Aileen Fisher, 96; Prolific Author of Children’s Books

Aileen Fisher, 96, a children’s author who wrote more than 100 books, died Dec. 2 at her home in Boulder, Colo. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Fisher wrote stories, plays, biographies, adaptations, picture books and multimedia programs. Her favorite genre, however, was poetry, the themes of which reflected her love of the natural world.

Her first work earned national attention: “The Coffee-Pot Face,” a collection of verse published in 1933 that became a selection of the Junior Literary Guild.

Other honors included a Western Writers of America Award for juvenile nonfiction and a Hans Christian Andersen Honor Book, both for “Valley of the Smallest: The Life Story of a Shrew,” published in 1966; a Silver Medal from the U.S. Treasury Department; and an award from the National Council of Teachers of English. Six of her books were chosen to be American Library Assn. books of the year.

She collaborated on several books with Olive Rabe, with whom she lived for 30 years on a 200-acre ranch in the foothills near Boulder. Their books included biographies of Emily Dickinson and Louisa May Alcott.