Patricia McKissack, noted author of children's books, dies

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Patricia C. McKissack, a prolific author of children's books on African-American history, folklore and stories, has died. She was 72.

McKissack, of the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, collapsed Friday at a restaurant where she was having dinner with the eldest of her three sons, Fredrick McKissack Jr. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2oU9tOh ) reports she was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead of cardio-respiratory arrest.

McKissack and her husband, Fredrick McKissack, published more than 100 books.

"The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural," won her a Newbery Honor and the King Author Award in 1993. That same year, she and her husband also won a Coretta Scott King Honor for "Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?"

Funeral arrangements are pending.

___

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com

Upcoming Events