Lois Ehlert, Illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Dies At 86
Lois Ehlert, illustrator of the children’s book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, died of natural causes on Tuesday in Milwaukee. The author’s illustrations were created primarily by cutting out shapes and pasting them into collages. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom has sold over 12 million copies, according to Simon & Schuster.
Emily Brontë’s Handwritten Poems Going Up for Auction As Part of “Lost Library” Collection
A collection of rare books and manuscripts originally assembled by Charlotte Brontë’s widower Arthur Bell Nicholls is going up for auction. The collection has been out of the public eye for nearly a century, and it includes Emily Brontë’s handwritten poems, which include pencil corrections by her sister Charlotte. This manuscript is thought to be the highlight of the “lost library” collection. Sotheby’s described Brontë’s manuscript of 29 poems as “incredibly rare,” and values it at between £800,000 and £1.2m. The auction house said the handwritten poems are “the most important manuscript by Emily to come to market in a lifetime, and by far the most significant such manuscript to remain in private hands.”
Are Black Bookstore Owners Retaining Customers a Year After Anti-Racist Reading Boom?
Around this time last year, following the murder of George Floyd, anti-racist books made up nearly 70% of the New York Times Best Seller list, and readers flocked to Black-owned bookstores to show their support. Now, a year later, Black bookstore owners told NPR that sales are down from the 100-300 orders that were coming in this time last year, but owners are still optimistic and print book sales are still surging. NPR spoke to Black bookstore owners across the country, including La’Nae Robinson, co-owner of Bliss Books & Wine in Kansas City, MO, and Derrick Young, one of the co-owners of Mahogany Books in Southeast Washington, D.C.
Eric Carle, Creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Has Died
Eric Carle, the creator of the beloved children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, died on May 23, 2021 in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was 91 years old.