Russell Hoban

Russell Hoban has died, at age 86. You may know him as the author of the children's books featuring a badger named Frances - Bedtime for Frances, for example - and half a dozen others. "He was one of a kind," Alida Allison told me. Professor Allison is Director of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at San Diego State University, and a world authority on Hoban.

While we might think of Hoban as an author of children's books, he wrote in a number of genres; the post-apocalyptic novel Ridley Walker is recognized as the best of his novels. Hoban wrote more than 50 kids' books, and he was an illustrator and painter. To this day, my 27 year old daughter Julia, who shares a lot of snarky fearlessness with the title character, can recite entire Frances books.

In a world of easy computer-assisted homogenization, Russell Hoban is a unique voice. In addition to Ridley Walker, you could have a look at Turtle Diary or Pilgerman.