Kathleen Krull
Kathleen Krull was an author of children's books and a former book editor.
Early life and education
Krull was born in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in 1952 and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. She graduated from the girls' preparatory Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, studied music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and then earned a B.A. in 1974 from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, magna cum laude, majoring in English, minoring in music.Career
Krull worked as a children’s book editor for companies in the Midwest, including at Western Publishing from 1974 to 1979, where she edited and wrote books in the Trixie Belden series under the pseudonym of Kathryn Kenny. She moved to San Diego to work as a senior editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, editing authors including Tomie dePaola, Eve Bunting, Patricia Hermes, Anne Lindbergh, Jane Yolen, Arnold Adoff, Amy Schwartz, Judy Delton, and Lael Littke. While at Harcourt, Krull She left publishing in 1984 to establish herself as a children's book author.She collaborated with Jill Biden on Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, which was released in August 2020 by Simon & Schuster.
Her papers are cataloged at the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection.
Personal life
Krull lived in San Diego with her husband, Paul Brewer, a children’s book illustrator and author whom she married in 1989. She died in January 2021 after being diagnosed with cancer.Selected works
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, 1993.Louisa May's Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little Women, illustrated by Carlyn Beccia, 2012.Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, 1994.V Is for Victory: America Remembers World War II, Knopf, 1995.Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, 1995.Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, illustrated by David Diaz, Harcourt, 1996.Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, 1997.Wish You Were Here: Emily's Guide to the Fifty States, illustrated by Amy Schwartz, Doubleday, 1997.Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, updated edition 2011.They Saw the Future: Psychics, Oracles, Scientists, Inventors, and Pretty Good Guessers, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker, Atheneum, 1999.- A Kid's Guide to America's Bill of Rights: Curfews, Censorship, and the 100-Pound Giant, illustrated by Anna DiVito, Avon Books, 1999.Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Harcourt, 2000.M Is for Music, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Harcourt, 2003.Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, Harcourt, 2003.The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Random House, 2004.A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Walker, 2004.Houdini: World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King, illustrated by Eric Velasquez, Walker, 2005.Pocahontas: Princess of the New World, illustrated by David Diaz, Walker, 2007.Fartiste: An Explosively Funny, Mostly True Story, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Simon & Schuster, 2008.Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight, illustrated by Amy June Bates, Simon & Schuster, 2008.The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, Knopf, 2008.The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth, illustrated by Greg Couch, Knopf, 2009.A Boy Named FDR: How Franklin D. Roosevelt Grew up to Change America, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Knopf, 2011.Kubla Khan: Emperor of Everything, illustrated by Robert Byrd, Viking, 2010.Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.Lives of the Pirates: Swashbucklers, Scoundrels, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.The Brothers Kennedy: John, Robert, Edward, illustrated by Amy June Bates, Simon & Schuster, 2010.Big Wig: A Little History of Hair, illustrated by Peter Malone, Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011.Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Random House, 2011.The Beatles Were Fab co-authored with Paul Brewer, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, Harcourt Children, 2013