ZOLOTOW, Charlotte

Born 26 June 1915, Norfolk, Virginia

Daughter of Louis J. and Ella Bernstein Shapiro; married Maurice Zolotow, 1938 (divorced); children: two

When she was young, Charlotte Zolotow moved with her parents to New York City, where she attended public schools. As a shy fourth grader, she discovered that writing was her way to reach out to the world through a persona when she wrote a first-person essay "as told by a Boston bull terrier," and says she has been writing for "the child within" ever since. She studied writing at the University of Wisconsin and then returned to work in New York, eventually becoming a senior editor in the child-ren's division at Harper & Row. She worked under Ursula Nordstrom, whom Zolotow credits not only with building the department from its original staff of three to a complement of nearly 50, but also with being, as the editor of imaginatively illustrated books dealing with contemporary subjects and problems, a truly seminal force in the development of modern child-ren's literature.

Zolotow began writing children's books after leaving her editorial job in 1944 to stay home with the first of her two children. She returned to Harper & Row in 1962 and resigned as vice president and associate publisher of Harper Junior Books in 1981, when she was given her own imprint, Charlotte Zolotow Books. She still remains an editorial consultant for Harper Junior Books, unable to give up a job she loved so much. Many believe her success as an editor is attributed to her talent for matching the right illustrator with the right author. The same is true for her own works. She was divorced from her husband, also a writer, in 1970.

Many of her best books, considering both their quality and popularity with children, have been those that deal honestly with situations and problems that prior to the "new wave of realism" were not considered suitable subjects for this genre. Three examples would be The Quarreling Book (1963), The Hating Book (1967), and The Unfriendly Book (1975), all of which recognize that children, like adults, can harbor unpleasant emotions, be negatively affected by gloomy weather and gloomy behavior, and be downright antisocial at least some of the time. Earlier literature eschewed discussion of sibling rivalry and the displacement of an older child with the coming of a new baby, but Zolotow deals frankly with this topic in both If It Weren't for You (1966) and Big Sister and Little Sister (1966).

Several of her books humorously set forth a child's point of view about adult rules for the behavior of children, as in When I Have a Little Girl (1965) and When I Have a Son (1967). She addresses the once taboo subject of one-parent families in The Night When Mother Went Away (1961; reissued as The Summer Night, 1974), which shows a father dealing with the situation, and in A Father like That (1968), which shows a young boy telling his mother what his father would be like if he had one. In the latter, the subject is handled very subtly; we are never told if it has been death or divorce or an unmarried mother that has caused the father's absence, and Zolotow resolves the problem posed by having the child's mother agree with his dreams of an ideal father and reassure him that when he grows up, he can be such a parent.

A special favorite with feminists is William's Doll (1972). Its main character is a little boy who wants a real "baby doll," despite all the negative reactions from his big brother and the boy next door. His father brings home a basketball, which William enjoys, and electric trains, for which William builds model towns. Only his grandmother understands that he wants to "practice being a father." The point is clearly made, although Zolotow claims like all her other work, it was not written to "get a point across," but rather to let children see other children have shared the same emotions, frustrations, and joys.

Zolotow's work is lyrical, but not overstated. One of the finest examples is Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (1962), in which Mr. Rabbit helps a child find the perfect gift for her mother, who is especially fond of red, yellow, green, and blue. Paul Williams identified it as an all-time favorite: "It is a perfect presentation of something rich and rare and untouchable, the time that exists between friends."

In Someone New (1978), she presents a boy puzzled by a difference in his life, which he is unable to pinpoint. He packs away his babyish toys and stuffed animals, realizing that he has a new interest in his shell collection, and finally comes to know that it is he who has changed. Zolotow closes with "Someone is gone. Someone is missing and I know who. It is I. I am someone new."

In a genre sometimes accorded less importance than it deserves, Zolotow's contribution has been tremendous. For many decades, she has provided leadership by example with books that are successful both artistically and commercially; she has reached children by communicating with them through the child within herself and has evoked a response in adults as well. In every respect, Zolotow must be considered a major voice in the area of juvenile literature today.

Zolotow's career has also been punctuated with different honors, including the Harper Gold Medal for editorial excellence awarded in 1974, the 1974 Christopher Award for her writing, and Honor Book citations from the distinguished Caldecott and Newbery selection committees. She also is a teacher of the editorial and writing crafts she practices, lecturing widely to audiences around the country. Zolotow has participated in both the University of Colorado Writer's Conference of Children's Books and the University of Indiana Writer's Conference. And astoundingly enough, while being dedicated to her editorial responsibilities, she has published more than 60 of her own books for children since the writing of her first book, The Park Book, in 1944.

Other Works:

The Park Book (1944). But Not Billy (1947). The City Boy and the Country Horse (1952). Indian, Indian (1952). The Magic Word (1952). The Storm Book (1952). The Quiet Mother and the Noisy Little Boy (1953). One Step Two (1955). Not a Little Monkey (1957). Over and Over (1957). Do You Know What I'll Do? (1958). The Bunny Who Found Easter (1959). Aren't You Glad? (1960). Big Brother (1960). In My Garden (1960). The Little Black Puppy (1960). The Three Funny Friends (1961). The Man with the Purple Eyes (1961). When the Wind Stops (1962; revised 1975). The Sky Was Blue (1963). Thomas the Tiger (1963). The White Marble (1963). I Have a Horse of My Own (1964). The Poodle Who Barked at the Wind (1964). A Rose, A Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse (1964). Someday (1965). All that Sunlight (1967). I Want to Be Little (1967). Summer Is (1967). My Friend John (1968). The New Friend (1968). A Day in the Life of Yani (1969). The Old Dog (1969). A Day in the Life of Latef (1970). Flocks of Birds (1970). River Winding (1970; rev. ed., 1978). Where I Begin (1970). Wake Up and Goodnight (1971). You and Me (1971). The Beautiful Christmas Tree (1972). Hold My Hand (1972). Janey (1973). My Grandson Lew (1974). It's Not Fair (1976). May I Visit? (1976). If You Listen (1980). Say It! (1980). The Song (1982). I Know a Lady (1984). Everything Glistens and Everything Sings: New and Selected Poems (1987). I Like to Be Little (1987). Something is Going to Happen (1988). The Seashore Book (1992). Smippets (1992). This Quiet Lady (1992). The Moon Was Best (1993). The Old Dog (1995). When the Wind Stops (1995). Who is Ben? (1997).

Bibliography:

Hopkins, L. B., Books Are by People (1969). Wintle, J., and E. Fisher, The Pied Pipers: Interviews with the Influential Creators of Children's Literature (1974)

Reference works:

Children's Literature Review (1976). SATA (1971).

Other references:

Houston Post (10 Apr. 1976). Mademoiselle (Jan. 1973). New Orleans Times-Picayune (30 Apr. 1974). New York Daily News (18 May 1971). Palo Alto Times (20 Sept. 1976). Prism (Dec. 1974). PW (10 June 1976).

—EDYTHE M. MCGOVERN,

UPDATED BY DEVRA M. SLADICS