Ann McGovern facts for kids

Ann McGovern Scheiner (born Ann Weinberger; May 25, 1930 – August 8, 2015) was an American writer. She wrote over 55 children's books. Her books sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

Ann McGovern is famous for her version of Stone Soup. She also wrote Too Much Noise. She created many non-fiction books about history and travel. She wrote biographies about important people. These included Harriet Tubman and Deborah Sampson.

Ann McGovern's Early Life

Ann McGovern was born in New York City. She went to the University of New Mexico. But she left college early to get married. She married her English professor.

Later, her marriage ended. At 22 years old, she moved back to New York City. She had her 18-month-old son with her. Ann wanted to support herself and become a writer. She found a job at the company that published Little Golden Books. She started by stamping papers there. Soon, she published several books with Golden Books.

Her Amazing Career

Many talented artists drew pictures for Ann McGovern's books. Some of these artists were Ezra Jack Keats and Simms Taback. Others included Tomie de Paola and Mort Gerberg.

Ann later lived in the Edna St. Vincent Millay house. This house is at 75½ Bedford Street in New York. It is the narrowest house in the city. This special house gave her the idea for her book Mr Skinner's Skinny House.

In 1970, she married Martin Scheiner. He invented the first heart monitor for operating rooms. Ann adopted his three grown children. They lived together in a community called Usonia Historic District. This community is in Westchester, New York.

In the 2000s, Ann McGovern published four books of poetry. In 2014, she started writing online about her cancer journey.

Ann McGovern's Books

Ann McGovern wrote many popular books for children. Here are some of her well-known works:

• Mr Skinner's Skinny House
• Aesop's Fables
• Little Whale
• Runaway Slave: The Story of Harriet Tubman
• Black is Beautiful
• Stone Soup
• Too Much Noise (1957)
• Eggs on Your Nose
• Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest
• Christopher Columbus
• The Desert Beneath the Sea
• Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark
• The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson (1975)
• Night Dive (1984)
• If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 (1969)
• The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving (1973)
• Nicholas Bentley Stoningpot III (1982)

Later Life and Passing

Ann McGovern passed away from cancer. She died in New York City on August 8, 2015. She was 85 years old.