Literary Landmark: Barbara Cooney - The Lawrence Library
Pepperell, Mass.
Dedicated May 5th, 2018
Partners: Lawrence Library Board of Trustees and the Friends of the Lawrence Library
The Lawrence Library in Pepperell, Massachusetts was designated a Literary Landmark in honor of children’s author and illustrator Barbara Cooney during a ceremony at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5th, 2018.
Cooney lived in Pepperell with her husband, Dr. Charles Talbot Porter, while he practiced medicine in the town from 1946-1988. An author of 110 children’s books, she is best known for her picture book “Miss Rumphius,” which won the National Book Award in 1983 and features the Lawrence Library.
The story follows a well-traveled older woman who seeks to make the world more beautiful by spreading lupine seed around her seaside dwelling. Cooney has said that the children’s book, in collaboration with “Island Boy” (1988) and “Hattie and the Waves” (1990) is “as close to any autobiography as [she] might ever get.” Cooney was also a recipient of two Caldecott Medals for her work on “Chanticleer and the Fox” and “Ox-Cart Man.”
A plaque was dedicated during the ceremony, which was open to the public.
Watch a recording of the ceremony.
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