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Else Holmelund Minarik, a writer for children whose Little Bear picture-book series -- which simply, gently and evocatively tells the story of an anthropomorphized cub's forays into the wider world -- has been a mainstay of childhood for more than half a century, died Thursday at her home in Sunset Beach, N.C. She was 91.
The death was announced by HarperCollins Publishers, her longtime publishing house.
The first of many books by Ms. Minarik, "Little Bear" appeared in 1957 as the inaugural title in the I Can Read! series. Aimed at beginning readers, the series, now comprising hundreds of books by an array of authors, was originally published by Harper & Row, a predecessor of HarperCollins.
"Little Bear" conjures a child's world in ursine form -- a world, quite literally, of creature comforts....