Quail Hawkins, 97; Wrote Children’s Books Popular in the 1940s

Quail Hawkins, 97, the author of several children’s books popular in the 1940s, died Aug. 16 in a retirement home in Pacific Grove, Calif.

Hawkins’ nine illustrated books ranged from beginning-to-read picture books to volumes for young adults. She was a coauthor of several other works for children. Though none of her books remain in print, “A Puppy for Keeps” in 1943 and “Mark, Mark, Shut the Door” in 1947 were among her most popular.

Hawkins worked at bookstores and publishing houses, and encouraged the work of such authors as Beverly Cleary and Ursula K. Le Guin.

In Cleary’s memoir, “My Own Two Feet,” she wrote about how in 1941 Hawkins hired her to work during the Christmas rush at Sather Gate Book Shop in Berkeley. She described Hawkins, then the manager of children’s books, as “a rapid, omnivorous reader with a retentive memory, a love of books and a passion for persuading others to read them.”

Hawkins also was children’s book specialist for seven years at the University of California Press.