Helena Clare Pittman

Helena Clare Pittman is the author/illustrator of 17 books for children. E.P.Dutton, Harcourt Brace, Random House, Dial Books, Hastings House, Hyperion and Carolrhoda/Lerner Publications are some of her publishers. Her book, "A Grain of Rice," a Scholastic Math Club Book, and a New York Times Years Best Paperback Book, has been in print for 27 years, and is widely used in school Math and Global Studies curriculums. "A Grain..." is also part of The Columbia Teachers College list of books for recommended curriculum.

Helena Pittman's book, "The Gift of the Willows," was a Children’s Book Council/International Reading Association/Children's Choice Book.

"Uncle Phil's Diner," part of the “ Ruthie Pincus of Brooklyn” writing, was a Smithsonian Book, 1998. This book, and many of Pittman's other titles, has been well reviewed by Booklist and Kirkus."Ruthie Pincus of Brooklyn" is based on the author's childhood. The enclosed, limited edition, subscription, independently published author’s edition received warm and enthusiastic reader reviews on Amazon Kindle.

Though the author's family is Jewish, readers of all backgrounds have found a kindred experience in the stories that make up "Ruthie Pincus of Brooklyn." This book paints a vivid picture of life in the 1950's in Brooklyn. It is an historic portrait of a warm, post-war, Jewish neighborhood. The book embodies history, universal family interactions, a child dealing with the illness and loss of her mentor aunt, the issue of bullying, and, most basically, offers the inner life of a child coming of age, relevant to all contemporary concerns. The book has the added dimension of appealing to adults as well as young readers. "Ruthie Pincus of Brooklyn" is Helena Clare Pittman's first novel. Portions of this book have been published in Cricket Magazine, along with about 20 of her other stories, over the last twenty, or so, years.