Babbitt, Natalie, 1932–2016, American children's book author and illustrator, b. Dayton, Ohio, as Natalie Zane Moore, grad. Smith College, 1954. She illustrated The Forty-Ninth Magician (1966), written by her husband, Samuel Babbitt, then went on to write and illustrate many books, including The Search for Delicious (1969), Kneeknock Rise (1970), and her most popular work, Tuck Everlasting (1975; films 1981 and 2002), which explored the lives of a family who were granted immortality, only to realize it did not bring happiness. Other works include The Eyes of the Amaryllis (1977, film 1982), Nellie: A Cat on Her Own (1989), Ouch! A Tale from Grimm (1998), and The Moon over High Street (2011). The winner of the first American Academy of Arts and Letters' E.B. White Award for achievement in children's literature, Babbitt also was a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review.
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