Mary Ann Hoberman facts for kids

Mary Ann Hoberman (born August 12, 1930 – died July 7, 2023) was a famous American writer. She wrote more than 30 books for children. Many of her books are poems and stories that families can read together. She even became the second US Children's Poet Laureate!

About Mary Ann Hoberman

Growing Up

Mary Ann Hoberman was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on August 12, 1930. Her family moved often because her dad changed jobs. They lived in New York City, New Jersey, and New Haven, Connecticut, before returning to Stamford.

Even though books were scarce during the Great Depression, Mary Ann loved reading from a young age. In high school, she worked on the school newspaper and edited the yearbook. She was the first woman in her family to go to college. She studied History at Smith College, where she also worked on the newspaper. While at Smith College, she married Norman Hoberman. Their son, Chuck Hoberman, later invented the cool Hoberman sphere toy!

Her Career as a Writer

Before writing books, Mary Ann helped start two groups. One was "The Pocket People," a children's theater group. The other was "Women's Voice," which performed poetry readings.

Her first book, All My Shoes Come in Twos, came out in 1957. Many of her books have been reviewed in magazines and journals. Mary Ann loved visiting schools and libraries across the country. She taught about literature and writing to students of all ages.

She cared a lot about helping kids learn to read. She volunteered with Literacy Volunteers of America. She also created her popular You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You book series. These books are designed for adults and children to read aloud together.

In 2003, the Poetry Foundation named her the second US Children’s Poet Laureate. This special title is now called the Young People's Poet Laureate. She held this role from 2008 to 2011. Mary Ann Hoberman lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, with her husband Norman. They had four children and five grandchildren.

Her Passing

Mary Ann Hoberman passed away at her home in Greenwich on July 7, 2023. She was 92 years old.

Awards and Honors

Mary Ann Hoberman won several important awards for her writing:

• 1978 National Book Award for A House Is a House for Me
• 2003 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children
• 2004 National Outdoor Book Award for Whose Garden Is It?

Books She Wrote

As an Author

• All My Shoes Come in Twos (1957)
• How Do I Go? (1958)
• Hello and Good-by (1959)
• What Jim Knew (1963)
• Not Enough Beds for the Babies (1965)
• The Looking Book (1973)
• A Little Book of Little Beasts (1973)
• The Raucous Auk: A Menagerie of Poems (1973)
• Nuts to You & Nuts to Me: An Alphabet of Poems (1974)
• I Like Old Clothes (1976)
• Bugs (1976)
• A House is a House for Me (1978)
• Yellow Butter, Purple Jelly, Red Jam, Black Bread (1981)
• The Cozy Book (1982)
• Mr. and Mrs. Muddle (1988)
• Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers: A Collection of Family Poems (1991)
• A Fine Fat Pig, and Other Animal Poems (1991)
• The Seven Silly Eaters (1997)
• One of Each (1997)
• Miss Mary Mack (1998)
• The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems (1998)
• And to Think that We Thought that We'd Never be Friends (1999)
• The Two Sillies (2000)
• The Eensy-Weensy Spider (2000)
• There Once Was a Man Named Michael Finnegan (2001)
• Whose Garden is It? (2001)
• It's Simple, Said Simon (2001)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together (2001)
• The Marvelous Mouse Man (2002)
• Right Outside My Window (2002)
• Bill Grogan's Goat (2002)
• Mary Had a Little Lamb (2003)
• Yankee Doodle (2004)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together (2004)
• The Wheels on the Bus (2005)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together (2005)
• I'm Going to Grandma's (2007)
• Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow (2007)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together (2009)
• All Kinds of Families! (2009)
• Strawberry Hill (2009)

As an Editor

• My Song is Beautiful: Poems and Pictures in Many Voices (1994)
• The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science and Imagination (2009)