Johanna Hurwitz Explained

Johanna Hurwitz (born October 9, 1937)^[1] is an American author of more than sixty children's books.^{[2] [3]} She has sold millions of books in many different languages.^[4]

Life and career

Hurwitz graduated from Queens College, New York with a degree in English and Columbia University with a master's in library science.^{[4] [5]}

After many years working as a librarian,^[6] Hurwitz wrote her first book, Busybody Nora, in 1976,^[4] one of the first in the chapter book genre for transitioning young readers from shorter stories to novels. Busybody Nora took 17 tries for publishing companies to publish the book. Ravenstone Press published the book three months after Hurwitz submitted the story.^{[6] [7]}

Hurwitz's books include biographies for children on subjects such as Anne Frank, Astrid Lindgren, Leonard Bernstein, and Helen Keller.^[8] Her 1999 book, The Just Desserts Club, combined related short stories with recipes.^[9]

Hurwitz is the aunt of Garance Franke-Ruta and Ted Frank.^[10]

Selected works

Fiction

• Busybody Nora, (William Morrow, 1976)
• Baseball Fever, illustrated by Ray Cruz (William Morrow, 1981)
• Class President, illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka (William Morrow, 1990)
• New Shoes for Silvia, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (William Morrow, 1993)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Juvenile Books Author of the Month . Greenville, Rhode Island Public Library . February 12, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012230427/http://www.yourlibrary.ws/childrens_webpage/j-author102000.htm . October 12, 2007 .
2. Web site: Johanna Hurwitz. kidsread.com. February 12, 2009. March 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120326212434/http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-hurwitz-johanna.asp. dead.
3. Web site: Johanna Hurwitz Interview Transcript. scholastic.com. February 12, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20111003055709/http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=10576_type=Contributor_typeId=1839. October 3, 2011. dead.
4. News: Books and Authors With Roots on the Island; Lending a Guiding Hand By Her Children's Books. Nahas. Donna Kutt. January 17, 1999. New York Times. February 12, 2009.
5. Book: Weiss, Jacqueline Schachter. Profiles in Children's Literature. Scarecrow Press. 2001. 159–64. 0-8108-3787-0. registration.
6. Web site: Johanna Hurwitz. October 22, 2003. Ravenstone Press. February 12, 2009. https://archive.today/20130201042710/http://www.ravenstonepress.com/hurwitz.html. February 1, 2013. dead.
7. News: Chapter Books Lead Young Readers from Pictures to Novels. Loer. Stephanie. April 29, 2001. Boston Globe.
8. Web site: Johanna Hurwitz. scholastic.com. February 12, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090419184709/http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1839. April 19, 2009. dead.
9. News: Especially for Young Readers. Creedon-Sandell. Catherine. November 14, 1999. New York Times. February 12, 2009.
10. Much Ado About Aldo (1978).