December 3: Today in the History of Children’s Books

⚰️ December 3, 1894 – Death: Robert Louis Stevenson

Scot­tish writer and poetRobert Louis Steven­sonRobert Louis Steven­son (1850–1894) died. He is wide­ly rec­og­nized as…The great­est adven­ture nov­el­ist in the his­to­ry of world lit­er­a­tureone.

• Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
  • His nov­elTrea­sure Island-Trea­sure Island(This is) a genre of adven­ture lit­er­a­ture for young adults.Immor­tal Clas­sics.
  • He also cre­at­ed “A Child’s Poet­ry Gar­den-A Child’s Gar­den of Vers­esThis col­lec­tion of poems (pub­lished in 1885) and oth­ers. This col­lec­tion is known for its…Warm, straight­for­ward, and from a child’s per­spec­tivePoems that observe the world have become one of the most pop­u­lar chil­dren’s poet­ry col­lec­tions in the Eng­lish-speak­ing world.
• Influ­ence: Steven­son’s works are char­ac­ter­ized by theirThrilling plot and poet­ic lan­guageIt has had a tremen­dous impact on chil­dren’s lit­er­a­ture world­wide.

| Death | Robert Louis Steven­son | Robert Louis Steven­son (Wikipedia) |

---

⚰️ December 3, 2002 — Passed away: Adrienne Adams

Amer­i­can illus­tra­torAdri­enne AdamsAdri­enne Adams (1906–2002) died. She is remem­bered for her…Soft water­col­ors and del­i­cate linesand toEmo­tions and NatureFamous for his depic­tion.

• Impor­tant works and achieve­ments: Adams’s works are often asso­ci­at­ed with her hus­bandNor­man YornCol­lab­o­ra­tion with Nor­man Juster.
• Rep­re­sen­ta­tive works and hon­ors: She won twiceCalde­cott Hon­or:
  • 1960 With theThe day we saw the sun rise-The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up).
  • 1962 With theHous­es by the Sea-Hous­es from the Sea).
• con­tribute: Her illus­tra­tion style brought a new dimen­sion to Amer­i­can pic­ture books in the mid-20th cen­tu­ry.Lyri­cal col­or and depth of emo­tion.

| Death | Adri­enne Adams | Adri­enne Adams (illus­tra­tor) (Wikipedia) |

---

🎂 December 3, 1925 – Birth: Philip Turner

British writerPhilip Turn­erPhilip Turn­er (1925–2014) was born. He was a pas­tor and also…British Young Adult Lit­er­a­tureAn impor­tant writer.

• Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions:
  • His nov­els often fea­tureYouth­ful hero­ism, adven­ture, and rur­al lifeThe theme is…
• Rep­re­sen­ta­tive works and hon­ors:
  • His nov­elHaf­s­går­den Estate-The Grange at High Force(Pub­lished in 1965) won awards The 1965 Carnegie Medal (CMW)The book tells the sto­ry of three boys who embark on an adven­ture and uncov­er secrets in the north­ern Eng­lish coun­try­side.

| born | Philip Turn­er | Philip Turn­er (writer) (Wikipedia) |

---

🎂 Born: December 3, 1938 Claude Lapante

French illus­tra­torClaude Lapante(Claude Lapointe) was born.

• Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions: Lapuante isFrench con­tem­po­rary illus­tra­tion sceneAn impor­tant fig­ure, whose works are char­ac­ter­ized byHumor­ous, satir­i­cal, and slight­ly grotesqueIt is known for its style.
• Rep­re­sen­ta­tive works: HePierre Grip­par­ryPierre Gri­par­i’s famous col­lec­tion of sto­riesBro­ca Street Fairy Tale Col­lec­tion-Con­tes de la rue Bro­caHe cre­at­ed the illus­tra­tions in 1967. His illus­tra­tions per­fect­ly cap­tured the essence of the sto­ry.Fan­ta­sy in every­day ParisandAbsurd humorIt was includ­ed in “1001 Chil­dren’s Books”.

| born Claude Lapointe | Claude Lapointe (illus­tra­tor) (Wikipedia) |

---

🎂 Born December 3, 1937: Piero Ventura

Ital­ian illus­tra­tor and writerPiero Ven­tu­raPiero Ven­tu­ra was born.

• Impor­tant works and con­tri­bu­tions: Ven­tu­ra withExquis­ite and humor­ous archi­tec­ture and his­tor­i­cal scenesKnown for his illus­tra­tions, his works are often used inChil­dren’s his­to­ry and sci­ence books.
• Rep­re­sen­ta­tive works and hon­ors: His worksPom­peii: An Adven­ture in a World-Pom­pei: l’avven­tu­ra di un mon­do(Pub­lished in 1983) won awards Hon­or­able Men­tion at the 1983 Bratisla­va Inter­na­tion­al Bien­ni­al of Illus­tra­tions (BIB)(Hon­orary Men­tion).

| born | Piero Ven­tu­ra | Piero Ven­tu­ra (Ital­ian Wikipedia) |