Louise Fitzhugh

Louise Perkins Fitzhugh (October 5, 1928 – November 19, 1974) was an American writer and illustrator best known for the children’s novel Harriet the Spy (1964). Trained in art at Bard College, in Italy and France, and in New York at the Art Students League and Cooper Union, Fitzhugh wrote realistic, candid books for children and young readers, including The Long Secret and Nobody’s Family Is Going to Change; several works were published posthumously. Her frank portrayal of imperfect children and themes of identity and independence made Harriet the Spy a lasting classic.