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About Susan Hirschman
(who prefers that Crescent, Charlotte's
daughter and the putter-upper of this site, refrain from giving much beyond
minimal details about how wonderful she, Crescent, thinks she, Susan, is, as an editor and
as a human being)
 Susan
Hirschman worked at Harper for ten years, going from Reader to Editorial
Assistant to Assistant Editor to Associate Editor to Managing Editor. She then
spent ten years at Macmillan as Editor in Chief, and founded Greenwillow Books
in l974, a division of William Morrow. In 2000, William Morrow was acquired by
what by then had become HarperCollins, so in a sense Susan returned to her
beginnings. (Susan is pictured to
the left).
Greenwillow also published many of Charlotte's books, three of which are shown
on this page. The editor? Susan.
Susan Hirschman on her friend and
colleague, Charlotte
"I first knew and admired Charlotte in the mid-fifties, when I was the
Reader at Harper and
"After Harper I knew Charlotte as a colleague. She was the Publisher of  Harper's
Children's Books while I was at Macmillan. Like everyone in the industry,
I knew that Charlotte was a totally dedicated editor, believing with her whole
heart the importance of giving children only the very best, and supporting her
authors and artists with passion, loyalty and vision. And managing, though
goodness knows when, to write her own innovative and ground-breaking books.
Imagine a world without William's Doll or My Grandson Lew. I
can't." (Pictured left, The
Moon Was the Best, Charlotte's book about a mother remembering her trip to
Paris for her eager daughter, and the only one of Charlotte's books illustrated
by photographs --- vivid ones, by Tana Hoban).
"But looking back over the past forty-five years, it is Charlotte as a
friend that means the most to me. Once, when I was complaining about being
an only child and having no sibling to talk to, Charlotte offered to be my
sister. It was the most generous gift anyone could make. And it is my sister
Charlotte whose books, career, and life I give thanks for, every day." (The
cover of Peter and the Pigeons, another Charlotte book edited by Susan, is
pictured right.)
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