Ruth Krauss

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Ruth Krauss (b. July 25, 1901, Baltimore, Maryland; d. July 10, 1993, Westport, Connecticut) was an author of children's books, one of the most beloved being The Carrot Seed. Krauss is a graduate of the Parson's School of Fine Applied Art.

Ruth Krauss married the (also notable) Crockett Johnson in 1941. They collaborated on many books together: the above mentioned The Carrot Seed, How to Make an Earthquake, Is This You? and The Happy Egg.

Maurice Sendak characterized Krauss as "a giant" in the world of children's literature. "Prior to the commercialization of children's books, there was Ruth Krauss," he went on to say. Krauss was also one of the first children's authors to represent a whimsical view of the world from a child's eyes.

Krauss was a member of the Writers' Laboratory at Bank Street School in New York during the 1940s.

Krauss' I Can Fly, illustrated by Mary Blair, was published in 1950 and continuously in print since then.

Another popular book, A Hole is to Dig, subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions," was published in 1952 with illustrations by the not-yet-famous Maurice Sendak. It is not in the Noah Webster tradition. The definitions follow the pattern set by the title: "A castle is to build in the sand," "A face is something to have on the front of your head" and "A face is so you can make faces." The definitions range from silly ("Mud is to jump in and slide in and shout doodleedoodleedoo") to touching ("Hands are to hold.") Is there an echo of Ecclesiastes in "Little stones are for little children to gather up and put in little piles?" It is curious that pedantic killjoys have yet to attack this book for teaching questionable grammar.

A Very Special House, published in 1953 with illustrations Maurice Sendak, is written in funny and rhythmic verse about a house that is full of things like "a table very special where to put your feet! feet! feet!" The verse is oddly reminiscent of Poe's The Bells, though the mood could hardly be more different.

[edit] Works

  • A Good Man and His Good Wife, illus. by Ad Reinhardt (1944); re-illus. by Marc Simont (1962).
  • The Carrot Seed, illus. by Crockett Johnson (1945).
  • The Great Duffy, illus. by Mischa Richter (1946).
  • The Growing Story, illus. by Phyllis Rowand (1947).
  • Bears, illus. by Phyllis Rowand (1948); re-illus. by Maurice Sendak (2005).
  • The Happy Day, illus. by Marc Simont (1949).
  • The Big World and the Little House, illus. by Marc Simont (1949).
  • The Backward Day, illus. by Marc Simont (1950).
  • I Can Fly, illus. by Mary Blair (1950).
  • The Bundle Book, illus. by Helen Stone (1951).
  • A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of First Definitions, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1952).
  • A Very Special House, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1953).
  • I'll Be You and You Be Me, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1954).
  • How To Make An Earthquake, illus. by Crockett Johnson (1954).
  • Charlotte and the White Horse, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1955).
  • Is This You? by Krauss and Crockett Johnson (1955).
  • I Want to Paint My Bathroom Blue, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1956).
  • Monkey Day, illus. by Phyllis Rowand (1957).
  • The Birthday Party, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1957).
  • Somebody Else's Nut Tree, and Other Tales from Children, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1958).
  • A Moon or a Button: A Collection of First Picture Ideas, illus. by Remy Charlip (1959).
  • Open House for Butterflies, illus. by Maurice Sendak (1960).
  • Mama, I Wish I Was Snow; Child You'd Be Very Cold, illus. by Ellen Raskin (1962).
  • A Bouquet of Littles, illus. Jane Flora (1963).
  • Eyes, Nose, Fingers, Toes, illus. by Elizabeth Schneider (1964).
  • The Cantilever Rainbow, illus. by Antonio Frasconi (1965).
  • What a Fine Day for ..., illus. Remy Charlip; music by Al Carmines (1967).
  • The Happy Egg, illus. by Crockett Johnson (1967).
  • This Thumbprint: Words and Thumbprints (1967).
  • The Little King, the Little Queen, the Little Monster and Other Stories You Can Make Up Yourself (1968).
  • There's A Little Ambiguity Among the Bluebells and Other Theater Poems (1968).
  • If Only (1969).
  • I Write It, illus. by Mary Chalmers (1970).
  • Under Twenty (1970).
  • Everything Under a Mushroom, illus. by Margot Tomes (1973).
  • This Breast Gothic (1973).
  • Love and the Invention of Punctuation (1973).
  • Little Boat Lighter Than a Cork, illus. by Ester Gilman (1976).
  • Under Thirteen (1976).
  • When I Walk I Change the Earth (1978).
  • Somebody Spilled the Sky, illus. by Eleanor Hazard (1979).
  • Minnestrone (1981).
  • Re-examination of Freedom (1981).
  • Love Poems for Children (1986).
  • Big and Little, illus. by Mary Szilagyi (1987).

[edit] External links