Ruth Krauss
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Ruth Krauss (b. July 25, 1901, Baltimore, Maryland; d. July 10, 1993, Westport, Connecticut) was an author of children's books, the most beloved being The Carrot Seed.
Maurice Sendak characterized Krauss as "a giant" in the world of children's literature.
Krauss was a member of the Writers' Laboratory at Bank Street School in New York during the 1940s.
As of 2004, The Carrot Seed has been in print continuously since its first publication in 1945. It was illustrated by Krauss's husband, Crockett Johnson. It opens with the words "A little boy planted a carrot seed. His mother said, 'I'm afraid it won't come up.' Despite the skepticism of his parents and, particularly, his older brother, he persists and "pulled up the weeds around it every day and sprinkled the ground with water." The book concludes simply "And then, one day, a carrot came up just as the little boy had known it would." It has been regarded as a parable of faith, and the CEO of a Kansas City publicity firm has stated that it is a business motivational tool which "helps in the entrepreneurial spirit sort of way." Much of its charm, however, comes from its credibility as a simple story of something that could actually have happened.
Perhaps her second-most-famous book, A Hole is to Dig, subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions," was published in 1952 with illustrations by the not-yet-famous Maurice Sendak. It is not in the Noah Webster tradition. The definitions follow the pattern set by the title: "A castle is to build in the sand," "A face is something to have on the front of your head" and "A face is so you can make faces." The definitions range from silly ("Mud is to jump in and slide in and shout doodleedoodleedoo") to touching ("Hands are to hold.") Is there an echo of Ecclesiastes in "Little stones are for little children to gather up and put in little piles?" It is curious that pedantic killjoys have yet to attack this book for teaching questionable grammar.
A Very Special House, published in 1953 with illustrations Maurice Sendak, is written in funny and rhythmic verse about a house that is full of things like "a table very special where to put your feet! feet! feet!" The verse is oddly reminiscent of Poe's The Bells, though the mood could hardly be more different.