R.I.P. Robert E. Barry, 81, in November (author of "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree," 1963)

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Not to be confused with the slightly younger New Jersey performance artist.

About "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree":

"Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree Came by special delivery.
Full and fresh and glistening green—
The biggest tree he'd ever seen.

"That was the trouble. The tree was so tall, it couldn't stand up
straight in his parlor. Mr. Willowby asked his butler to chop off the
top of the tree. What happens to the treetop? Where will it be for
Christmas?"


http://www.newportri.com/obituaries/robert-e-barry/article_90bb7290-3321-11e2-86f4-0019bb2963f4.html

Excerpt:

"For many years he was associated with Pava Prints, a design and printmaking studio in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was founded by his Rhode Island School of Design classmate, Lohr Gonzalez. Over the years, he received a number of awards for his work in graphic design and in the field of children’s books, which he both wrote and illustrated. He is perhaps best remembered as the author-illustrator of Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, which was first published in 1963 and remains in print today. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree was read at Christmastime on the children’s television show “Captain Kangaroo,” and was later published in many different languages around the world and turned into a holiday special by The Muppets."


http://rowenaroves.blogspot.com/2012/12/robert-e-barry-author-and-illustrator.html

Most of the above:

"Born in Newport, and a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, author and illustrator Robert E. Barry was a beloved and most modest man-about-town who loved libraries and often shared his favorite articles, stories, and drawings with lucky librarians. My personal favorite—after his own drawings and notes—was the December 28, 2007 New York Times article entitled “The Library’s Helpful Sage of the Stacks,” about the New York Public Library librarian, David Smith, whose business card reads “Librarian to the Stars.” Robert Barry was one of Newport’s stars. One of his earlier books, Faint George, was selected by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year in 1957. His book Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree was originally published in 1963 by Doubleday. In the year 2000, Doubleday requested new color illustrations and published a new edition of the book. It became a New York Times bestseller.

"Throughout his career as a writer, illustrator, and teacher, Mr. Barry lived in Germany, Switzerland, and the Caribbean. He taught in the design department at the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth. He lived in Newport for many years and was a longtime member of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum."


http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.arts.books.childrens/2011-10/msg00009.html
(includes his bibliography)


Lenona.