Dorothy P. Lathrop

Dorothy P. Lathrop

Dorothy Pulis Lathrop (1891–1980) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Lathrop was born April 16, 1891 in Albany, New York. During her lifetime of achievements, her notable prominence in the publishing world of children's literature includes the combined skills, mastery, and talents Lathrop displayed within the pages and color plates of the more than 38 books published with her illustrations. The prolific popularity of her talent was one of a steady production, primarily between the years of 1919 to 1962. In the 1930s, Lathrop published 9 children's books.

Lathrop's career as an illustrator and author began with using her artistic skills as an illustrator for other authors of children's literature, beginning around 1919. With the exception of several topical nonfiction books written by Lathrop, most of her art for illustrations, in her lifetime, remained dedicated to that of children's fictional literature. This included art for the book by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid (1939, and Walter de la Mare's books for children, including his Down-adown Derry, Fairy Poems, published in 1922.

In year 1919, Lathrop's first published "suite" of expressive illustrations appeared in Walter De la Mare's book for children, The Three Mulla-Mulgars. Lathrop developed a friendship with author Walter de la Mare, and thereafter, illustrated 5 of his books published for children, including illustrations for de la Mare's Down-Adown-Derry (1922), Crossings (1923), Mr. Bumps (1942), and Bells and Grass (1942).

In 1930, Dorothy Lathrop illustrated Rachel Field's successful children's novel, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, which won the Newbery Medal, annually awarded by the American Library Association for the best children's novel of the year. Macmillan's history of publishing its Hitty book spanned from years 1929, 1930, 1932, 1947, 1965, and 1998. Hitty is the fictional story of a doll, and its art and story saga has captured the imaginations of children for decades sinces its first publishing in 1929.

In 1931 Lathrop wrote The Fairy Circus, for which she received a Newbery Medal Honor citation, from The American Library Association. In 1938, was awarded the first Caldecott Medal ( for the excellence of her illustrations and art in the book Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book, written by Helen Dean Fish, published in 1937 by Lippincott.

Lathrop published many books devoted to the beauty and importance of animals. But Lathrop also illustrated many other books, especially fantasy and fairy tales such as W. H. Hudson's Little Boy Lost, Andersen's The Little Mermaid, the de la Mare', Conkling's Silverhorn, MacDonald's The Princess and Curdie and The Light Princess, Ingelow's Mopsa the Fairy. and her self-authored The Lost Merry-Go-Round and The Colt from Moon Mountain. She illustrated collections of children's poetry in addition to those by de la Mare, including Sara Teasdale's Stars To-night. She was also an accomplished printmaker

Read more about Dorothy P. Lathrop:  Works, Further Reading

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