12 of the Most Prolific Children’s Book Authors of All Time

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Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

Do you ever wonder who the most prolific children’s book authors are? These authors have published dozens — often even hundreds — of books over decades. If you work with kids’ books or have children in your life, you’ve likely seen these names come up multiple times. Still, maybe you don’t realize how many books they’ve authored and, in some cases, illustrated.

Many of these super prolific children’s book authors have been writing for decades — Jon Scieszka’s Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales was one of my favourites growing up, and I am now An Old. Gail Gibbons has been keeping kiddos informed since the 1970s — no library children’s nonfiction area is without at least a few of her titles.

An important detail about this list is that most of the authors are white. As I noted in 2022, the publishing industry has been slow to consistently publish authors of colour. While that is changing, it means authors and illustrators of colour have yet to catch up in terms of publication numbers. So, considering many of these are authors who began working in children’s publishing multiple decades ago, they do mostly land in the less-diverse category.

Sandra Boynton

Boynton is a children’s author and songwriter, whose irreverent humour will have adults giggling along with their kiddos. Even her website is full of gentle self-deprecation. She wrote Hippos Go Berserk in 1977 and went on to write and illustrate Moo, Baa, La La La!, The Belly Button Book, Dinosaur Dance, and over 75 other books. On top of that, she’s written five music albums and has illustrated many greeting cards — Boynton clearly likes keeping busy.

Lesléa Newman

I Can Be...Me! Lesléa Newman book cover

Lesléa Newman has a crucial place in picture book history as the writer of Heather Has Two Mommies, one of the first picture books to feature a same-sex family. She hasn’t stopped writing meaningful children’s books since, with topics including but not limited to Jewish holidays and LGBTQ+ families. She’s written over 85 books for all ages, with 40 of those being picture books. So far in 2023, she’s published The Fairest in the Land, I Can Be…ME!, and The Babka Sisters — all three tell beautiful, diverse stories.

Eric Carle

the very hungry caterpillar book cover

I don’t love to generalize, but I’m pretty confident in saying that we all know Carle’s books. From The Very Hungry Caterpillar to The Grouchy Ladybug, Carle’s blocky, choppy style is instantly recognizable on the covers of books he wrote and illustrated. However, his first literary success was collaborating with the also-prolific Bill Martin Jr. on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. After that became a bestseller, Carle worked on his own picture books and published 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He won many awards and honours over his lifetime, and he wrote and illustrated over 70 picture books.

Gail Gibbons

Giant Pandas by Gail Gibbons book cover

Gibbons has been writing and illustrating children’s books since the 1970s. She’s written 67 books, mostly nonfiction, about food, animals, tools, and many aspects of science and nature. Her books are still being re-published with updated information, and they include Giant Pandas, Monarch Butterflies, and How a House is Built. She has received many awards and citations, including from the American Library Association and National Science Teachers Association.

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

Sit in: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down book cover

This is a kidlit power couple, as Andrea Davis Pinkney writes and Brian Pinkney writes and illustrates. According to a 2019 article, they’ve been together for 30 years and collaborated on 20 books in that time — many focusing on Black history. They also work separately and have received multiple honours between them, including Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and nominations for the NAACP Image Awards. Their works include Martin Rising, Bright, Brown Baby, Sit-in: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, and so many others.

Todd Parr

The Monster Mac and Cheese Party book cover

Just recently, at a library storytime, I sat amongst entranced kiddos and listened to a librarian read Parr’s latest, The Monster Mac and Cheese Party. As the librarian explained before reading, Parr’s books take up a lot of shelf space in any children’s library. Parr’s popularity has endured across over 60 books because of his childlike art style combined with positive messages and whimsical humour. His first, The Okay Book, came out in 1991, and since then, his oeuvre includes The Earth Book, The Thankful Book, Be Who You Are!, and This is My Hair.

Eve Bunting

Yard Sale by Eve Bunting book cover

Bunting began writing in her 40s and yet still amassed a catalogue of more than 250 books for children of all ages. Her books ranged from the whimsical — In the Haunted House, a Halloween story — to the serious — Smoky Night, a book about a child and his mother escaping a neighbourhood riot. Other picture books by Bunting include Yard Sale, Mr. Goat’s Valentine, and One Candle. She was celebrated for her consistent address of important social issues, and her books ran the gamut of topics. She won many awards, including the PEN Los Angeles Center Literacy Award for Special Achievement in Children’s Literature.

These prolific children’s book authors aren’t going anywhere. Even those who have passed away, such as Eve Bunting, Eric Carle, and Ed Young, remain the authors of beloved books that will remain on children’s shelves for a long time.

You might also be interested in 20 Must-Read Picture Books of 2023 and The 20 Most Influential Picture Books of All Time.


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