International Highlights of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection
The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection began in 1966, when Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond came to the University of Southern Mississippi to teach library science courses to future librarians, many of them planning to work with children. Dr. de Grummond realized how much her students would benefit from a collection of children’s books and the plethora of material that goes into making even a 32-page picture book.
With this project in mind, she began a letter-writing campaign to authors and illustrators of children’s books all over the United States and abroad. Her handwritten letters created a personal connection that was essential to gaining the trust and confidence of donors, who wanted to ensure their materials would be available to anyone who wanted to see them. Dr. de Grummond ensured them that all children, teachers, or librarians would be welcome, no matter their race, creed, or religion—an especially important assurance during the civil rights work of the 1960s.
The letters asked for materials from finished books, or anything that the creator didn’t need anymore…and, Dr. de Grummond said, if they had thrown it in the trash can, well, send that, too!
Her work paid off, and nearly sixty years later, the de Grummond houses over 1,400 collections of original materials and roughly 250,000 books, periodicals, and other catalogued items. While most of the collections are from American or British creators, the geographical diversity of the collection grows each day. One of USM’s history professors ensured we receive roughly two dozen Cuban children’s books, which are currently being catalogued. A student recently donated several books from Vietnam, and we have a fascinating collection of Struwwelpeter-inspired items from author Heinrich Hoffman’s own Germany.
The de Grummond contains quite a few collections (ranging from a single item to dozens of boxes) from well-known British creators, such as Michael Bond, Kate Greenaway, Constance Savery, Randolph Caldecott, Ernest H. Shepard, George Cruikshank, Thomas Bewick, and even a single letter from Lewis Carroll. We have dozens of collections from creators who were born or grew up all over the world, such as Uri Shulevitz (Poland), Victor Ambrus (Hungary), Edward Ardizzone (French Indochina – present-day Vietnam), Jean Barr (Russia), Margot Benary-Isbert (Germany), Bettina Bauer (Austria), Albert Orbaan (Italy), and Tony Chen (Jamaica; his parents were from China).
Among our large collections of original materials, we are proud to house the papers of Margret and H.A. Rey, Germans who lived in Brazil, France, and finally, the United States. They bicycled out of France with a manuscript for Curious George in their belongings, and he eventually made his way to us in Hattiesburg. A few years ago, a large portion of the collection traveled to Japan for a years-long exhibition, and many Japanese promotional materials came back as new additions to the collection.
Jean Fritz, though American, was born in China to American missionary parents, where she lived for twelve years. She went on to write China Homecoming, China’s Long March, and Homesick, an autobiographical work for which she received a Newbery Honor.
One of our more visual collections is that of Tana Hoban, whose photography won her many accolades in the 20th century. Her family immigrated to the United States from what is present-day Ukraine, and she spent much of her life in France. We recently processed her materials, and a digital exhibit and finding aid are both available.
Ezra Jack Keats was also born to immigrant parents, and his books met an incredible audience of fans all over the world. Keats even traveled to Japan to visit a local skating rink that had been built in his honor, to provide a safe place for children to skate after reading Skates!
Two-time Caldecott-winning Nonny Hogrogian was born in America to parents who fled the Armenian genocide. She and her husband moved to Armenia later in their lives, but they returned to the US. De Grummond recently acquired many of her original illustrations for her beautiful picture books.
Many of our materials have been digitized, and they can be accessed freely through our digital collections website. Our digital lab adds new items throughout the year, and we are working to make as much available for distance researchers as possible.
For scholars wishing to join us in person, we do offer two fellowships: the Ezra Jack Keats / Janina Domanska Fellowship and the Syd Hoff Fellowship. Both offer funding for travel to de Grummond, usually with deadlines in September. We also offer a Richard Peck Scholarship to teachers and librarians hoping to join us for our annual Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival each April, which is a wonderful experience.
To learn more, visit degrummond.org or email me at Karlie.Herndon@usm.edu. I’d love to hear from you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Karlie Herndon (MA, MLIS) is the curator of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She is a PhD candidate writing on the late-Victorian British nursery space, and she serves as co-chair for the 2024 ALA Best Graphic Novels and Comics for Children selection committee. You can contact her at Karlie.Herndon@usm.edu.
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