Karen Ackerman
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Karen Ackerman was an American author of children's books, born October 9, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she graduated from Woodward High School in 1969. Her first children's book was published in 1982, and she went on to publish over twenty-five books. Her books focus on families and the benefits of intergenerational relationships, and with stories about a whaling ship commander and the early days of the motion picture industry, her books open a window into the American past for children.
Ackerman is best remembered for her picture book Song and Dance Man, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, which won the 1989 Caldecott Medal, one of the most prestigious honors in American children's literature. Beyond that signature success, her books have won many other awards including Parents' Choice, ABA Pick of the List, ALA Notable Books, Children's Book Council/NCSS Notable Books in the Field of Social Studies, New York Library Best List, Horn Book's Best, and School Library Journal Best Books, cementing her reputation as a respected figure in American picture-book publishing during the 1980s and 1990s.
Her 1990 title The Banshee, illustrated by David Ray and published by Philomel, is characteristic of her output during this prolific period, when she was producing atmospheric, family-oriented, and folklore-tinged stories for young readers nearly every year. Because Ackerman's most celebrated work earned a major national award and her books were widely reviewed and stocked by libraries, her titles—particularly early hardcover first editions in fine condition with intact dust jackets—remain sought after by collectors of vintage children's literature.
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