Kate Banks, the children’s book author whose works frequently touched on themes of animals and the natural world, has died at 64.
Banks’ death was confirmed in an email to Kirkus by Rick Margolis of Rising Bear Literary Agency, who described her as “a kind, caring, and truly remarkable human being.”
According to an obituary written by her sister Amy Banks, Kate Banks was born and raised in Maine and educated at Wellesley College and Columbia University. She began writing children’s books in the 1980s; among her early books were Alphabet Soup, illustrated by Peter Sís, and The Bunnysitters, illustrated by Blanche Sims.
She won the 1998 Horn Book award for And If the Moon Could Talk, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben, and the 2000 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best juvenile book for Howie Bowles, Secret Agent, illustrated by Isaac Millman. Her more recent titles include Pup and Bear, illustrated by Naoko Stoop; Lion Lullaby, illustrated by Lauren Tobia; and The Winter Bird, illustrated by Suzie Mason.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Banks turned to poetry. Her first poetry collection, Into the Ether, will be published by Regal House in October.
“Kate always understood that she wasn’t only around nature but of nature—she seemed to intuit the unity of the universe from a very young age,” Amy Banks wrote. “Her children’s books captured and conveyed the essence of a mother’s protective love for her children.…Her words deliver the most powerful message to a child: You belong, and you will be OK.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
