Rosemary Wells

Rosemary Wells (born January 29, 1943) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She is well known for using animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well known characters are Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko.

Background[]

Wells was born in New York City and raised in Red Bank, New Jersey. Her mother was a ballerina with the Ballet Ruse de Monte Carlo and her father was a playwright. She began drawing at age two. When Wells was nineteen, she attended the Boston Museum School where she studied illustration. Before becoming an author and illustrator, Wells worked as an art editor for Allyn and Bacon, Inc and as an art designer for Macmillan Publishing. In 1963, she married architect Thomas Moore Wells, with whom she has two daughters, and in 1968, she published her first book, an illustrated version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s A Song to Sing, O!. She has since published more than 60 books in her over 30 year career. ^[4][5][6]

A common theme in Rosemary Wells' stories is the use of animal characters rather than humans. In the children's journal Stone Soup, Wells stated that she writes using animals because it allows her to address sophisticated, controversial topics in way children can understand and adults can accept. For example, tackles the thorny topic of racism. It is about a young Japanese kitten who is ostracized when she brings sushi in her school lunch. At the book's conclusion, she gains acceptance by hosting a school luncheon where everyone brings food native to their family. Many of the animal characters, such as those in Max & Ruby, interact with one another much as humans would, while others such as McDuff – a West Highland Terrier – take on a more realistic role as the adopted pet of a young couple.^[7]

Works[]

Children's books[]

1971–1973

Library of Congress catalog records imply that these six are children's picture books.

• Impossible, Possum (1971), written by Ellen Conford
• A Hot Thirsty Day (1971), by Marjorie W. Sharmat
• Two Sisters and Some Hornets (1972), by Beryl Epstein and Dorrit Davis
• Unfortunately Harriet (1972)
• Noisy Nora (1973)
• Benjamin & Tulip (1973)

Later

Other books[]

• Fog Comes on Little Pig Feet (1972)
• Following Grandfather
• Help Children Cope with Divorce
• Help Children Cope with Grief
• House in the Mail
• Lincoln and His Boys
• Mary on Horseback
• My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood, written with Secundino Fernandez, illustrated by Peter Ferguson
• On the Blue Comet, illus. Bagram Ibatoulline
• Red Moon at Sharpsburg
• Streets of Gold
• Through the Hidden Door
• Leave Well Enough Alone
• The Man in the Woods
• When No One Was Looking

Awards and Recognition[]

Rosemary Wells's books have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Horn Book Magazine. She has been nominated for numerous awards such as the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Black-Eyed Susan Award, the Red Clover Award, and the Beehive Award. She has won the following:

• Irma S. and James H. Black Award, 1975 - Morris's Disappearing Bag
• Virginia Readers Choice Award, 1987 - Man in the Woods
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, 1989 - Shy Charles
• Parents Choice Award, 2014 - Stella's Starliner ^[8]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• 2010 National Book Festival Address on YouTube
• Rosemary Wells at Library of Congress Authorities, with 240 catalog records
• Rosemary Wells Papers at University of Connecticut Archives