Else Holmelund Minarik (née Holmelund; September 13, 1920 – July 12, 2012) was an American author of more than 40 children's books. She was most commonly associated with her ''
Little Bear'' series of children's books, which were
adapted for television.
Minarik was also the author of another well-known book, ''No Fighting, No Biting!''
Biography
Born in
Fredericia
Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...
, Denmark, Minarik immigrated to the United States at the age of four with her family. By 1940, Else had married Walter Minarik, who died in 1963.
After graduating from
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than ...
(B.A., 1942), she became a journalist, for the ''Daily Sentinel'' newspaper of
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which l ...
, during World War II. She subsequently lived on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
, where she was employed as a first-grade teacher for the
Commack School District
Commack Union Free School District is a public school district located in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The school district straddles the towns of Huntington and Smithtown, with Townline Road as the dividing line. It serves the resid ...
.
She later lived in
West Nottingham, New Hampshire. Minarik married her second husband, Pulitzer-winning journalist
Homer Bigart, in 1970;
after his death in 1991, she moved to
Sunset Beach in
Brunswick County, North Carolina
Brunswick County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,693. Its population was only 73,143 in 2000, making it one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. With a no ...
, where she continued writing longhand, as she always had.
Minarik's last book, ''Little Bear and the Marco Polo'', was published in 2010. After having suffered a heart attack at 91, she died at home from complications, on July 12, 2012.
Selected bibliography
*''
Little Bear'' series (illustrated by
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book '' Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 20 ...
, except for the last entry):
#''Little Bear'' (1957)
#''Father Bear Comes Home'' (1959)
#''Little Bear's Friend'' (1960)
#''Little Bear's Visit'' (1961)
#''A Kiss for Little Bear'' (1968)
#''Little Bear and the Marco Polo'' (2010) – illustrated by Dorothy Doubleday
*''No Fighting, No Biting!'' (1958) – illustrated by Maurice Sendak
*''Cat and Dog'' (1960) – illustrated by Fritz Siebel (published with new illustrations by Bryan Langdo in 2005)
*''The Little Giant Girl and Elf Boy'' (1963) – illustrated by
Garth Williams
Garth Montgomery Williams (April 16, 1912 – May 8, 1996) was an American artist who came to prominence in the American postwar era as an illustrator of children's books. Many of the books he illustrated have become classics of American childr ...
*''Percy and the Five Houses'' (1989) – illustrated by
James Stevenson
References
External links
Holmelund Minarik at the Children's Literature NetworkNew Hampshire Public Radio Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minarik, Elsie Holmelund
1920 births
2012 deaths
Queens College, City University of New York alumni
Danish emigrants to the United States
People from Rockingham County, New Hampshire
American women children's writers
People from Fredericia
American children's writers
20th-century American writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American writers
21st-century American women writers
Writers from New York (state)
Writers from New Hampshire