Harriet Ziefert facts for kids

Harriet Ziefert, born on July 7, 1941, is a well-known American author who writes books for children. She was born in North Bergen, New Jersey. Harriet Ziefert has created hundreds of children's books, including the popular Little Hippo series. Many talented artists have illustrated her books, such as Emilie Boon and Santiago Cohen.

Working with Emilie Boon

Harriet Ziefert has worked with illustrator Emilie Boon on many books. Their teamwork has brought many stories to life for young readers.

Board Books for Young Learners

Ziefert and Boon created special "board books" for very young children, like preschoolers. These books are more than just stories; they are also like games that help kids learn. For example, in Timothy's Numbers, the book comes with soft, colorful foam numbers. Children can put these numbers into special slots in the book as a rabbit character named Timothy helps them count. There is also a book called Timothy's Shapes, which helps children learn about different shapes. These types of board books are popular because they combine toys with reading.

The Little Hippo Series

Ziefert and Boon also worked together on a series of "Little Hippo" books. The first book in this series was published in 1988 by Viking Penguin. These books are written for children aged about 18 months to five years old. They are designed to help young children understand and deal with big changes in their lives. For example, some books help children adjust to a new baby joining the family or moving to a new house.

The Little Hippo character is drawn in a special way, with unique features, soft outlines, and light-gray coloring. In 1997, Emilie Boon noticed a new series of "Little Hippo" books published by Scholastic, Inc.. She believed that the characters in these new books looked very similar to her own distinctive illustrations. She also noted that Scholastic used the name "Little Hippo" and dressed the hippo character in a way that was like hers. Scholastic also tried to get a trademark for the hippo image for their line of books.

Some of the titles in the original Little Hippo series include:

• "Daddy Can You Play With Me?"
• "Little Hippo's New Baby"
• "Little Hippo's New House"
• "Mummy Where Are You?"

Emilie Boon decided to take legal action because she felt her original work was copied. She found a lawyer, Seth Salinger, through a non-profit group called "Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts" in Boston. In 1999, her lawyer filed a lawsuit against Scholastic in federal court in Boston. A spokesperson for Scholastic, Chuck Wentzel, stated that Scholastic believed they had not copied anything and expected to win the case. On July 3, 2001, the court decided that Emilie Boon had not proven her case. She was ordered to pay a small amount of money to Scholastic.

Popular Books by Harriet Ziefert

Here are some of the notable books written by Harriet Ziefert, many of which were illustrated by Emilie Boon:

• Bear All Year (1986)
• Bear Gets Dressed (1986)
• Bear Goes Shopping (1986)
• Max and Diana and the Shopping Trip (1987)
• Daddy Can You Play With Me? (1988)
• Mommy Where Are You? (1988)
• My Clothes and My Food (1996)
• Benjy Bear's Halloween (1996)
• Benjy Bear's Christmas (1996)
• Timothy's Numbers (1996)
• Timothy's Shapes (1996)
• Little Hippo's New Baby (1997)
• Little Hippo's New House (1997)
• Little Hippo's New Friend (1999)
• Little Hippo's New School (1999)
• No Kiss for Grandpa (2001)
• Grandma, Where Are You? (2005)
• Grandpa, Will You Play With Me? (2005)