🎂 1923 – Born: Maria Gripe
Swedish children’s author (1923–2007). She was an important representative of 20th-century European psychological realism and mysticism in children’s narratives, and was adept at exploring children’s loneliness, identity, and self-awakening in the process of growing up with extremely delicate, calm and empathetic writing.
- Supreme International Honors: At He won the Hans Christian Andersen Award (HCAA) for Best Writer in 1974..
- Representative works and content:
- The Trilogy of Hugo and Josephine (Hugo and JosephineThis story tells of Josephine, an introverted girl who feels isolated at school, and Hugo, an unconventional boy who loves nature, with whom she forms a sincere friendship. The work profoundly captures the delicate psychology of children facing the clash between social norms and their own individuality.
- Night Dad (The Night DaddyThe story uses a dual-perspective diary/narrative alternation format, told from the perspective of a girl and a young college student, to tell the story of how the young man comes to the house as a “night dad” to take care of the girl when her mother is working the night shift. It breaks the stereotype of traditional family roles and shows the understanding and warmth of intergenerational interaction.
- The Glassblower’s Two Children (The Glassblower’s Children): A work with classical allegory and mysticism, it tells the story of a pair of young children, a glassblower, who are kidnapped by a wealthy city lord and then regain their freedom under the guidance of mysterious forces and wisdom. It is full of symbolic meanings about desire, love, and the good and evil of human nature.
| Birth | Maria Gripe | Maria Gripe (Wikipedia) |
🎂 1905 – Born: BB (Pippi/Real name DJ Watkins Pitchford)
British children’s author, wildlife illustrator, and naturalist (1905–1990), pen name BB (derived from his favorite bullet markings). He loved the British countryside and wilderness throughout his life, and his works combined highly skilled black scratchboard illustrations with objective and rigorous observation of wildlife ecology.
- Supreme Award Honors and Representative Works:
- Grey Dwarfs (The Little Grey Men(1942) — Awarded The 1942 Carnegie MedalThe story tells of three brothers, supposedly the last remaining Gnomes of England, who live along the banks of a river in Great Britain. In search of their missing fourth brother, they embark on a long and arduous journey down the river in a small wooden boat. The work is not only full of anthropomorphic charm but also depicts the changing seasons and wildlife of England with a meticulous, almost natural history journal-like style.
| Birth | BB (Pipi/DJ Watkins-Pitchford) | DJ Watkins-Pitchford (Wikipedia) |
🎂 Born in 1911: Tōshi Yoshida
Japanese traditional printmaker and picture book author (1911–1995). He was the son of Hiroshi Yoshida, a master of Japanese printmaking. He perfectly combined the traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique with modern non-fiction ecological picture books for children. He also personally went to the East African savanna to observe wild animals.
- Supreme International Honors: The picture book “The Quarrel” won the award. 1986 French Prix Sorcières (Highest Prize for Picture Books).
- Representative works and content:
- “quarrel” (La QuerelleThrough extremely detailed and elegantly colored prints, the works depict the confrontations and struggles between animals in nature for survival, territory, or food, conveying the objective and stark laws of survival and the natural order.
- The Adventures of the Young Lion (Young Lions The original Japanese title, “Hajimete no Kari,” tells the story of a lion cub’s first journey with its mother to the African savanna to learn how to hunt. Instead of flattering anthropomorphic cartoons, the work uses bold, sweeping ink wash and woodblock print lines to record the setbacks, dangers, and dignity of life faced by wild animals during their growth.
| Birth | Tōshi Yoshida | Tōshi Yoshida (Wikipedia) |
⚰️ 1992 – Death: Kurt Lütgen
German historical fiction writer and polar adventure novelist for children (1911–1992).
- He won the German Youth Literature Prize (DJLP) twice, with his 1967 award going to *The Mystery of the Northwest Passage*.
- Wolves Have No Winter (Kein Winter für Wölfe— Award The first German Youth Literature Prize for Young People in 1956The story is set against the backdrop of real historical events in Alaska and the Arctic at the end of the 19th century. It tells the story of the whaling ships being frozen in ice and the people facing the threat of wolves and survival choices in extreme cold and scarcity, and their perseverance and moral integrity.
- work Das Rentier an der Feuerküste He won the DJLP Award again in 1967.
| Deceased | Kurt Lütgen | Kurt Lütgen (Wikipedia) |
🍃 [Other Brief Introduction]
| event | figure | Details/Awards | Wikipedia/Data Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| born | Ron Barrett | American illustrator and art director (1937). His classic fantasy picture book, *Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs*, a collaboration with his wife Judi Barrett, is a testament to this.Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs(1978), tells the hilarious story of a magical town where the sky never rains or snows, but instead rains down hamburgers, hot dogs, and noodle soup like a restaurant menu, until the climate spirals out of control and people are forced to flee. It became a global hit and was adapted into an animated film. | Ron Barrett |
| born | Dillwyn Parrish | American painter and writer (1894–1941). His collaboration with his sister Anne Parrish on *The Dream Bus* (The Dream Coach(This is a fragment of a longer text, likely a collection of fragments from a larger text. A more coherent translation would require the full context.) Newbery Honor, 1925. | Dillwyn Parrish |
| Death | Alexander Key | American science fiction and young adult adventure novelist (1904–1979). His representative work is *Escape to Wushan* (…).Escape to Witch Mountain(1968) tells the science fiction story of an orphaned brother and sister with telepathic and superpowers who search for their true origins and destiny while evading the pursuit of greedy adults. It has been adapted into films by Disney multiple times. | Alexander Key |
| Death | Gerhard Goßmann | A renowned German illustrator and printmaker (1912–1994). He illustrated hundreds of classic literary works and children’s books throughout his life; his most notable illustration was for Benno Pludra’s famous novel, *The Heart of a Pirate*.Das Herz des PiratenThe first edition illustrations drawn by him were included in “1001 Children’s Books”. | Gerhard Goßmann |
