This May: Family Life

Some of the most notable books that capture the voice and spirit of childhood, and portray loving families, were made by authors and illustrators for whom creating children’s books was a family endeavor.

In May we’ll explore the work and familial relationships of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss; Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban; John Steptoe and Javaka Steptoe; and Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek.

Join us for Story Hours and adult programming to learn more about these creators and celebrate their inspiring legacies this month.

Crockett Johnson (1906-1975) & Ruth Krauss (1901-1993)

Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss are among the greatest powerhouse couples of children’s literature. They married in 1943 and two years later published The Carrot Seed, which Ruth wrote and Crockett illustrated. 

Though they would only publish three more books together – How To Make an Earthquake (1954), The Happy Egg (1967), and Is This You? (1968) – their influence as mentors, collaborators, and individual creators was immensely important.

In the 1940s, Ruth was part of the Writer’s Laboratory at the Bank Street School, which cultivated other important children’s book creators including Margaret Wise Brown and Edith Thacher Hurd.

There she became a part of the “here and now” philosophy originated by educator and author Lucy Sprague Mitchell. Instead of fantasy and fairy tales, it advocated for stories that not only reflected a child's immediate and real world experiences, but also incorporated their use of language.

To write A Hole is To Dig: A First Book of First Definitions (1952), Ruth asked children at two nursery schools the meanings for different words. This yielded delightful explanations like, “Mud is to jump in and slide in and yell doodleedoodleedoo.”

A Hole is to Dig helped launch Maurice Sendak's illustration career, and was one of several books Ruth and Maurice created together. Both Ruth and Crockett were friends and mentors to Maurice.

Breaking away from the didactic and expansive prose that was common in books for children, Ruth was a pioneer of using minimal and child-centric text. She collaborated with many notable illustrators including Maurice Sendak, Phylis Rowland, Remy Charlip, Ellen Raskin, Jane Flora, Mary Blair, Antonio Frasconi, Margot Tomes, and Marc Simont. 

Born David Johnson Liesk, Crockett possessed a creative spark from a young age, even scrawling his comics in the margins of church hymnals. His first jobs were in advertising and creating cartoons for publications including the Marxist magazine, New Masses. (His lifelong commitment to leftist causes earned him a thick FBI file, which is masterfully outlined in Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature by Phil Nel.)

In 1942 Crockett began producing a daily comic strip for the PM newspaper in New York City. It followed the adventures of a cherubic-looking five-year-old named Barnaby and his fairy godfather whose wand is a cigar. During its ten year run, Barnaby was syndicated in 64 other newspapers, reaching millions of readers and fans including Dorothy Parker, Duke Ellington, Art Spiegelman, and Charles Schulz.

In his comics and children’s books, Crockett also captured a child’s viewpoint and whimsy. His 1955 book, Harold and the Purple Crayon, was an immediate success and heralded as a simple, but inspiring story about the power of imagination.

Image from Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Equal Areas, Their Triangular Square Root and Pi, one of a series of paintings Crockett created later in life inspired by the laws of geometry and mathematics.

In total, Ruth and Crockett published at least seventy-five books between them, many of which are considered to be classics. Crockett died in 1975 at age 68 from lung cancer, and Ruth died in 1993 at age 91.

Russell Hoban (1925-2011) & Lillian Hoban (1925-1998)

Russell and Lillian Hoban’s series featuring a strong-willed badger named Frances uniquely captures the dialogue and lens of childhood, as well as the complexity of the inner life of children. The respect and authenticity of these books have made them relatable and enduring classics.

Many of the Frances books were inspired by the Hobans’ experiences raising four children. Their ability to represent the deeply felt emotions and spirit of children is matched with equally charming depictions of caring and supportive parents.

Russell and Lillian met at the Graphic Sketch Club in Philadelphia and were both students at the Philadelphia Museum School. They were married in 1944 while Russell was serving in the U.S. Army. 

Magazine covers illustrated by Russell Hoban.

After the war they started their family and settled in Connecticut. In addition to copywriting and art director jobs in advertising, Russell became a successful freelance illustrator, creating covers for publications including TIME and Sports Illustrated.

In the 1950s, Lillian taught modern dance and performed professionally, having studied with the internationally renowned Martha Graham Dance Company. When television was still in its infancy, she performed and did choreography on a musical show called Tropical Holiday that aired live on Saturday nights.

In 1959 Russell wrote and illustrated his first children’s book, What Does It Do and How Does It Work. The following year, inspired by a young neighbor who found multiple ways of putting off her bedtime, Russell wrote Bedtime for Frances (1960). 

Garth Williams illustrated the first Frances book, but Lillian illustrated all the subsequent books in the series. While matching Garth’s initial depiction of the little badger family, Lillian added her uniquely honest and expressive style. The Hobans’ eldest daughter Phoebe served as the model for Frances, and the everyday adventures of all the Hoban children provided insight and inspiration for the series.

Left: Page from Bread and Jam for Frances. Right: Interior of The Rabbit hOle's Frances exhibit which features miniature scenes from the books.

In addition to six Frances books, the Hobans collaborated on Herman the Loser (1961), The Little Brute Family (1966), Charlie the Tramp (1966), and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1971). Russell’s first children’s novel, The Mouse and His Child, which Lillian also illustrated, was published in 1967. Although the book initially received more acclaim by critics in England than in the United States, it quickly became a beloved classic. 

Russell did not consider The Mouse and His Child as a book just for children, and through out all of his writing he instilled pathos and humor that engages all ages.

In the late 1960s the Hoban family moved to London, where Russell hoped he might overcome his writer’s block. The Hobans divorced several years later, and Lillian returned to the U.S. with their four children. Russell remained in London for the rest of his life, writing additional children’s books and adult novels.

Lillian also continued to write and illustrate children’s books, including some collaborations with their daughter Julia.

John Steptoe (1950-1989) & Javaka Steptoe (1971- )

The August 29, 1969 issue of LIFE featured articles about Woodstock, the moon landing, and another landmark happening: the publication of “a new kind of book about black children.”

When he was just 18, John Steptoe wrote and illustrated Stevie (1969). Ahead of the book’s release from Harper & Row, the story was printed in LIFE magazine along with a profile of the young creator.

“The story, the language,” John said, “ is not directed at white children. I wanted it to be something black children could read without translating the language, something real which would relate to what a black child would know.”

John’s first three books Stevie (1969), Uptown (1970), and Train Ride (1971) revolve around the everyday lives and dreams of Black boys in a way few books did in that era, or have since.

As part of the first season of Sesame Street, Gordon read Stevie. The episode first aired on November 13, 1969.

Born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, John started painting and making art from a young age.

Throughout his career, he created books based on the world around him. After he became a parent to his daughter Bweela and son Javaka, he created books about them including My Special Best Words (1974) and Daddy is a Monster… Sometimes (1980).

Illustrations of John, Bweela, and Javaka from My Special Best Words and Daddy is a Monster… Sometimes.

John created 16 children’s books, and is best known for his last book, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (1987), which won a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. John died in 1989 at age 38. In 1995 to honor his legacy, the American Library Association established the John Steptoe New Talent Award for text or illustrations by early-career Black children’s book creators.

In 1997 Javaka illustrated his debut book, In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers. Javaka’s collage illustrations accompany poems from a variety of authors, and one by Javaka titled “Seeds.”

You drew pictures of life

with your words.

I listened and ate these words you said

to grow up strong.

Like the trees, I grew,

branches, leaves, flowers, and then the fruit.

I became the words I ate in you.

For better or worse

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award ten years after Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. In total Javaka has created more than a dozen children’s books, including Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, which won the 2017 Caldecott Medal.

“‘..collage is a means of survival. It is how Black folks survived four hundred years of oppression, taking the scraps of life and transforming them into art forms.’ As both an artist and educator, he challenges traditional notions of Black art, emphasizing the richness of our collective past through his use of family as a recurring theme and centerpiece. Steptoe explains, ‘I want my audience no matter what their background, to be able to enter into my world and make connections with comparable experiences in their own lives.’” - from Javaka Steptoe’s website

The Rabbit hOle exhibit dedicated to John’s work portrays a bookstore out of his book

Uptown, which follows a day in the life of two young Black boys exploring New York and thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. The exhibit bookstore contains dozens of books, including those written and/or illustrated by John and Javaka Steptoe, copies of books that were in the Steptoe home, and books that are John Steptoe New Talent Award winners.

The exhibit was created in collaboration with Bweela and Javaka, and features artwork by each of them, and a variety of details celebrating John’s life and legacy.

Left: Bweela Steptoe outside Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which was John's favorite building architecturally, and where he is buried. Right: Detail of John Steptoe exhibit that incorporates elements of the cathedral and a faux stained glass window designed by Javaka Steptoe.

Kevin Henkes (1960- ) & Laura Dronzek (1961- )

Whether a redemptive tale of a young mouse and her prized plastic purple purse, or a contemplative story of toys sitting on a windowsill observing seasons change, Kevin Henkes’ books recognize both the ordinary and complex perspectives of childhood.

His expressive and authentic characters follow directly in the footsteps of the Hobans, Ruth Krauss, and Crockett Johnson. In fact, Kevin’s favorite book as a child was Ruth and Crockett’s Is This You?, which outlines how to make a book of your own.

As a child, Kevin loved art and reading, and chose books from the public library based on their illustrations. Nurtured by his family and teachers, he decided at a young age to pursue creating children’s books. By his senior year of high school, Kevin had a draft of a book about a little boy who thinks about all the things he can do when he is alone. Two years before he finished college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, All Alone (1981) was published by Greenwillow Books.

It was at UW-Madison that Kevin met Laura Dronzek. The two were introduced by mutual friends because of the many things they had in common: artistic, came from big families, Midwestern upbringing, and a love of children’s books.

Laura’s childhood was also shaped by the books she read. Studying illustrations by Garth Williams and Maurice Sendak, she began drawing, painting, and refining her skills. An English and psychology major, Laura did not take an art class until her last semester as an undergrad, but went on to earn an MFA in painting.

Kevin and Laura married in 1985. 

So far Kevin has written and illustrated more than 50 picture books and novels. His work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004), and Newbery Medal Honors for Olive's Ocean (2004) and The Year of Billy Miller (2014). In 2020, he won the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

“Henkes is the creator of true picture books – in which text and illustrations work together to make a seamless whole – that exhibit an innate understanding of children and always contain a strong element of security and comfort,” Martha Vaughan Parravano said in Children’s Books and Their Creators. 

Laura works as a painter, exhibiting her work nationally, and also illustrated book jacket covers. She has also created the illustrations for George Shannon’s White Is for Blueberry (2005), Helen V. Griffith’s Moonlight (2012), and Phyllis Rowand’s It Is Night (2014).

Mixed Summer Flowers by Laura Dronzek

Their marriage is also an artistic partnership, and they regularly review and support each other’s work. However, their first published picture book collaboration was not until Oh! in 1999. 

Since then they have also created Birds (2009), When Spring Comes (2016), In the Middle of Fall (2017), Winter Is Here (2018), and Summer Song (2020).

“We have studios on the third floor of our home, and there is a little hallway in between them. No matter what we are each working on, we tend to go back and forth throughout the day. When we collaborate on a book, I illustrate the text in the way that I envision it. I divide the text into pages and do sketches, and then I’ll show it to Kevin. There has only been one instance where Kevin had a set idea about what he envisioned for the illustration. In Birds, Kevin wanted the page with the text ‘and they were gone’ to simply have a black wire going across it. I totally agreed. Other than that, it is usually me saying, ‘What do you think about this?’ However, Kevin really hands over the illustration of the book to me. -Laura in interview with Children and Libraries

On May 30 and 31, 2025, Kevin will join us to celebrate the completion of our exhibit for two of Kevin’s books: My Garden and Kitten’s First Full Moon.