Else Holmelund Minarik

Else Holmelund Minarik was a Danish-born American author best known for her Little Bear series of children's picture books, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, which captivated generations of young readers and were adapted into a popular animated TV series. Born in Denmark in 1920, she immigrated to the United States at age four, studied art and psychology, worked as a journalist and first-grade teacher, and began writing due to a lack of suitable books for her daughter and students. She authored over 40 children's books, including No Fighting, No Biting!, until her final work Little Bear and the Marco Polo in 2010.