FISHER, Aileen (Lucia) 1906-2002

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born September 9, 1906, in Iron River, MI; died December 2, 2002, in Boulder, CO. Author. Fisher was an award-winning author of over one hundred children's books. After attending the University of Chicago for two years, she completed a bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri in 1927. Fisher's involvement in journalism was brief, however. From 1928 to 1931 she directed the Women's National Journalistic Register in Chicago, followed by a year working as a research assistant at the Labor Bureau of the Middle West. Thereafter, she embarked on her successful career as a freelance writer of books for children. Fisher wrote in various genres, including poetry, plays, short stories, picture books, and biographies. Many of these works were selected by the American Library Association as notable books, including Going Barefoot (1960), My Cousin Abe (1962), Listen, Rabbit (1964), and Valley of the Smallest: The Life Story of a Shrew (1966), the last of which was also selected as aHans Christian Andersen Honor Book. Fisher was especially praised for her verses for children, which often evoked her love for nature. She also wrote biographies, with Olive Rabe, on Emily Dickinson and Louisa May Alcott. Some of her most recent books include Always Wondering: Some Favorite Poems of Aileen Fisher (1991) and The Story of Easter (1997).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Cullinan, Bernice E., and Diane G. Person, editors, The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, Continuum International (New York, NY), 2001.

Writers Directory, 17th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2002, p. B15.

New York Times, December 9, 2002, p. A27.