1. Maria Edgeworth (1767)

Children's Author

Esteemed English-Irish author of both children's and adult novels. Her best-known works include The Parent's Assistant (1796) and Practical Education (1798).

2. Horatio Alger Jr. (1832)

Children's Author

Author of children's literature whose rags-to-riches novels include the popular 1868 work, Ragged Dick. His novels for adults include Marie Bertrand and Timothy Crump's Ward, and he also published several...

3. E Nesbit (1858)

Children's Author

Political activist and English children's author who is remembered for The Wouldbegoods, The Story of the Treasure Seekers, and other works. Born Edith Nesbit, she wrote under the gender-neutral pen...

4. Arthur Scott Bailey (1877)

Children's Author

An American children's book author, he is best known for works such as the Tuck-Me-In Tales and the Sleepy-Time Tales. He also published a comic strip entitled Animal Whys.

5. AA Milne (1882)

Children's Author

English author of the famous Winnie-the-Pooh children's books. He also wrote several novels and nearly twenty plays, none of them as famous as his stories about the beloved teddy bear.

6. Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890)

Children's Author

Creator of the popular children's series The Boxcar Children, which was first published in 1924 and which, under different authorship, continued well into the 21st century.

7. EB White (1899)

Children's Author

American author who penned the children's classics Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. He is also known for his contributions to the English-language writing guide The Elements of Style.

8. Helen Palmer Geisel (1899)

Children's Author

The wife of Dr. Seuss, she wrote her own popular titles, including Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? and I Was Kissed by a Seal at the...

9. Norman George Hunter (1970)

Children's Author

An English children's book author, he is best known for his popular Professor Branestawm books, which focus on the adventures of a kooky inventor.

10. Mildred Wirt Benson (1905)

Children's Author

Children's author known for her work on the early Nancy Drew books. Writing under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, she penned twenty-three Nancy Drew mysteries during the late 1920s, '30s, and...

11. Kay Thompson (1909)

Children's Author

A Missouri-born actress, singer and author, she is best known for creating the beloved Eloise children's series. She also served as musical arranger for The Ziegfeld Follies and The Harvey...

12. Bill Martin Jr. (1916)

Children's Author

An American author of more than three hundred works of children's fiction, he is particularly known for his classic book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

13. Roald Dahl (1916)

Children's Author

Welsh-born novelist, screenwriter, and fighter pilot who authored such children's classics as James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and Matilda. Many of his popular books, including The Witches, Charlie...

14. Carrie Berk (2002)

Children's Author

Bestselling children's book author with 21 credits to her name by the time she was 16 years old. Her first book series, The Cupcake Club, became an award-winning off-Broadway show...

15. Matt Christopher (1917)

Children's Author

American author best known for the plethora of children's novels that he wrote, many of which focused on athletics. Some of his works include Wild Pitch, The Kid Who Only...

16. Jan Grant Berenstain (1923)

Children's Author

Pennsylvania-born children's book author and illustrator. She and her husband, Stan Berenstain, became famous for their Berenstain Bears children's book series.

17. Judith Viorst (1931)

Children's Author

American author and journalist most well known for her children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

18. Seymour Simon (1931)

Children's Author

American author of children's literature mainly known for his science books for children age ten and under.

19. Mike Thaler (1936)

Children's Author

Children's author and illustrator with more than 200 books to his name who would earn the nicknames of America's Riddle King and The Court Jester of Children's Literature.

20. Elisabetta Dami (1958)

Children's Author

Children's book author who is best known for creating the beloved character Geronimo Stilton. As of 2021, the books have sold over 160 million copies worldwide and have been translated into...

21. Mercer Mayer (1943)

Children's Author

An American children's book author and illustrator, he is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series for beginning readers. His most famous individual titles include There's a...

22. Nick Butterworth (1946)

Children's Author

Bestselling English children's author whose popular works include the Percy the Park Keeper books, Thud!, and Just Like Jasper.

23. Terry Deary (1946)

Children's Author

Known for his more than two hundred children's books, this bestselling English author is perhaps most famous for his Horrible Histories and Master Crook's Crime Academy series.

24. Catherine MacPhail (1946)

Children's Author

Famous for such children's and young adult novels as Roxy's Baby, Another Me, and Run, Zan, Run, this Scottish writer also penned the popular Nemesis series. Her 1998 work, Fighting...

25. Laurence Michael Yep (1948)

Children's Author

Children's author who won the 2005 biennial Laural Ingalls Wilder Medal for his additions to children's literature.

26. Terry Denton (1950)

Children's Author

Author, illustrator and fine artist who wrote and illustrated more than 30 of his own books. He has also done illustrations for several notable Australian authors. His book Felix and...

27. Oliver Jeffers (1977)

Children's Author

Children's author best known for The Day the Crayons Quit which reached number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. His books The Great Paper Caper and Stuck...

28. Angela Johnson (1961)

Children's Author

The author of children's pictures books, young adult novels, and poetry focusing on African-American families, Johnson is particularly well known for her Coretta Scott King Award-winning works The First Part Last (2004);...

29. Ian Beck (1947)

Children's Author

Known for such acclaimed children's books as The Teddy Robber, Home Before Dark, The Happy Bee, and Alone in the Woods, this author and illustrator also created cover art for...

30. Elaine M Alphin (1970)

Children's Author

American writer of children's literature and young adult fiction. Her popular titles include The Perfect Shot, Ghost Soldier, and the Edgar Award-winning Counterfeit Son.

31. Sarah Weeks (1955)

Children's Author

American author of children's literature whose work, So B. It (2004), won several literary prizes, such as the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award. She has also written three different...

32. Dan Gutman (1955)

Children's Author

American children's author whose best-known works include the My Weird School and Baseball Card Adventures series. Some of his other popular books are the Million Dollar series and The Genius...

33. Rachel Renee Russell (1959)

Children's Author

Children's book author who wrote the popular Dork Diaries series. The series follows a diary format and chronicles the struggles of middle school student, Nikki Maxwell.

34. Valerie Joy Watson (1970)

Children's Author

Award-winning New Zealand author of fifteen children's books, many of which were published by Scholastic Corporation. In 2015, her book, Grandpa's Slippers, was a fiction nomination for the Great Kiwi Classic....

35. Debbie Dadey (1970)

Children's Author

American children's book author. Her more than 100 young adult titles include Marty the Maniac, The Swamp Monster in Third Grade, and Bobby and the Great, Green Booger.

36. Dav Pilkey (1966)

Children's Author

Children's author and illustrator who penned the Captain Underpants series, which debuted in 1997. It was adapted into a film in 2017.

37. Bill Wallace (1947)

Children's Author

An American author, he is known for children's works such as A Dog Called Kitty, Danger on Panther Peak, and Snot Stew. He won the Nebraska Golden Sower Award.

38. Linda Chapman (1969)

Children's Author

Also known as Amber Castle and Alex Cliff, she is famous for children's series such as My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, Not Quite a Mermaid, Spell Sisters, and Superpowers, as well...

39. Andrea L'Artiste (1974)

Children's Author

Founder and creator of the brand MyTinyPages which publishes unique, colorful and educational children's books. She is an author, illustrator, philosopher, visual artist and poetess.

40. Marcia Jones (1968)

Children's Author

Known for children's chapter and picture books such as Godzilla Ate My Homework and Leprechaun on the Loose, Jones is perhaps most famous for a co-written Scholastic series titled The...

41. Heiki Vilep (1960)

Children's Author

Estonian children's book author and poet who rose to prominence in the early 2000s. His literary works include Flying Apple Tree, Jan's Adventures in Shadowland, and Clock's Cuckoo.

42. Zeynep Sevde (1970)

Children's Author

Children's author who has published more than a dozen books that have been translated into English, Arabic, and Indonesian languages. She has over 60,000 followers on Instagram. 

43. Aaron Blabey (1974)

Children's Author

Australian author who is best recognized for his work within the medium of Children's Books. He is best recognized for having been the author and artist behind the popular children's...

44. Jessica Day George (1976)

Children's Author

American children's author best known for her The Princesses of Westfalin series and her Dragon Slippers series.

45. Holly Webb (1976)

Children's Author

Author of more than 100 books whose very first was called Becky's Terrible Term, the first of what would become her Triplets series. Her 100th book was titled The Truffle...

46. Michelle Harrison (1979)

Children's Author

Initially famous for her Waterstone Children's Book Prize-winning novel The 13 Treasures, she later developed the work into a trilogy and went on to publish a non-series young adult novel...