Schlein, Miriam

Miriam Schlein has also written under the name Susan Dorritt. A prolific author, she is the recipient of the Boys Clubs of America Junior Book Award Medal (1953), a Herald Tribune Honor Book award (1954), Children's Spring Book Festibal Honor Book (1955), Westchester Library Best books citation (1974-75), Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children citations (1979, 1980, 1982, 1986,1990, 1991), the American Booksellers Association "Pick of the Lists" (1991 and other awards. Several of her books have been book club selections by the Junior Library Guild and other clubs.

Miriam Schlein (1926-2004) was a children's author, whose books focused on teaching young readers about animals and natural history.

Miriam Schlein was born June 6, 1926, in New York, NY. She became a prolific author of children's books, most of which have nature themes, particularly focusing on animals of all kinds. She has also written historical fiction for children, books illustrating various Jewish customs and holidays, and distinctive stories, usually featuring animal characters. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vols. 2, 87, 130 Children's Literature Review, vol. 41.

Miriam Schlein was born June 6, 1926, in New York, NY. She became a prolific author of children's books, most of which have nature themes, particularly focusing on animals of all kinds. She has also written historical fiction for children, books illustrating various Jewish customs and holidays, and distinctive stories, usually featuring animal characters. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vols. 2, 87, 130 Children's Literature Review, vol. 41

Writer of children's books.

Graduate of Brooklyn College.

Miriam Schlein was born on 6 June 1926 in Brooklyn, NY. Schlein was a prolific author of children’s books which focused on teaching young readers about animals, science, and other topics. She earned a B.A. in psychology from Brooklyn College in 1947 before moving into the fields of publishing and advertising.

While working for the publisher Simon & Schuster in the children’s department, she was inspired to write her own books for children. Beginning with 1951’s A Day at the Playground, she went on to write nearly one hundred books over five decades. Although she wrote a number of fiction stories, such as Oomi, the New Hunter (1955), The Snake in the Carpool (1963), and I Sailed with Columbus (1991), she concentrated on books which explored the natural sciences. Among her award-winning efforts in this genre are Fast Is Not a Ladybug: A Book about Fast and Slow Things (1953), Elephant Herd (1954), What's Wrong with Being a Skunk? (1974), Giraffe, the Silent Giant (1976), The Dangerous Life of the Sea Horse (1986), and Discovering Dinosaur Babies (1991).

Miriam Schlein married Harvey Weiss, an artist who illustrated some of her early works. Before her marriage with Weiss ended in divorce, the couple had two children.

Miriam Schlein died of vasculitis on 23 November 2004 in New York City.