Tudor, Tasha

Tasha Tudor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 28, 1915. She was an American illustrator and the author of several children's books. Throughout her lifetime she illustrated nearly one hundred books with the last one being released in 2003. Tasha Tudor died June 18, 2008.

From the guide to the Tasha Tudor illustration, undated, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Tasha Tudor was born in Boston, Massachusetts August 28, 1915. She was an American illustrator and the author of several childrens books. Throughout her lifetime she illustrated nearly one hundred books with the last one being released in 2003. Tasha Tudor died June 18, 2008.

From the guide to the Promotional poster of Jenny Wren valentines, 1989, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Tasha Tudor was born August 28, 1915 in Boston, Massachusetts. Originally named Starling Burgess, she later legally changed her name to Tasha Tudor. She studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and published her first book for children, Pumpkin Moonshine, the story of a little girl who brings home the largest pumpkin, in 1938. During her long and prolific career, Tasha Tudor has illustrated dozens of books, including many that she wrote along with some written by her former husband Thomas Leighton McCready and others written by their daughter Efner Tudor Holmes. Tasha Tudor has become well known for her "soft watercolors" and "flowery prose" that "evoke" the "ideals, beauty and sentimentality of a bygone era." Critics have praised her illustrations for such classic works as Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden (1962) and The Little Princess (1963) noting that she "has seen deeper into the characters than many of her predecessors." Critics have also lauded her picture books for their "deep appreciation for family life, animals, [and] nature" and how they "reflect charm, excellence, and tranquility." Tasha Tudor has received many awards including Caldecott Honor citations for Mother Goose: Seventy-Seven Verses with Pictures (1944) in 1945 and 1 Is One (1956) in 1957. Tasha Tudor also received the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association in 1971 for her contributions to children's literature.

Biographical source: Something About the Author, vol. 69, pp. 195-199.

From the guide to the Tasha Tudor Papers, circa 1945-1963, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])