🎂 Born 1937: Betsy Lewin
She was a renowned American children’s picture book illustrator and author (1937). She often collaborated with her husband, Ted Lewin, and was skilled at using highly expressive thick black brush lines combined with loose and fluid watercolor washes to depict the comical movements of animals with humorous and vivid micro-expressions.
- Top Award and Representative Works:
- Click, click, moo!: Cows can type (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type(2000, by Doreen Cronin) — Awarded 2001 Caldecott HonorThis is the first installment in the globally popular “Hip Hop Farm” series. Mr. Brown’s cows discover an old typewriter in the barn and begin striking away all day with “click, click, moo.” The cows put up a sign negotiating with Mr. Brown: the barn is too cold, they demand electric blankets or they will refuse to produce milk; the hens later join the strike. The work humorously and ironically showcases the joys of labor rights and negotiation.
| Birth | Betsy Lewin | Betsy Lewin (Wikipedia) |
🎂 Born 1960: Kimberly Willis Holt
A renowned American author of children’s and young adult literature (1960). Born into a naval officer’s family, she moved around the world during her childhood. Her works are deeply rooted in the humid and warm natural environment of Louisiana in the southern United States. She is adept at using an extremely gentle and tolerant tone to depict the self-awakening and dignity of teenagers in “imperfect families”.
- Representative works and content:
- Sunny Days in the World (My Louisiana Sky(1998) — Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and selected as a National Library Association Best Children’s Book. The story takes place in a remote Louisiana town in the 1950s. Twelve-year-old Tiger has a unique family: both parents suffer from varying degrees of intellectual disability, and the family relies entirely on her resilient grandmother. When her grandmother suddenly passes away, and her aunt, who works in a wealthy, modern city, tries to take Tiger away, Tiger, amidst ridicule and temptation, deeply understands the pure and unconditional love of her parents. She bravely chooses to stay in her hometown to be with them, learning to accept the imperfections of family and life.
- His representative works also include *When Are We Going Back to Little Rock*, which won the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature.When Zachary Beaver Came to Town), The Gift of the Lost Boy (The Water Seeker / Lost Boy’s Gift) and the humorous bridge book “Hot Girl: Navy Kid” (Piper Reed, Navy Brat).
| Birth | Kimberly Willis Holt | Kimberly Willis Holt (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1979 – Death: Colette Vivier
A renowned French children’s author and member of the anti-fascist resistance movement (1898–1979), she was a leading figure in mid-20th-century French children’s realism literature. Her works are known for their realistic portrayal of the lives of ordinary people during the occupation of France in World War II, the simple friendship of children, and their yearning for freedom and peace.
- International Awards and Representative Works:
- respectively at He was twice highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (HCAA) for Best Writer, in 1972 and 1974.He has won the French Youth Book Award.
- The Family of Four Winds (The House of the Four Winds / French original name La Maison des Quatre-Vents(1946) — Set in an apartment building in Paris during the Nazi occupation of World War II, this classic historical realist novel depicts a group of teenagers who secretly form an underground resistance group and use their wit and courage to resist the Nazi invaders amidst the shadow of danger.
- His representative works also include the children’s coming-of-age novel “My Little Happiness” (La maison des petits bonheurs) and the fantasy children’s novel Remy and the Ghost (Rémi et le fantôme).
| Passed Away | Colette Vivier | Colette Vivier (Wikipedia) |
🎂 1906 – Born: Aileen Fisher
She was a renowned American children’s poet and nature writer (1906–2002). She lived a secluded life for many years in a simple log cabin at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, without electricity or running water, where she devoted herself to observing the plants and animals of the high mountains. Her poetry is known for its extremely pure and refined oral rhythm, keen observation of the changing seasons, and innocent questions posed from a child’s perspective.
- Representative works and content:
- In 1978, he received the National Council of Teachers of English Languages (NCTE) Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Poetry.
- Listen, Little Rabbit (Listen, Rabbit(1964, illustrated by Symeon Shimin) — A poetic picture book about a little boy who silently watches over a wild rabbit in the changing seasons of the mountains, not seeking to possess or tame it, but only wishing to quietly listen to the breath of nature.
- His representative works also include “I Hear a Bluebird Singing” (I heard a Bluebird Sing), The Story of Easter (The Story of Easter).
| Birth | Aileen Fisher | Aileen Fisher (Wikipedia) / Douban People |
🎂 Born 1960: Helle Vibeke Jensen
A renowned Danish picture book illustrator, graphic designer, and visual artist (1960). Her work is known for breaking down traditional boundaries of the canvas, blending digital typography, collage, fabric textures, and a modern visual composition imbued with Nordic dry humor.
- International Awards and Representative Works:
- With the picture book “Count for Yourself“Tæl selv) and “Moroco’s Suitcase“En kuffert i Marokko), won Plaque Award, 1999 Bratislava International Biennial of Illustrations (BIB)It showcases the exploratory spirit of modern Nordic picture books through highly designed visual games.
| Birth | Helle Vibeke Jensen | Helle Vibeke Jensen (Wikipedia) |
