From: fran manushkin <franm>
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 20:14:26 -0400

I can add a few names to Lennie's list: Barbara Lucas worked for Ursula and left there for Coward, I think, and ultimately became a book packager. Phyllis Hoffman went to Bobbs-Merrill, worked at Harcourt Brace in the textbook department and is now a librarian. Elizabeth Winthrop and Joanne Ryder were Associate Editors, who wrote their first books while on staff at Harper. Ursula's assistant, Margaret Warner, is on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

         Ursula was extremely sensitive about the possiblity of other publishers luring away her editors. The great thing about her is this didn't stop her from teaching them whatever she knew. I have such great memories of seeing Ursula's comments on picture-book dummies. She went over them as carefully as any art director would, and I learned a lot about pacing picture books from her. She knew when a doublespread was necessary or a close-up. When Lillian Hoban first began writing (after the break-up of her marriage to Russell) Lilian submitted her first "Arthur" book. It was about a girl who sounded too much like Frances the badger. Ursula solved the problem by suggesting that Lillian change the girl into a boy--a very obvious solution, but one that hadn't occured to me. Fran
Received on Tue 11 Aug 1998 07:14:26 PM CDT