Zena Sutherland facts for kids

Zena Sutherland (born in 1915, died in 2002) was an American expert who reviewed and wrote about children's books. She was famous for her work with the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. She also wrote an important book called Children and Books, which is used to teach about libraries.

Zena Sutherland's Early Life and Education

Zena Sutherland was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, in 1915. She grew up in Chicago with her mother. She went to the University of Chicago and graduated in 1937. Later, in 1966, she earned her master's degree from the same university. This degree was in library science, which is about how libraries work and how to organize books.

Her Amazing Career with Books

Zena Sutherland worked for almost 30 years as an editor for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. This magazine shared reviews of new books for kids.

Writing for Newspapers and Teaching

From 1966 to 1972, Zena also wrote a monthly newspaper section. It was called Books for Young People and appeared in the Saturday Review. After that, she became the children's books editor for the Chicago Tribune from 1972 to 1984.

Besides reviewing books, she taught at the University of Chicago Graduate Library School. She taught two classes: "Children's Literature" and "Literature for Young Adults." She even advised Carla Hayden, who later became the Librarian of Congress in 2016.

A Lifetime of Reviews

During her 40-year career, Zena Sutherland reviewed more than 30,000 children's books! She also wrote 19 books of her own.

Children and Books Textbook

Zena Sutherland also wrote a well-known textbook called Children and Books. She worked with May Hill Arbuthnot on some early versions of this book. After Arbuthnot passed away in 1969, Zena wrote five more editions of the book. The last one was published in 1996.

Awards and Honors

Zena Sutherland was highly respected for her work. In 1983, two of her former students started the Zena Sutherland Lecture Series to honor her. Later, in 1995, the Zena Sutherland Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature were created. In 1998, she received the Norman Maclean Faculty Award. This award recognized her excellent teaching career.

Zena Sutherland's Personal Life

Zena Sutherland married Roland Bailey in 1937. They had three children named Stephen, Thomas, and Katherine. She later married Alec Sutherland in 1964. They were married until Alec passed away in 1996. Zena Sutherland died on June 12, 2002, in a hospital in Chicago.