47. All Your Children's Books Are Belong To Us (Gays), Part 1
/This episode marks the return of History is Gay after hiatus, and we're excited to be back in your podfeeds diving into the fascinating world of classic children's literature through the lens of queer authors. Leigh is joined by wonderful guest co-host, Aubree Calvin, to explore the lives and works of several groundbreaking authors, revealing how their sexualities and personal experiences shaped the books we cherished as children.
In this first of a multi-part episode, we're focusing on four beloved authors whose works were some of our favorites: Tomie dePaola, most notable for our favorite Italian grandma Strega Nona, Margaret Wise Brown, the bisexual poet behind beloved picture books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, Ann M. Martin, who introduced us to our friends in The Baby-Sitters Club, and Arnold Lobel, the man behind the cozy shared lives of Frog and Toad.
This conversation doesn't end here; stay tuned as we will continue to explore more queer authors and their impact on the world of children's literature in the next episode, coming soon!
Aubree, or Bree to her friends and enemies alike, is a black, queer trans woman on the edge of turning 40. A southerner for most of her life, Aubree has family roots across the south. She loves studying politics, history, and learning about all aspects of queer culture. Aubree started her podcast, Southern Queeries, because she’s tired of society ignoring the south's diverse communities. Professionally, Aubree is a community college government professor and part time writer. When not talking, teaching, or writing, Aubree’s spending her free time with her wonderful wife and daughter.
Locate Aubree upon the internet:
Aubree Writes on Facebook
@BreeinTX on Twitter
A Closer Look at the Queer Authors Behind Your Favorite Childhood Books
Take a gander at the first four authors we’ve covered in this episode.
Tomie dePaola (1934 — 2020)
Born September 15, 1934 in Meriden, CT, Tomie dePaola infused his Italian and Irish heritage into his stories with warmth, belonging, and encouraging kids to not be afraid to be themselves.
Tomie with some of his beloved characters
He is perhaps most well known for his Strega Nona series, but he also wrote a book called Oliver Button is a Sissy, the first children’s book to come closest to using the word “gay”.
In Oliver Button is a Sissy, the main character Oliver is a sensitive, artsy boy who is bullied for being a “sissy” and falls in love with tap dance. His peers change their tune however when he dazzles at a dance performance, and “Oliver Button is a Sissy” graffitti becomes “Oliver Button is a Star”.
dePaola drew heavily from his own life experiences for this story, externalizing his own history of being bullied for being a “sissy” child.
In 2001, Tomie starred in his own Jim Henson TV show, Jim Henson’s Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola, telling stories with muppet friends!
There’s a playlist on YouTube of several episodes that you can check out here. It’s delightful!
Margaret Wise Brown (1910 — 1952)
Referred to as the “laureate of nursery”, Margaret Wise Brown was born May 23, 1910 in Brooklyn, NY, and the Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny author had a several-years long relationship with socialite, suffragette, and erotic poet Blanche Oelrichs, also known as Michael Strange!
young Margaret Wise Brown with her sister Roberta and their pet rabbits!
While Margaret would go on to write over 200 books in her lifetime, she is arguably most well known for classics The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon, the later of which was banned in NY libraries until 1972, all because of the personal vendetta from one particular librarian, Anne Caroll Moore against the book, who was very influential in the public libraries community.
Margaret with Crispin's crispian at her cobble court cottage writing studio in the late 1940s
The view from Margaret's beloved home, Only House, on Vinalhaven, Maine
Margaret’s Loves
One of Margaret Wise Brown’s longest relationships was with Blanche Oelrichs, better known by her pen name and later all-time public persona, Michael Strange. We couldn’t find any photos of the two of them together, but here’s a look at Michael, as well as a photo of Margaret with James Stillman Rockefeller Jr, with whom she was together and engaged in the last year of her life.
Margaret later in life with her fiancee, James stillman "Pebble" Rockefeller, jr.
Margaret's tombstone, on which she requested not to be memorialized as a children's book author, but as a "Writer of songs and nonsense"
Ann M. Martin (1955 — )
Born August 12, 1955, Ann M. Martin is best known for bringing the world The Baby-Sitters Club, but these days she lives in upstate New York and writes independent novels and lives a quiet life with her dogs and a rotating cast of foster kittens!
Ann with doggy friend
Ann at the 2019 National book Awards
The Baby-Sitters Club, first debuting in 1986, put Ann M. Martin on the map and connected with multiple generations of young girls, and especially resonated with queer readers who saw themselves in a group of pre-teen girls who prioritized friendship and an entreprenureal spirit. Plus it didn’t hurt that one of the characters, Kristy, was a huge tomboy!
Ann with the actors from the short-lived 2020 BSC netflix series
Ann Martin (right) with former partner and co-author of Doll People books, Laura godwin (left). She came out publicly in 2016 via a mention of godwin being her former partner in a vulture article.
Arnold Lobel (1933 — 1987)
Born May 22, 1933 in Los Angeles but raised in Schenectady, NY by his German-Jewish grandparents, Arnold Lobel fell in love with illustrating and children’s books at a young age. He illustrated close to 100 books during his career, and his most well-known work is the Frog and Toad series, which he wrote and illustrated together.
Frog and Toad tells stories about two best friends and neighbors, Frog and Toad, who represented two different sides of Arnold Lobel, and according to his daughter, were the beginning of him coming to terms with his sexuality and coming out to himself.
Lobel came out to his wife, Anita Kempler, and his children, in 1974, but continued to work with her for many years. In the early 80s, he met his partner Howard Weiner, who cared for him at the end of his life after suffering from AIDS.
If you want to learn more, check out our full list of sources and further reading below!
Online Articles & Resources:
Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola, ‘Strega Nona’ Author and Illustrator, Dies at 85
Tomie dePaola interview by Greg Cook, The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research
Arnold Lobel
Margaret Wise Brown
‘Goodnight Moon’ author was a bisexual rebel who didn’t like kids
How a Maine Fisherman Became Margaret Wise Brown’s Alter Ego
‘Goodnight Moon’ and the Queer Love Story of the Great Green Room
Ann M. Martin
Ursula Nordstrom and the Queer History of the Children’s Book
Baby-Sitters Club Creator Ann M. Martin is Queer, How Did I Not Know This
Rainbow Rant: 'The Baby-Sitters Club' is back, and it is more queer than ever
Books & Print Articles:
Kander, Jessica. “Reading Queer Subtexts in Children’s Literature”, Eastern Michigan University: Digital Commons @EMU, 2011.
Becker R., Margot, et al. Ann M. Martin: The Story of the Author of the Baby-Sitters Club. Scholastic, Incorporated, 1993.
Fleischmann, T. “If you are to be an owl”, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction, vol. 13, no. 1 (spring 2011), pp. 77-82
Gary, Amy. In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown. Flatiron Books, 2017.
