Books
Author Event: Books Good Enough for You by Nancy Hudgins
Join us for a special event with Nancy Hudgins, author of Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children's Books. This event is free, but we appreciate your RSVP below so we can plan for your attendance.
"The narrative is accessible and often feels insider-y, but in a way that kids will appreciate...Aspiring writers and editors will gobble this up; a strong purchase for middle grade biography shelves." — School Library Journal
A celebration of the life and work of Ursula Norstrom—the groundbreaking editor of classic children’s books like Charlotte’s Web and Where the Wild Things Are—and a powerful defense of a child’s right to read
Legendary Harper & Row children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom was a trailblazer. Her books were honest, smart, emotional, and firsts of their kind. And—perhaps because they challenged the status quo—they were often censored or banned. But Nordstrom always fought back.
Books Good Enough for You follows Nordstrom from childhood through her extraordinary career as book editor, literary revolutionary, and advocate. Full of anecdotes about some of Nordstrom’s most famous collaborators, like Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and E. B. White, this biography is a true celebration of collaboration and friendship.
Many of Nordstrom’s books—from to Where the Wild Things Are to Charlotte’s Web—are now considered classics, but back in her day, these stories faced fierce opposition from those who deemed them inappropriate for children. In the face of this criticism, Nordstrom pushed back, building up her authors and proudly defending young readers’ access to literature that reflected their worlds.
Filled with quotes from her eloquent, empathetic, and often sharply humorous editorial letters, Books Good Enough for You is a timely reminder that children deserve fresh, groundbreaking, and deeply human stories.
Nancy Hudgins received her undergraduate degree in history and political science from Boston University and her law degree from the University of Virginia. Now, Hudgins and with her rescue dog, Buddy, are the cofounders of a Little Free Library dedicated to children’s books. When not writing, revising or researching in some far-away archive, Hudgins plays bocce. Like Ursula Nordstrom, she enjoys jigsaw puzzles.
