Tudor Tasha (1915 – 2008)

Tasha Tudor, American author and illustrator of over 100 children's books, was born on August 28th, 1915, in Boston, Massachusetts.

She was originally named Starling Burgess after her father, but he later rechristened her Natasha after the character in War and Peace - and later she shortened her name to Tasha. She later adopted her mother's last name, Tudor, after her second divorce.

Tudor believed strongly in a simple and nature-driven life, and she lived her entire life in American Northeast. Her love of the Northeast is evident in her books, with foliage and wildlife native to the area having prominence in her titles. She was passionate about gardening, sewing, writing, and illustrating, and her published works have been featured in libraries and museums all across the world. Her children's books have noted popularity in Japan, and her books have been translated into many different languages.

Tudor was a celebrated author and illustrator. In addition to writing and illustrating her original titles, she lent her expertise and creativity to other works as well. Tudor won multiple awards for her children's books, including Caldecott Honors for Mother Goose in 1945 and 1 Is One in 1957. One of her most famous books is Corgiville Fair, the first of a series to feature anthropomorphic corgis, published in 1971.

In 1972 Tudor's son Seth built her a house by hand in the Vermont countryside, and there Tudor, who believed she was better suited to life in the 1830s, began to recreate a Victorian life for herself, complete with animals and a large garden. A series of books about her life, The Private World Of Tasha Tudor (1992), The Tasha Tudor Cookbook (1993), and Tasha Tudor's Garden (1994).

Tasha Tudor passed away at the age of 92, on June 18, 2008. Tudor's daughters, Bethany Tudor and Efner Holmes, are also accomplished authors and illustrators, although they were estranged from their mother and were notably disinherited from her will, receiving just $1000 each with the bulk of her $2 million estate going to her son Seth (Her fourth child, Thomas, received a piece of antique furniture).

Books by Tudor Tasha