Janette Sebring Lowrey (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1986) was an American
children's writer
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
, best known for the book ''
The Poky Little Puppy
''The Poky Little Puppy'' is a children's book written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. It was first published in 1942 as one of the first twelve books in the Simon & Schuster series Little Golden Books. The copyri ...
''. ''The Poky Little Puppy'' was the single all-time best-selling hardcover children's book in the U.S., having sold nearly 15 million copies. While the book has outsold many other famous books such as
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (;["Seuss"](_blank)
'' Green Eggs and Ham
''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2019, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide.
The story has appeared in several adaptations, starting with 1973's '' Dr. Seuss on the Loos ...
'', Lowrey herself (who also wrote stories about children in her home state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
) remained in relative obscurity until her death.
Life
Lowrey was born in
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Hous ...
. She wrote dozens of books for children and young adults from the 1930s to the 1970s. ''The Poky Little Puppy'' remains her best known, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Another well-known work of hers was ''Margaret'', a
historical fiction young adult novel, which was published in 1950. It was adapted into ''
Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', a TV serial that aired on ''
The Mickey Mouse Club
''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...
'' in 1958.
Despite her success as an author, Lowrey largely remained out of the public limelight.
Works
* ''Rings on Her Fingers'' (Harper & Bros., 1941)
*; Random House Digital, Inc., 2011,
* ''In the Morning of the World: Some of the Greek Myths'' (Harper, 1944)
* ''Margaret'' (Harper & Row, 1950)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowry, Janette Sebring
1892 births
1984 deaths
Writers from Texas
American children's writers
People from Orange, Texas
American women children's writers
20th-century American women
20th-century American people