Susan Jeffers, renowned illustrator of 47 books for children, one of which, Three Jovial Huntsmen (Bradbury), received Caldecott Honors in 1974, died on January 22. She was 77. A 1968 graduate of Pratt Art Institute, her early years found her working in the art departments of various children’s book publishers. After honing her skills designing books and their jackets, she tried her hand at illustrating books on her own. Among her best known titles were the 1991 collaboration with author Chief Seattle on Brother Eagle, Sister Sky! The Words of Chief Seattle (Dial) and Rosemary Wells on the popular 1999 publication Rachel Field’s Hitty: Her First Hundred Years (S&S) as well as their later series about McDuff the dog, published by Hyperion between 1997 and 2005.
A member of the SCBWI and a past speaker at SCBWI conferences, we join the wider children’s book community in mourning her loss.