Norma Farber facts for kids

Norma Holzmann Farber (born August 6, 1909 – died March 21, 1984) was an American writer. She wrote many books for children. She was also a talented poet. An award for new poets is named after her. It is called the Norma Farber First Book Award. This award celebrates new American poets.

About Norma Farber's Life

Norma Farber was born in Boston in 1909. Her parents were G. Augustus and Augusta Schon Holzman. She went to Girls' Latin School. Later, she studied at Wellesley College. She also earned degrees from Radcliffe College.

In 1928, she married Sidney Farber. Sidney Farber later started a special hospital. It was for children with cancer. Today, it is known as the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Norma Farber was also a classical singer. She was a soprano.

Norma Farber wrote six books of poems. She also wrote 18 books for children. Her first poems were published in the 1940s. She kept writing until she passed away in 1984. She had four children.

Norma Farber's Awards

Norma Farber received several awards for her work:

• She won Belgium's Premier Prix for singing in 1936.
• She received the Golden Rose Award.
• Her book, As I Was Crossing Boston Common, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. This is a very important award for books.

Norma Farber's Books

Norma Farber wrote many books. She wrote poetry for adults. She also wrote many books especially for young readers.

Poetry for Young Readers

• These Small Stones: Poems. Myra Cohn Livingston (illus.). Harper & Row. 1987. ISBN 978-0-06-024013-4. https://archive.org/details/thesesmallstones00farb.
• When it Snowed that Night. Petra Mathers (illus.). HarperCollins. 1993. ISBN 978-0-06-021707-5. https://archive.org/details/whenitsnowedthat0000farb.
• All Those Mothers at the Manger. Megan Lloyd (illus.). Harper & Row. 1985. ISBN 978-0-06-021869-0. https://archive.org/details/allthosemothersa00farb.
• Small wonders: poems. Kazue Mizumura (illus.). Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. 1979. ISBN 978-0-698-20484-3.
• Never say ugh to a bug. Jose Aruego (illus.). Greenwillow Books. 1979. ISBN 978-0-688-80140-3. https://archive.org/details/neversayughtobug00farb.
• As I was Crossing Boston Common. Arnold Lobel (illus.). E. P. Dutton. 1991. ISBN 978-0-525-25960-2. https://archive.org/details/asiwascrossingbo00farb.

Fiction for Young Readers

• Mercy Short: A Winter Journal, North Boston, 1692-93. Dutton. 1982. ISBN 978-0-525-44014-7. https://archive.org/details/mercyshortwinter00farb. (first printed in 1973)
• The Boy who Longed for a Lift. Brian Selznick (illus.). HarperCollins. 1997. ISBN 978-0-06-027108-4. https://archive.org/details/boywholongedforl0000farb.