Johanna Hurwitz
Children's Author
Famous for dozens of acclaimed children's books, Hurwitz penned fiction works such as Magical Monty and The Adventures of Ali Baba, as well as biographies of such historical and artistic figures as Anne Frank and Leonard Bernstein.
When she was ten years old, she published a poem on the topic of her love for books. Nearly three decades later, while working as a librarian, she published her debut children's book, Busybody Nora.
Her book The Just Desserts Club includes both recipes and pieces of short fiction.
A native of New York City and the child of literary enthusiasts, she received a bachelor's degree in English from Queens College and a master's degree in library science from Columbia University. Her marriage resulted in a son and a daughter, both of whom served as inspirations for her Riverside Kids children's series.
She penned a biography of the their blind and deaf writer and activist Helen Keller.