Lois Lenski (1893–1974)

Lois Lenski was one of five children born to a Prussian immigrant father and a teacher mother in Ohio. She grew up in a rural community west of Springfield, and many of her fondest childhood memories were of life in this small town, according to her autobiograph. Lois was skilled at drawing, often copying pictures from books and magazines.
She attended Ohio State University, intending to become a teacher. After graduation, at the urging of her art professors, she moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League.
She took courses and supported herself with jobs such as lettering and painting greeting cards and drawing for fashion ads. In 1920, she traveled to London and Italy to study and work.
In 1921, shortly after returning from her travels, Lenski married Arthur Covey, an artist. She spent much of her early career as an illustrator of children's books, and then began to write her own stories to accompany her drawings. She published her first book, Skipping Village, in 1927. Lenski won the Newbery Honor for several of her books and the Newbery Medal in 1946. She was a prolific author who produced many regional series of books as well as character-based series.