Patricia Marie MacLachlan ( Pritzkau; March 3, 1938 – March 31, 2022) was an American children's writer. She was noted for her novel '' Sarah, Plain and Tall'', which won the 1986

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

Early life

MacLachlan was born in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistic ...

, on March 3, 1938. Her father, Philo, was a professor of

philosophy of education The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It includes the examination of educational theories, the presuppositions present in them, and the arguments ...

; her mother, Madonna, was an American English teacher before becoming a homemaker. Her family moved to

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

, when she was five years old, then relocating to Connecticut after she completed elementary as well as middle school. MacLachlan later studied English at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in 1962.

Career

MacLachlan first worked as an English teacher at Bennett Junior High School in

Manchester, Connecticut Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 59,713. The urban center of the town is the Manchester census-designated place, with a population of 36,379 at the 20 ...

from 1963 until 1979. She was also employed by a family services agency during this time. She then began writing at the age of 35, after her children started attending school. She published her first volume, ''The Sick Day'', in 1979, with her first novel, ''Arthur, for the Very First Time'', being released the following year. Six years later, she was awarded the

for her book '' Sarah, Plain and Tall''. It was adapted as a TV movie by the same name in 1991, starring Glenn Close and

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

, with MacLachlan as one of its screenwriters. The two actors subsequently reprised their roles in the sequel ''

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'' two years later. Her novels ''Journey'' (1991) and '' Baby'' (1993) were also adapted for TV in 1995 and

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, respectively. MacLachlan ultimately authored over 60 children's books throughout her career. She collaborated with her daughter, Emily MacLachlan Charest, to create several picture books during the latter part of her career. These included ''Once I Ate a Pie'' (2006), ''Fiona Loves the Night'' (2007), ''I Didn't Do It'' (2010), ''Cat Talk'' (2013), and ''Little Robot Alone''. MacLachlan received a

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the huma ...

in 2002. She was a board member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national not-for-profit that actively advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries.

Personal life

MacLachlan married Robert MacLachlan in 1962. They met while she was studying at the University of Connecticut, and remained married until his death in 2015. Together, they had three children: John, Emily, and Jamison. She resided in western Massachusetts and kept a small bag of dirt from the

prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as t ...

to call to mind her Wyoming roots. Patricia MacLachlan died on March 31, 2022, at her home in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. She was 84 years old.

Novels

;''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' series, of the Witting family * '' Sarah, Plain and Tall'' (April 1985) — winner of the 1986

* ''

'' (March 1994) * ''Caleb's Story'' (October 2001) * ''More Perfect Than the Moon'' (2004) * ''Grandfather's Dance'' (2009)

Other

* ''Arthur, for the Very First Time'' (1980) * ''Through Grandpa's Eyes'' (March 1980) * ''Mama One, Mama Two'' (1982) * ''Tomorrow's Wizard'' (1982) * ''Cassie Binegar'' (October 1982) * ''Seven Kisses in a Row'' (March 1983) * ''Unclaimed Treasures'' (July 1987) * ''The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt'' (July 1988) * ''Journey'' (September 1991) * ''Three Names'' (September 1991) * '' Baby'' (October 1993) * ''All the Places to Love'' (May 1994) * ''What You Know First'' (September 1995) * ''The Sick Day'' (April 2001) * ''Edward's Eyes'' (August 2007) * ''True Gift: A Christmas Story'' (October 2009) * ''Before You Came'' (2011) * ''Cat Talk'' (2013) (Illustrated by

Barry Moser Barry Moser (born 1940) is an American artist and educator, known as a printmaker specializing in wood engravings, and an illustrator of numerous works of literature. He is also the owner and operator of the Pennyroyal Press, an engraving and smal ...

) * ''Nora's Chicks'' (2013) (Illustrated by Kathryn Brown) * ''The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse'' (October 2014) * ''The Truth of Me'' (January 2015) * ''Poets Dog'' (September 4th 2018) * ''Wondrous Rex'' (March 17th 2020) * ''Waiting for Magic'' (September 18th 2012) * ''White Fur Flying'' (April 8th 2018) * ''Dream Within a Dream'' (June 23rd 2020) * ''My Life Begins'' (2022) * ''Snow Horses: A First Night Story'' (8 Nov 2022) or

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maclachlan, Patricia 1938 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American children's writers American historical novelists American women children's writers American women novelists National Humanities Medal recipients Newbery Medal winners Novelists from Massachusetts Novelists from Wyoming People from Cheyenne, Wyoming People from Hampshire County, Massachusetts University of Connecticut alumni Women historical novelists