Author. A writer of children's literature, she will be best remembered for penning the "Little Bear" series. Born in Denmark, she moved with her family to the United States when she was the age of four. Her story-telling talents were born out of her enthrallment with Hans Christian Anderson's works. She enrolled at Queens College, where she studied psychology, and later became a journalist for the Rome Daily Centennial. She answered the call for interim teachers due to a shortage of educators during World War II and taught first graders. It was at this period when she realized the necessity of compatible books for younger readers, and from this understanding, she set out to write her creation. Minarik's imagination yielded the story of a little bear and his mother. The tale caught the attention of Harper and Row editor Ursula Nordstrom which led to the first installment of the "Little Bear" (1957) series being published. Of its popularity, an animated TV series was developed, and at the time of Else's death, more than six-million copies of the "Little Bear" series were sold. Her other notable works include "No Fighting, No Biting!" (1958), "The Little Giant Girl and the Elf Boy" (1963), and "Percy and the Five Houses" (1989). Her second husband was two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Homer Bigart.
Author. A writer of children's literature, she will be best remembered for penning the "Little Bear" series. Born in Denmark, she moved with her family to the United States when she was the age of four. Her story-telling talents were born out of her enthrallment with Hans Christian Anderson's works. She enrolled at Queens College, where she studied psychology, and later became a journalist for the Rome Daily Centennial. She answered the call for interim teachers due to a shortage of educators during World War II and taught first graders. It was at this period when she realized the necessity of compatible books for younger readers, and from this understanding, she set out to write her creation. Minarik's imagination yielded the story of a little bear and his mother. The tale caught the attention of Harper and Row editor Ursula Nordstrom which led to the first installment of the "Little Bear" (1957) series being published. Of its popularity, an animated TV series was developed, and at the time of Else's death, more than six-million copies of the "Little Bear" series were sold. Her other notable works include "No Fighting, No Biting!" (1958), "The Little Giant Girl and the Elf Boy" (1963), and "Percy and the Five Houses" (1989). Her second husband was two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Homer Bigart.
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