Mary Chalmers

American author and illustrator

Chalmers in 1967

Mary Eileen Chalmers (born March 16, 1927) is an American author and illustrator who has written children's books frequently featuring cats from the 1950s through the 1980s. She is known for her books about Harry, an anthropomorphic cat. Her books were well known for featuring her own illustrations in addition to the written text, including a unique complex layout with full pages of text and drawings woven throughout the pages and within the margins. She also provided illustrations for many other authors' books, especially those involving animals.

## Career

[edit]

Born in Camden, New Jersey, on March 16, 1927, Chalmers developed an early interest in art due to her sister becoming an artist.[1] Raised in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, Chalmers graduated from Haddon Heights High in 1944 and obtained a four-year degree in painting at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. During her college years, she sold several of her city and landscape watercolors, aiming to become a professional artist after graduation. She then was hired as an artist for the magazines Holiday and Jack and Jill. Her work for these children's magazines raised her interest in writing her own children's story and worked on her own time designing characters and storylines.[2]

The stories she wrote were repeatedly rejected by publishers before she received attention in 1954 from Harper & Brothers for her first published story, Come for a Walk With Me. Published in March 1955, it sold 6000 copies within three months. She soon published Here Comes the Trolley Car the same year and A Hat for Amy Jean in 1956, with several more books already on contract. All of the books featured not only Chalmers' writing, but also her personally made illustrations. They stood out from other children's books at the time by not being primarily illustrations with a line or two of story per page, but instead had illustrations woven throughout and within the borders and margins, alongside complete pages of written story.[2]

After several more books published in 1957, Chalmers found herself in a period without ideas for new stories. The director of children's books for her publisher Harper & Row, Ursula Nordstrom, sent her a note praising Here Comes the Trolley Car. Touched by the message, Chalmers sent back a multi-page thank you note that featured a kitten blowing a kiss. Nordstrom suggested that the kitten be turned into a book itself, leading to Chalmers writing the first volume in her Harry the anthropomorphic kitten series, Throw A Kiss, Harry. By 1967 and several books into the series, along with other cat-focused books, Chalmers ended up owning ten cats and a Pomeranian dog.[3] These pets assisted in her drawing of poses for the cats in her illustrations.[3][4]

Chalmers donated a collection of her illustrations, sketches, layouts, and dummy books to the University of Southern Mississippi in 1998.[1]

## Books

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* -- (1955). Come for a Walk With Me. Harper.[5]

* -- (1955). Here Comes the Trolley Car. Harper. p. 32.[6]

* -- (1956). A Hat for Amy Jean. Harper & Brothers.[7]

* -- (1956). A Christmas Story. HarperCollins Canada. p. 24\. ISBN 9780064431569. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[8]

* -- (1957). George Appleton. Harper & Brothers. p. 32.[9]

* -- (1957). Kevin. Harper & Brothers.[10]

* -- (1958). Throw a Kiss, Harry. Harpercollins. p. 32\. ISBN 9780064430302. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[11]

* -- (1958). Boats Finds a House. Harper & Brothers. p. 32.[12]

* -- (1959). The Cat Who Liked to Pretend. Harper & Brothers. ISBN 9780060211806. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[13]

* -- (1961). Mr. Cat's Wonderful Surprise. Harper & Row.[14]

* -- (1964). Take a Nap, Harry. HarperCollins. p. 32\. ISBN 9780060212445. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[15]

* -- (1967). Be Good, Harry. Harper & Row. p. 32\. ISBN 9780064430272.[16]

* -- (1977). Merry Christmas, Harry. HarperCollins. p. 31\. ISBN 9780060227425.[17]

* -- (1981). Come to the Doctor, Harry. Harper & Row. p. 32\. ISBN 9780590758239.[18]

* -- (1986). Six Dogs, Twenty-three Cats, Forty-five Mice, and One Hundred Sixteen Spiders. Harper & Row. p. 32\. ISBN 9780060211882.[19]

* -- (1988). Easter Parade. Harper & Row. p. 32\. ISBN 9780064432191.[20]

### Illustrator

[edit]

* The Secret Language by Ursula Nordstrom (1960)
* Big Brother by Charlotte Zolotow (1960)[21]
* The Happy Birthday Present by Joan Heilbroner (1962)[22]
* Marigold and Grandma on the Town by Stephanie Calmenson (1994)[23]
* Three to Get Ready by Betty Doyle Boegehold (1965)
* Crystal Tree by Jennie D. Lindquist (1966)
* Goodnight, Andrew, Goodnight, Craig by Marjorie Sharmat (1969)
* When Will It Snow? by Syd Hoff (1971)[24]
* Letitia Rabbit's String Song by Russell Hoban (1973)[25][26]
* Crickety Cricket!: The Best-Loved Poems of James S. Tippett (1973)[27]
* The Snuggle Bunny by Nancy Jewell (1972)
* The day after Christmas by Alice Bach (1975)
* Oh No, Cat! by Janice May Udry
* Mule in the Mail by Stephen Manes (1978)[28]
* When Daisies Pied, and Violets Blue: Songs from Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (1974)
* Home at Last: A Young Cat's Tale by Patricia Lauber (1980)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Mary Chalmers Papers". specialcollections.usm.edu. University of Southern Mississippi. May 19, 1998. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
2. ^ a b Roeder, Ida Mae (April 4, 1956). "Haddon Hts. Woman Finds Career In Writing Books for Children". Courier-Post. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ a b Murray, Jo (September 30, 1967). "10 Cats Kibitz Writer: Can't Work Without Them, Mary Chalmers Says". Courier-Post. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Mary Chalmers". Oxford Reference.
5. ^ Reviews for Come for a Walk With Me:
* "Entertaining Tale For the Very Young". Tulsa World. April 24, 1955. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Goodwin, Polly (March 27, 1955). "The Junior Bookshelf". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* "For the Pre-Schooler". The Pittsburgh Press. April 17, 1955. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Summer Book List, Reviews Recommended For Young Readers: The Youngest Readers". News and Record. May 29, 1955. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Blount, Charlotte (October 16, 1955). "The Children's Bookshelf". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Wall, Mary R. (May 26, 1955). "The Book Shelf". Woods County Enterprise and Waynoka News. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Derleth, August (April 16, 1955). "Books of Today". The Capital Times. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ Reviews for Here Comes the Trolley Car:
* https://www.nytimes.com/1955/11/13/archives/morning-odyssey-here-comes-the-trolley-car-story-and-pictures-by.html
* "Animal and Other Fare for 6-to-8-Year-Olds". The Courier-Journal. November 13, 1955. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Church, Betsy (November 13, 1955). "Here Comes The Trolley Car". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Templeton, Lucy (November 13, 1955). "Literature for Young Shows Wholesome Swing Back to the Joyous Land of Make-Believe". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Reviews for A Hat for Amy Jean:
* W., E. I. (April 1, 1956). "Easter Parade Of Books Presents Gay Jackets Around Titles That Sound Like Spring Itself". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Derleth, August (May 19, 1956). "Books of Today". The Capital Times. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Canfield, Helen S. (June 17, 1956). "Picture Books For Youth". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ Reviews for A Christmas Story:
* Edmonds, May H. (December 11, 1971). "Gift the Little Readers With a Book". The Miami Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* "A Christmas Story". Tallahassee Democrat. November 25, 1956. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Reviews for George Appleton:
* W., E. I. (December 1, 1957). "Attractive Picture-Story Books For Young Readers' Book Shelves". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Mahoney, Esther R. (September 8, 1957). "Fine Little Tale". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Reviews for Kevin:
* Martin, Kathleen B. (October 6, 1957). "Kevin, the Little Rabbit, Hero of Childish Story". The Central New Jersey Home News. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Ilg, Frances L.; Ames, Louise Bates (August 30, 1957). "Three New Books For Small Fry". The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* I., E. D. (August 10, 1957). "Animal Stories". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 29, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Reviews for Throw a Kiss, Harry:
* M., E. C. (May 11, 1958). "Cats ... and ... Dogs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Ilg, Frances L.; Ames, Louise Bates (June 4, 1958). "More Interest In Recent Books For Preschooler". Chattanooga Daily Times. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews.
13. ^ Reviews for The Cat Who Liked to Pretend:
* "A Cat Performs". Springfield Leader and Press. August 16, 1959. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Captivating". Omaha World-Herald. November 8, 1959. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ Reviews for Mr. Cat's Wonderful Surprise:
* "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews.
* "Illustrations First Catch Attention Of Young Reader". Daily Independent Journal. July 8, 1961. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ G., R. Y. (May 23, 1964). "Children's Books". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ Goodwin, Polly (December 17, 1967). "Children's Book World". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ Reviews for Merry Christmas, Harry:
* https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/11/archives/childrens-books-visions-of-sugarplums.html
* Perry, Scott (October 16, 1977). "Harry Surprises Old Saint Nick". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ Reviews for Come to the Doctor, Harry:
* https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/26/books/for-seeing-and-reading.html
* Hamsher, Florence (August 2, 1981). "Taking a reading on the juvenile book market". Tampa Bay Times. pp. 1-E, 9-E. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ Marinak, Barbara (August 17, 1986). "Finding The Right Books For Preschoolers". The Daily News. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
20. ^ Reviews for Easter Parade:
* "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews.
* H., B. H. (April 24, 1988). "Pleasure for little readers". The Anniston Star. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
* Fowler, Bonnie (April 3, 1988). "Imaginative Storybooks for Easter Are in Short Supply". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
21. ^ "BIG BROTHER | Kirkus Reviews" - via www.kirkusreviews.com.
22. ^ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction".
23. ^ "MARIGOLD AND GRANDMA ON THE TOWN | Kirkus Reviews" - via www.kirkusreviews.com.
24. ^ Edmonds, May H. (December 11, 1971). "Gift the Little Readers With a Book". The Miami Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
25. ^ Noyes, Judy (15 April 1973). "Rabbit Roundup". The New York Times.
26. ^ O'Hara, J. Donald (November 22, 1973). "Letitia Rabbit's String Song (review)". Children's Literature. 2 (1): 234. doi:10.1353/chl.0.0420 - via Project MUSE.
27. ^ Curto, Josephine J. (March 31, 1974). "Youngsters Pick Books". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved November 28, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
28. ^ "Concerning Christmas (Published 1978)". The New York Times. 10 December 1978.

## External links

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* Mary Chalmers papers at the University of Minnesota
* Mary Chalmers papers at the University of Southern Mississippi

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