Seymour Reit
Author and illustrator Seymour Reit (1918-2001) was one of the creators of the famous character Casper the Friendly Ghost, but "he was just as proud of his many other books," according to his wife Edmee Reit, a Library member and volunteer.
As a child, Reit enjoyed books such as Boy Allies and The Jungle Book, and his wife notes "there were fewer books written for young audiences than today." After winning a student art contest, Reit began to pursue an artistic and literary career. He went on to write more than 80 books for young readers on subjects ranging from Balto the hero dog to the Confederate warship the Merrimack.
His wife notes that her husband created Casper because he "wanted to write something that was gentle and wouldn’t scare children." Reit also wrote for Mad Magazine and Bank Street College where he led writing workshops.
According to his wife, "he established a rapport [with children] rather quickly. He never talked down to them. He enlisted their help. He had a sense of mischief. Children just adored him."
NYSL Books:
- Reit, Seymour, Behind rebel lines: the incredible story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War spy Juv. 92 EDM (1988)
Recounts the story of the Canadian woman who disguised herself as a man and slipped behind Confederate lines to spy for the Union army.
- Reit, Seymour, Guns for General Washington: a story of the American Revolution Juv-F R (1990)
Frustrated with life under seige in George Washington's army, nineteen-year-old Will Knox and his brother Colonel Henry Knox undertake the task of moving 183 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the dead of winter.
- Reit, Seymour, Ironclad!: A true story of the Civil War Juv-F R (1977)
Presents the historic Civil War battle between two ironclad ships, the Merrimac and the Monitor, from the viewpoint of a youth serving aboard the Monitor.
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