Peggy Rathmann, the beloved children’s book author and illustrator behind Good Night, Gorilla and Officer Buckle and Gloria, has died. She was 73.
Rathmann died on Nov. 3, according to a Nov. 10 announcement from Penguin Random House. A cause of death was not disclosed.
For generations of parents and children, Rathmann’s books were a beloved part of bedtime routines, classroom story times and childhood memories. Her stories, known for their gentle humor, expressive illustrations and mischievous animal characters, have remained favorites long after their original publication.
Her best-known book, Good Night, Gorilla, was published in 1994. The nearly wordless picture book follows a mischievous gorilla who steals a zookeeper’s keys and quietly lets the other animals out of their enclosures. The animals then follow the unsuspecting zookeeper home, leading to an unforgettable bedtime surprise.
Rathmann also created Officer Buckle and Gloria, the story of a safety-conscious police officer whose presentations become unexpectedly entertaining thanks to his canine companion. The book earned Rathmann the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1996.
Other beloved titles included Ruby the Copycat, Ten Minutes Till Bedtime and The Day the Babies Crawled Away.
According to Penguin Random House, there are now 15 million copies of Rathmann’s books in print.
Peggy Rathmann’s Publisher Pays Tribute to the Beloved Author
Following news of her death, Rathmann’s longtime publishing colleagues remembered her extraordinary talent and the joy she brought to young readers.
“Peggy Rathmann could bring a smile to absolutely anyone’s face,” Susan Kochan, senior executive editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, said in the publisher’s announcement.
Kochan remembered Rathmann’s warmth, kindness and playful sense of humor, describing her as a “national treasure.”
Jen Loja, president of Penguin Young Readers, also reflected on how deeply Rathmann’s books have become woven into family life.
“Peggy’s books have brought joy and comfort to generations of young readers,” Loja said, noting that her stories have been read aloud at bedtime, shared repeatedly and treasured long after childhood.
How Peggy Rathmann Became a Beloved Children’s Book Author
Born in St. Paul, Minn., in 1953, Rathmann didn’t initially set out to become a children’s book author.
She earned a psychology degree from the University of Minnesota and explored several different fields before pursuing art and illustration.
According to Publishers Weekly, her interest in children’s books grew after she entertained her young nieces with drawings during a car trip.
After facing rejection with an early manuscript, she enrolled in a children’s book writing and illustration class in Los Angeles. A classroom assignment eventually became her first book, Ruby the Copycat, published in 1991.
She went on to create some of the most recognizable picture books of the 1990s, earning widespread acclaim for her ability to tell stories through illustrations, often using very few words.
Her final children’s book, The Day the Babies Crawled Away, was published in 2003.
Rathmann later lived and worked on a ranch in Northern California with her husband, John Wick, who survives her.
Although her publishing career was relatively brief, the stories she created continue to hold a special place on children’s bookshelves—and in the memories of the families who read them together.
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