Lilian Moore

Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 8/2/2004

Prolific author, editor and poet Lilian Moore died July 20 at the age of 95. Moore's writing and editorial career spanned six decades; her dedication to children's literature began after her collegiate work at Hunter College and Columbia University. Dissatisfied with current children's books, Moore's committed herself to creating engaging titles for children of all reading abilities.

Moore's first storybook was the acclaimed Old Rosie, The Horse Nobody Understoodin 1952. She subsequently penned dozens of titles, including many under the pseudonym Sara Asheron. Moore helped pioneer the Arrow Book Club during the 1950s, which made affordable paperbacks available to young readers nationwide. In the 1960s, she began the Little Raccoon series and increasingly turned to writing books of poetry. Her latest, Mural on Second Avenue and Other City Poems, is slated for publication by Candlewick in April 2005.