Childrens Author Joan Steiner Dies

From SLJ: Joan Steiner, illustrator and creator of the “Look-Alikes” series (Little, Brown), died September 8 of cancer at her home in Claverack, NY.

Using everything from broccoli to razors to dominoes, Steiner painstakingly assembled three-dimensional collages that recreated everyday scenes such as a train station, city street, general store, park, and zoo. When asked to name the most unusual object used in her art, Steiner replied, “There is a hand grenade in the general store in the first book.” The grenade became a potbelly stove in the scene.

Time magazine named “Look-Alikes” one of the best children’s books, and it was one of the New York Times Book Review’s Notable Children’s Books of 1998. Steiner went on to create six other titles in the series, including Look-Alikes, Look-Alikes Jr., Look-Alikes Christmas, and Look-Alikes Around the World, which have sold more than a million copies worldwide and were translated into 16 languages.

Steiner served for many years as vice-president of New York’s Claverack Free Library and as co-chair of its building committee. Steiner spent more than 10 years finding an affordable way to increase the size of the library and to expand its programs to better serve the community.