Emma L. Brock


Emma Lillian Brock was an American children's author and illustrator of over 30 children's books.

Early life and career

Brock was the eldest of two daughters born in Fort Shaw, Montana to Morton W. Brock and Emma Brownson. She attended The University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts, and the Art Students League of New York, where she studied with George Bridgman, Boardman Robinson, and Joseph Pennell. During this period, Brock paid her way through art schools by working as a librarian in the Minneapolis and New York public library systems, respectively. In the former, she was with the art department, while in New York she served in the children's rooms.
Prior to the publication in 1929 of Runaway Sardine, the first book both written and illustrated by Brock, Brock's professional debut as an illustrator came in 1922 with Clara Whitehill Hunt's adaptation of R. H. Horne's Memoirs of a London Doll.
Brooklyn Times columnist—and fellow children's author—Elsie Jean described Brock's 1929 authorial debut as "one of the loveliest picture books" of 1929, enjoyable from first page to last and ideal for ages 4 through 9, concluding, "I'm going to keep this one for my very own self, and I'm over nine!"

Personal life and death

Brock died on August 17, 1974. Her remains are interred at Lakeside Cemetery, Hastings, Dakota County, Minnesota.