Adrien Stoutenburg facts for kids

Adrien Stoutenburg (born December 1, 1916 – died April 14, 1982) was an amazing American writer. She wrote lots of books for young people. She was also a talented poet. Her poetry book, Heroes, Advise Us, won a special award called the Lamont Poetry Selection in 1964.

Discovering Adrien Stoutenburg's Life

Adrien Stoutenburg was born in Darfur, Minnesota. After her father passed away in 1918, her grandmother raised her. They lived in Hanley Falls, Minnesota. Adrien finished high school in Minneapolis. She then studied art at the Minneapolis School of Art from 1936 to 1938.

Starting Her Writing Journey

After art school, Adrien worked as a librarian. In 1943, she published her first children's book. It was called The Model Airplane Mystery. She later said she started writing books seriously in 1951. By 1956, she had published four children's books.

She then moved to California. There, she became an editor at Parnassus Press. This company published books for children. She worked there until 1958. Over her career, Adrien wrote about 40 books. These included fiction and non-fiction for young people.

Working with Laura Nelson Baker

Adrien often wrote books with Laura Nelson Baker. They lived together in Lagunitas, California. Adrien also used different pen names. These included Barbie Arden, Lace Kendall, and Nelson Minier. Nelson Minier was a name they used together.

Many of Adrien's books were chosen by the Junior Library Guild. This meant they were recommended for young readers. One of her books, American Tall Tales, is still popular today. When it came out in 1966, the New York Times suggested it for kids. They called it "Eight tales, tough, sentimental, and bold, about American's folk heroes."

Awards for Her Poetry

Adrien's first poetry book was Heroes, Advise Us. It won the Lamont Poetry Selection in 1964. This award helps new poets publish their first book. Her second poetry book, A Short History of the Fur Trade, won a California Book Award in 1969. It was also considered for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Her third poetry collection, Greenwich Mean Time, came out in 1979. The famous poet James Dickey praised her work. He said her poems had a "sensitive outrage." He described them as "quivering, powerful, and delicate."

Her Legacy and Later Works

Adrien Stoutenburg passed away in 1982 in Santa Barbara, California. After she died, a selection of her poems was published. This book was called Land of Superior Mirages. It included poems that had not been published before.

Her poems were chosen for the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards nine times. They have also appeared in many poetry collections. One of her well-known poems is "Cicada." It was first published in The New Yorker magazine in 1957.

Adrien Stoutenburg's Books

Adrien Stoutenburg wrote many different types of books. She wrote poetry, young adult fiction, and children's stories. She also wrote non-fiction books.

Poetry Collections

• 1964 The Things That Are. (Illustrated by Robert Lostutter)
• 1964 Heroes, Advise Us.
• 1969 A Short History of the Fur Trade.
• 1979 Greenwich Mean Time.
• 1986 Land of Superior Mirages: New and Selected Poems. (Edited by David R. Slavitt)

Young Adult Fiction

• 1954 The Silver Trap
• 1958 Honeymoon
• 1959 Four on the Road
• 1960 Good Bye, Cinderella
• 1964 Walk Into the Wind
• 1971 Out There (This book was called "the first major novel of ecological nightmare" on its cover.)

Children's Fiction and Poetry

• 1943 The Model Airplane Mystery
• 1951 Timber Line Treasure
• 1955 Stranger on the Bay
• 1956 River Duel
• 1957 In This Corner
• 1957 Snowshoe Thompson (with Laura Baker Nelson)
• 1961 The Blue-Eyed Convertible (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1962 Window on the Sea (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1963 A Time For Dreaming
• 1963 The Mud Ponies: Based on a Pawnee Indian Myth (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1964 The Things That Are (poetry)
• 1965 Rain Boat (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1966 American Tall Tales
• 1966 The Crocodile's Mouth: Folk-song Stories
• 1968 American Tall-Tale Animals
• 1969 Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum: Friendly and Funny Giants
• 1971 Haran's Journey
• 1971 A Cat Is (poetry)
• 1972 The Giant Who Sucked His Thumb
• 1978 Where To Now, Blue?

Non-Fiction Books

• 1958 Wild Animals of the Far West
• 1958 Wild Treasure, The Story of David Douglas (with Laura Nelson Baker)
• 1959 Scannon: Dog with Lewis and Clark (with Laura Nelson Baker, under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1961 Beloved Botanist: The Story of Carl Linnaeus (with Laura Nelson Baker, under the name Nelson Minier)
• 1963 Dear, Dear Livy: The Story of Mark Twain's Wife (with Laura Nelson Baker, under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1965 Explorer of the Unconscious: Sigmund Freud (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1967 A Vanishing Thunder: Extinct and Threatened American Birds
• 1968 Animals at Bay: Rare and Rescued American Wildlife (under the name Lace Kendall)
• 1968 Listen, America: A Life of Walt Whitman (with Laura Nelson Baker)