Berta Hoerner Hader (1890-1976) and Elmer Stanley Hader (1889-1973) were an American couple who illustrated more than seventy children’s books together, about half of which they wrote. They won the 1948 Caldecott Medal for The Big Snow, and were two Caldecott Award winners (in 1940 for Cock-a-doodle-doo and in 1944 for The Mighty Hunter).
Bertha Herner was born in Mexico, where her parents unsuccessfully attempted to grow cotton for sale. When Bertha was young, the family moved around a lot – first to eastern Mexico, then to Texas, and then, when Bertha was five, to the northeastern United States.
Inspired by her mother’s colorful sketches of Mexican life, Bertha attended drawing classes from an early age. She also read widely, winning various literary and art awards in school. In 1909, the family moved again, this time to Seattle, where Bertha enrolled in the Washington School of Journalism, where she studied for three years. She also attended classes in graphic design, fashion design, illustration, and printing skills at the Western Printing Company, where she soon began her professional career.
In 1915, at the request of her former boss Eva Shepard, Bertha moved to San Francisco, got a job as a fashion illustrator, and simultaneously entered the California School of Design. In San Francisco, Bertha met her future husband and co-author Elmer and met the famous journalist Bessie Beatty, who invited Bertha to New York to work for the popular monthly women’s magazine McCall’s, where Beatty was an editor.
In the early twenties, the Haders had a son, Hamilton, who did not live long and died of meningitis shortly before his third birthday. The grieving couple left their home region for a while and temporarily settled with friends in Maine. Returning to New York, the Haders concentrated entirely on their artistic careers, took care of the house, illustrated for numerous publications and advertising agencies, painted miniatures (Bertha) and portraits (Elmer), and designed children’s sections in popular magazines.
In 1926, the Haders signed a contract with MacMillan to create a series of children’s books. The books were very popular, and from 1927 to 1931 the Haders managed to publish 34 editions, some of which they not only illustrated, but also wrote themselves.
The Haders illustrated books almost until the end of their lives, and were in great demand and popularity. Greatly impressed by their work, the writer John Steinbeck asked the illustrators to draw the cover for his new novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939); they eventually designed two more books by the writer, East of Eden (1952) and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961).
The Haders were also known pacifists, animal rights activists, and environmentalists. These interests are reflected in some of their works (for example, in The Runaways and Two Is Company, Three’s a Crowd). In addition, they traveled a lot – to Mexico, Jamaica, and the northeastern United States.
In 1973, Elmer Hader died at his home on the Hudson, on his 84th birthday. Bertha lived another three years.
Berta Hoerner Hader (1890-1976) and Elmer Stanley Hader (1889-1973) were an American couple who illustrated more than seventy children’s books together, about half of which they wrote. They won the 1948 Caldecott Medal for The Big Snow, and were two Caldecott Award winners (in 1940 for Cock-a-doodle-doo and in 1944 […]
The Big Snow tells the story of how the woodland animals prepare themselves for the upcoming winter. The animals, after noticing the falling leaves and how quickly the days begin to darken they know that it is wintertime. The geese fly south looking for sunshine and a clear sky while […]
