June Cummins (1963–2018) was an American scholar of children's literature, known for her contributions to the study of Jewish children's books, her biography of

Sydney Taylor Sydney Taylor (October 30, 1904 – February 12, 1978) was an American writer, known for her series of children's books about a Jewish-American family in New York during the early 20th century. Her first book won the Charles W. Follett Award in c ...

, and her advocacy for diversity in the field. She was a professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

from 1998 until her passing in 2018.

Early life and education

Cummins was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1963, and grew up in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1985, and went on to complete her Master’s, M.Phil., and Ph.D. in English at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

between 1986 and 1998.

Career

Cummins was a professor of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

from 1998-2018. She also was instrumental in founding the National Center of the Study of Children’s Literature at SDSU, and served as its director. She was an active member of the Children’s Literature Association (ChLA), serving on its Board of Directors and as part of its Diversity Committee. She was recognized for her mentorship, receiving ChLA’s Mentoring Award in 2017. Her research explored themes of representation in children’s literature, with notable works including studies on identity-based book awards, Jewish children's fiction, and LGBTQ+ narratives in

young adult literature Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

. She contributed to academic journals and anthologies, addressing cultural and marketing aspects of children’s books. Diagnosed with

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS), Cummins remained dedicated to her scholarship in her final years. With the assistance of historian Alexandra Dunietz, she completed ''From Sarah to Sydney: The Woman Behind "All-of-a-Kind Family"'', a biography of

, which was posthumously published by

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

in 2021. This work examines Taylor’s legacy as the author of

All-of-a-Kind Family ''All-of-a-Kind Family'' is a 1951 children's book by Sydney Taylor about a family of five American Jewish girls growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1912. It was followed by four sequels. Background ''All-of-a-Kind Family'' ...

, the first mainstream children’s book in the U.S. to feature Jewish characters. Cummins' biography of Taylor was widely reviewed and received a largely positive response from critics.

Personal life

Cummins was married to Jonathan Lewis, a physicist, and had three children.

Death

Cummins died on February 22, 2018 in

Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a Village (United States), village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's dow ...

at age 54.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, June 1963 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Columbia University alumni Jewish American non-fiction writers San Diego State University faculty University of California, Berkeley alumni

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Death

Further reading

References