Sendak's Butterflies

To Maurice Sendak

September 28, 1959.

Dear Maurice:

I may have to leave, to go to the dentist, God help me, before you come by with the Krauss-Sendak drawings.*


So if I don't see you this is a hasty note to say we all (including Elsa [sic]) want to make the Minarik title Little Bear's Friend.** Hope this doesn't throw off any design you have worked out for the jacket. I really think it is more colorful and warmer than Little Bear and Emily and will help sell the book and that will be nice for everyone concerned. Yes?

Ruth is coming in with "stuff lightly pasted down" this afternoon. (This could mean me, come to think of it.........)
Ever thine,
[Ursula Nordstrom]

*Open House for Butterflies, by Ruth Krauss, ill. by Sendak (1960).


**Little Bear's Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik, ill. by Sendak (1960).

-from Dear Genius: the Letters of Ursula Nordstom collected and edited by Leonard S. Marcus (New York: HarperCollins, 1998) p. 121-22.

Ursula Nordstrom to the Reys

To Margaret and H. A. Rey*

October 29, 1945.

Dear Reys:

The Librarian I wish you would meet in Chicago is Miss Agatha Shea, of the Chicago Public Library, main branch. I've written her that you may get in touch with her and that I hope you will meet each other even if briefly.

Miss Shea is a perfectly grand woman, with a sensible, vigorous, intelligent approach to children's books. I think I mentioned over the 'phone that several of the New York librarians are not overly fond of her, because she has locked horns with them on several occasions. She is the librarian who told me years ago not to worry about what this librarian and that librarian thought, that her advice to me was to go ahead and do the books I liked and believed in, and let the various library cliques take them or leave them. Perhaps I shouldn't write this (please burn the letter) but I've always appreciated her hearty and friendly comments on Harper children's books. She and I haven't always agreed on various books but even when we've argued, I've never felt she was stuffy about them.

Margaret, Miss Shea is not young and beautiful like you. But she is well worth knowing. I told her, in my letter, that you and Rey might telephone but added that if you didn't it would just be because you hesitated to interrupt one of her busy days. So if your time in Chicago is too rushed, don't worry about getting in touch with her.

I hope you have lots of fun. Please remember every single thing so you can describe the trip to me in detail. I hope you are impressed with the Mississippi River.

Affectionately,

Ursula Nordstrom

*Author/illustrator team. The Reys had been living in Paris at the time of the Nazi invasion. Fleeing to America, they took an apartment in New York's Greenwich Village not far from UN's. Harper became the Reys' second publisher after Houghton Mifflin, which had been lucky enough in 1941 to secure American rights to Curious George. The Reys' Harper books included Pretzel (1944) and Spotty (1945), both written by Margaret and illustrated by her husband; in addition, H. A. Rey illustrated Charlotte Zolotow's first book, The Park Book, published by Harper in 1944.

-from Dear Genius: the Collected Letters of Ursula Nordstrum collected and edited by Leonard S. Marcus. (New York: Harper Collins, 1998) p. 11-12.

Ursula Nordstrum to E. B. White

To E. B. White

September 12, 1945.

Dear Mr. White,

I enclose a letter from a Mr. Stuart Little of 16 East 48th Street. At first I thought it was a joke. I thought some low character had had a special letterhead printed. But he really exists. I telephoned the number given, asked guardedly for Stuart Little, and was connected with him. We had quite a pleasant talk. I promised him a copy of the book and he said all he asked was one signed copy for him. You won't mind doing that, will you?

Mr. Aswell* tells me you have offered your barn for the storage of unsold copies of Stuart Little. Thanks a lot, but we won't need any space for your book. The advance sale has increased the past few days and we think we'll have to increase the order from 50,000 to 60,000. We're not absolutely sure, but it looks probable.

Yours Sincerely,

Ursula Nordstrom

*Edward C. Aswell, editor in Harper's Trade department.

-from Dear Genius: the Collected Letters of Ursula Nordstrom collected and edited by Leonard S. Marcus. (New York: Harper Collins, 1998) p. 10.