Barbara Jean Robinson (October 24, 1927 – July 9, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

author and writer of the children's books ''

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ''The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'' (titled ''The Worst Kids in the World'' in Australia, New Zealand and the UK) is a children's novel written by Barbara Robinson in 1972. It tells the story of six misfit children who volunteer to star in th ...

'' (1972) and ''The Best School Year Ever'' (1994).

Biography

Barbara Robinson was born and raised in

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky and just east of the mouth of th ...

, the only child of Theodore L. Webb and his wife Grace Webb (née Mooney). Her father died when she was three. Robinson's mother, a schoolteacher in Portsmouth for forty-nine years, got her interested in books, and she began writing very early. Robinson attended

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

, where she received a bachelor's degree in theater. In addition to her children's books, Robinson wrote many short stories in publications such as ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...

'', ''

Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Communications, Hearst magazine division. It is one of the "Seven Sisters (magazines), Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publicatio ...

'' and ''

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century ...

'', and has some books of poetry. Robinson lived in

Berwyn, Pennsylvania Berwyn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Berwyn is located in Tredyffrin and Easttown townships. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs. History In 1877, the town received it ...

, a suburb of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. She died July 9, 2013, at her home in Berwyn. She was 85 and had cancer. Robinson had two daughters with her husband John F. Robinson: Carolyn and Marjorie; three grandchildren: Tomas, Marcos, and Lucas.

Works

* ''Across from Indian Shore'', illustrated by

Evaline Ness Evaline Ness (April 24, 1911 – August 12, 1986) was an American commercial artist, illustrator, and author of children's books. She illustrated more than thirty books for young readers and wrote several of her own. She used a great variety of ...

( Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1962) * ''Trace through the Forest'' (Lothrop, 1965) * ''The Fattest Bear in the First Grade'', illus.

Cyndy Szekeres Cyndy Szekeres (October 31, 1933 – November 22, 2024) was an American children's book author and illustrator who has produced more than 130 books in the tradition of Beatrix Potter and Garth Williams. Best known for her anthropomorphic animal ...

(Random House, 1969) – picture book * ''Temporary Times, Temporary Places'' (

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, the company operated as J. & J. Harper until 1833, when ...

, 1982) * ''My Brother Louis Measures Worms and other Louis stories'' (Harper, 1988) ;The Herdmans * ''

'', illus. Judith Gwyn Brown (Harper, 1972); global title ''The Worst Kids in the World'' * ''The Best School Year Ever'' (Harper, 1994) * ''The Best Halloween Ever'' (HarperCollins Joanna Cotler Books, 2004)

References

External links

official website
(web.archive.org 2014-07-19) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Barbara 1927 births 2013 deaths Allegheny College alumni American children's writers Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Writers from Chester County, Pennsylvania People from Portsmouth, Ohio Writers from Pennsylvania American women children's writers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers