R.I.P. Valerie Scho Carey, 73, in June (writer: "The Devil & Mother Crump," 1987)

[Lenona]

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/ann-arbor-mi/valerie-carey-11329712
(with photo - it's a long one)

Valerie B. Scho Carey, age 73, of Ann Arbor, Michigan passed peacefully at home surrounded by family on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Valerie was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother; a professional author and editor; an active advocate for humanitarian, environmental, and animal issues; a skilled gardener with vast knowledge of botany; a dedicated participant in the world of dog sports; a self-taught ornithologist; and a lover of books, music, world languages, and travel. As an avid, lifelong learner and teacher, Valerie devoured books and volunteered at a myriad of educational institutions. She was a dear friend to many and inspired the people around her with her dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and her firm belief that each of us can make a difference. Valerie left her mark on the world of children’s literature and earned multiple prestigious awards for her writing. Over the years, she volunteered in children’s hospitals, schools, and retirement homes with her therapy dogs. Valerie never tired of investigating and expanding ideas, stretching imaginations, striking up conversations, and befriending those around her.

Valerie was born August 6, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the eldest child of Ira Cass Scho and Zelda (Markovitz) Scho. Before Valerie and her sister Gail entered elementary school, the family moved to Flint, Michigan. A talented student, Valerie graduated with high distinction honors from Northwestern Community High School in 1967. She attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with high distinction in history (1971) and a Master of Arts in Eastern European and Russian history with a minor in cultural anthropology and museum practice (1973). She was awarded the National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship and Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship while attending the University of Michigan.

Valerie married her loving and devoted husband, Brent L. Carey DDS., on August 6, 1972 in Flint, Michigan. Shortly after college graduation, they relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan and later to Ann Arbor, Michigan where they raised their three children: Kimberly (BS, BFA, CPDT), Allison (BS, MPH, DDS), and Jeffrey (BSE, BMA, PhD, VMD).

Valerie's love of folklore and storytelling grew from early childhood alongside her fascination with history; these elements are reflected in most of her written work. Among her many publications of prose, poetry, and essays are her beautiful and lyrical children's books, which she began to publish after her youngest child was born. Among these works are: Harriet and William and the Terrible Creature (1985, originally published in the United States, also published in England, later translated for publication in France, and named a Children’s Book of the Year by a joint committee of the Children’s Book Council and International Reading Association); The Devil and Mother Crump (1987, a Parents Choice Gold Award winner, named among Children’s Choices by the International Reading Association and Children’s Book Council, and winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award); Quail Song: A Pueblo Indian Folktale (1990); Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast (1992); and Tsugele’s Broom (1993, named an American Library Association Notable Book).

In addition to developing her own writing, Valerie held long-time editing positions for the University of Michigan, including the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies and the Clements Library, Scholars International Publishing, and Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research for the Neurochemistry Department. Ever active as a writer, Valerie spent countless hours dedicated to lobbying for human rights and the environment, using her writing voice to compose countless letters of concern. Some of her dearest causes lay with Amnesty International, the National Wildlife Federation, and the National Audubon Society.

Valerie found great peace and joy in the botanical world around her, from the smallest lichen and moss to the most magnificent tree or rare bloom. Her botanical knowledge was profound and immense. She was an avid gardener with a deep love of everything flora and fauna. Valerie shared her knowledge of botany tirelessly. She volunteered for many years as a docent and a researcher for the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens. There, she designed educational programs and led tours for school children and adults on a wide range of botanical topics. Just a few weeks ago, despite her failing condition, Valerie roused her inner strength to make one more visit to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where she took in the beauty of the Conservatory that she long admired and knew so well...

(snip)

https://bridgetandthebooks.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/meet-the-author-valerie-scho-carey/
(long Q&A from 2017)

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=b8fa7d8779a1a942&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CAJMBU_enUS1088&q=books++valerie+scho+carey&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=isnbvmhtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9pcDKnY-DAxUitTEKHRUfBHEQ0pQJegQIEhAB&biw=1366&bih=633&dpr=1
(book covers)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/valerie-scho-carey/
(two Kirkus reviews)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/232138.Valerie_Scho_Carey?from_search=true&from_srp=true
(reader reviews)

https://ur-pk.facebook.com/ElwoodPublicLib/videos/story-time-harriet-and-william-and-the-terrible-creature/2319703954998598/
(one read-aloud)


WORKS

BY THE AUTHOR:

Harriet and William and the Terrible Creature (juvenile), Dutton, 1985.
The Devil and Mother Crump (juvenile), Harper, 1987.
Tsugele's Broom (juvenile), Harper, 1989.
Quail's Song (juvenile), Putnam, 1990.
Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast, Arcade (New York), 1992.

Harriet and William and the Terrible Creature
"Adventuresome Harriet builds a spaceship and begs her brother, William, to accompany her on her adventures. William, a homebody at heart, refuses, but when Harriet meets a fearsome dragon-like creature in a desperate situation, she asks William for help . . . and learns wonderful things about her brother."

The Devil and Mother Crump
"Said to be 'meaner than the devil', Old Mother Crump is so cunning and stingy, she even beats Lucifer when he calls on her. To escape being beaten with Mother Crump's bread peel, Old Scratch grants her three offbeat wishes that ultimately come in very handy to her. A 1988 IRA/CBL Children's Choice."

(For those who don't know, a bread peel "is a tool used by bakers to slide loaves of bread, pizzas, pastries, and other baked goods into and out of an oven.")

Tsugele's Broom
("Despite the urgings of her well-meaning parents, a self-sufficient Polish girl insists she'll never marry unless she meets a man who is as reliable as her broom."..."Dirk Zimmer's terrific illustrations combine a block-print border with stylized drawings of Tsugele and the other characters. He uses color to very great effect, giving the book the fantastical look of eastern European embroidery."..."Tsugele has the age-old problem of young Jewish women. Her parents want her to be married....When her parents promise to introduce still more men, Tsugele packs her bags and her broom and heads for a neighboring town. She settles with Mendel and his wife, and the same routine starts again. They introduce a leather goods man, and she goes off in a huff. That night Tsugele dreams that her broom...")

Quail's Song
("When Coyote hears Quail singing, he threatens to eat him unless taught his song. But Quail's song is no ordinary song, and Coyote may end up swallowing more than he bargained for!")

Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast
("...retelling of a traditional English folktale stars kind-hearted Maggie Mab, 'poor as the sound of a tin bell,' who lives alone. After discovering an iron pot filled with gold coins that is thrice magically transformed, she at last finds a bogey beast who takes her for the ride of her life. Maggie's uncomplaining, generous spirit saves her in the end; rather than be tricked, she earns three gold coins with which she buys provisions for herself and for her neighbors--one coin remains to remind her always of her adventure.")

[Lenona]

And, from Amazon:

Valerie Scho Carey was born in Pittsburgh, PA. As a very little girl she remembers having been in love with the hills, bridges, tunnels, rivers, and clanging, rattling streetcars of her birth city. Her family moved to Flint, MI when she was in elementary school.

Growing up in Michigan, she spent many happy summer days "up North" on the shores of Lake Huron. One of her favorite recollections is of sitting by a campfire on the beach listening to her father sing and play tunes on his mandolin. "I can still hear in my mind his beautiful, deep voice singing "Ochi Chyornye" (the Russian-Ukrainian song "Dark Eyes") while the flames flickered and the waves lapped at the sand. "One of the greatest joys of my childhood was listening to the stories my mother and father would tell about their own childhoods. I never tired of asking for new stories and hearing old ones repeated." Her own pleasure in storytelling grew from those years of listening. "I began making up and telling stories to entertain my younger sister and neighborhood children." An elementary school teacher encouraged her to write and she began to keep a notebook of poems. One of the earliest was a poem called "The Merry Little Nuthatch" written after watching the bird in the title climb up and down a tree trunk in a neighbor's yard. She continued to read and write poetry throughout high school and college...