Barbara Cooney
1917 – 2000
Background – Biographical Information & Connection to Maine
“Barbara Cooney.” Gale Literature: Contemporary (7)
“Barbara Cooney.” Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults (8)
“Barbara Cooney.” The Horn Book Magazine (6)
What Would Miss Rumphius Do? Barbara Cooney’s beloved stories and illustrations carry lessons for young Americans about moral courage. – The Atlantic, December 2017 (13)
Visual Text
Barbara Cooney, one of the most beloved children’s authors, in her studio in Damariscotta, Maine (3)
Barbara Cooney, beloved author/illustrator of over 100 children’s books (9)
“Throughout her prolific career, Cooney served as illustrator for more than 100 books, many of which she also wrote. She was a two time Caldecott Medal Winning (1958’s Chanticleer and the Fox and 1979’s Ox-Cart Man). Her book Miss Rumphius earned her the National Book Award in 1983. In 1994, she was nominated for the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the highest international honor for children’s book writers, for her incredible contributions to the field.”
75 Years of the Caldecott Medal Children & Libraries, Spring 2013 (17)
Virtual Visits – Landmarks & Museums
The Old Granite Steps: See inside Barbara Cooney’s home in Damariscotta (PDF here) (18)
Virtual Visit to the extensive Barbara Cooney exhibit at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (12)
Bowdoin College Museum of Art Exhibition: Barbara Cooney: Drawing Biography (10)
A presentation by Barbara Cooney’s niece in conjunction with the Bowdoin College exhibit highlighting the research Barbara Cooney put into her characters. (YouTube) (11)
Covers of Books
Primary Sources
Barbara Cooney Correspondence at the Maine State Library (15)
The text of the tribute to Barbara Cooney as she was awarded an honorary degree from Bowdoin College in 1996. (14)
Text Excerpts & Access to Books
Click here to search for books by this author in the BHS Library’s 24 Maine Authors Special Collection. Choose Maine and Brunswick High School then log in with the username and password you use for email to access eBooks in the catalog.
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Brookland Cemetery in Waldoboro, Maine (5)
Find-a-Grave Cemetery Record
Barbara Cooney Obituary in the New York Times
Click here to read Barbara Cooney’s obituary in The New York Times (1)
