Eerdmans Books for Young Readers is the proud publisher of fantastic authors and illustrators. Together we have won such prestigious awards as the Batchelder and Caldecott awards, placed many books on national and state reading lists, and touched the minds and hearts of children around the world.
Find out more about these talented men and women we like to call our own.
About Our Authors and illustrators
Get to know Ruth Sanderson
When illustrator and author Ruth Sanderson was growing up in Monson, Massachusetts, she remembers, "My favorite place to play was the woods. I spent many happy hours with my friends at 'Cat Rock,' which was a beautiful spot in the woods not far from our house on Main Street. My imagination came to life there, and I believed there were magical creatures living in the tangled underbrush that I might catch a glimpse of if I was very, very lucky. I still believe that, I must confess.
"Besides the woods, my other favorite place was the library. I was a shy child and books were a way to identify with characters that were brave and got to do exiting things. One of my treasured possessions was a battered copy of Grimm's Fairytales that once belonged to my father. I read the stories over and over.
"My grandmother, Ruth, was the librarian in Palmer for over 40 years. My sister, brother and I spent many hours with her at the library when we were quite small. I remember being in awe at the tall stacks of books and the varnished wooden walls and desks."
Beyond her interest in books, libraries, and the natural world, the young Sanderson found herself drawn to art. "I have always enjoyed a challenge and decided to teach myself oil painting when I was around 13 years old," she recalls.
Sanderson went on to study at the Paier School of Art in Connecticut before beginning her career as a children's book illustrator and author. Thirty years later, she continues to create luminously illustrated books for children (and dreamers of all ages), including her books with EBYR: Saints: Lives and Illuminations (available in various formats and editions) and The Nativity.
Click here to visit Ruth Sanderson's personal website (from which the quoted material above has been borrowed with the gracious permission of the author) or to see a complete list of her books in print with EBYR.