Debbie Malone

Lois Lenski (1893–1974) was a celebrated author and illustrator who created 98 books for children, many of which earned prestigious awards. Her career began in 1927 with "Skipping Village" and "Jack Horner's Pie." Lenski's extensive body of work includes picture books, chapter books, songbooks, poetry, and essays. She is particularly recognized for her "Mr. Small" series, her "Historical" series featuring titles like "Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison," and her "Regional" series, which includes the Newbery Medal-winning "Strawberry Girl." Lenski also illustrated works by other authors, such as "The Little Engine that Could." She established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation in 1967 to support libraries serving at-risk children.

Lenski's personal life significantly influenced her writing. Her early childhood in Ohio inspired books like "A Little Girl of 1900," while observing her son and grandchildren led to the "Mr. Small," "Davy," and "Debbie" series. Her travels to the southern United States, necessitated by health concerns, broadened her perspective and inspired her "Regional" series, focusing on the lives of children in different American environments. Despite facing domestic expectations that challenged her creative pursuits, Lenski dedicated herself to her art, carving out time to write and illustrate from her home studio. She continued writing and publishing until her death in 1974.

Born in 1893, Lois Lenski was the daughter of a clergyman and a schoolteacher. Encouraged by teachers and a visiting artist, she developed an early talent for drawing. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in education and a minor in fine arts, she pursued further artistic training at the Art Students League in New York and the Westminster School of Art in London. Her studies also included illustration at the School of Industrial Art in New York. Lenski's initial professional ambition was to be a painter, with her oil paintings and watercolors exhibited in New York galleries. During her studies, she also began illustrating, taking on work to support herself. Her first publication was a coloring book in 1918, followed by paper doll books.

Lenski's transition to writing and illustrating her own children's stories began in 1927, at the suggestion of editor Helen Dean Fish. Her early works, such as "Skipping Village" and "A Little Girl of 1900," drew inspiration from her idealized memories of small-town Ohio childhood. Her husband, Arthur Covey, a muralist, initially expected her to prioritize domestic responsibilities, but Lenski found ways to balance her family life with her creative work. Her son Stephen and later grandchildren inspired her "Mr. Small," "Davy," and "Debbie" series. Living in Connecticut and later spending winters in the southern United States exposed her to diverse American life, which became the foundation for her influential "Regional" series, aiming to capture the authentic experiences of children across the country.

Lenski's extensive bibliography, totaling 98 books, is characterized by a consistent focus on the ordinary experiences of children within their environments. She described this central theme as "a child and his environment," evident from her first book to her later works. Her "Regional" series, in particular, aimed to portray the distinct social and economic realities of children in different parts of America. Beyond her own writing, Lenski illustrated books for other authors, including early editions of "The Little Engine that Could" and Maud Hart Lovelace's "Betsy-Tacy" series. In 1967, she established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, dedicated to providing grants for book purchases to libraries serving underprivileged children, ensuring her commitment to literacy and access continued beyond her lifetime.

“Through all my poems run the same themes, concepts and values that rear again and again in my stories. It is of interest to note that my very first book, Skipping Village, was originally titled: A Child's Town. This theme - a child and his town, or a child and his environment - can be traced through all my books. It is obvious in two of my latest picture books, At Our House and I Went For a Walk, and is behind all of Mr. Small's activities. It runs through my historical books, which portray children and family life in early periods of our history, and it is the basic theme behind my Regional and Roundabout America books. Whether a short picture book, a scholarly historical study, or an interpretation of some phase of life in contemporary America, my books are essentially family stories, reflecting the child in his environment.”