Helen Cherry (Courtesy of the Cherry family)

Ellen Braunstein

Helen Cherry, a Philadelphia-born illustrator whose work in children’s books spanned decades and reflected a deep sensitivity to childhood experience, died on Jan. 15 in a senior living community in New Paltz, New York. She was 101.

“Art was her hobby, her passion, her work,” said her daughter, Lynne Cherry.

Born Helen Cogan on July 9, 1924, Cherry grew up in West Philadelphia during the Depression, in a rowhouse beneath the elevated train tracks. The family struggled financially: Her father worked as a bread deliveryman and helped run a small grocery store, while her mother was a seamstress.

“They were very poor,” said Lynne Cherry. “She told me many stories about being so, so, so thin — so basically starving.”

Despite those hardships, Cherry showed early academic and artistic promise. She earned a full scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Art, which her daughter described as “the only way she was going to go to college.”

Cherry’s Jewish upbringing, her daughter said, was shaped more by culture and values than by strict religious observance. She did not attend Hebrew school as a child, but holidays such as Passover and Chanukah were observed within the extended family.

Jewish history also entered the family story in a sobering way. Lynne Cherry recalled asking her grandfather as a child whether he had siblings.

“He said, ‘Yes, I had eight brothers and sisters,’” she said. “I said, ‘Oh, where are they?’ And he said, ‘They were all killed in the Holocaust.’”

By the time she reached high school, Cherry was beginning the next chapter of her life. She met her future husband, Herbert Cherry, in French class at West Philadelphia High School. During World War II, while he served overseas, she wrote to him regularly, often illustrating her letters with drawings. The couple married in 1950, and their union lasted 50 years until Herbert Cherry’s death in 2000.

After graduating from art school, Cherry illustrated for children’s magazines, including Jack and Jill. After the birth of their children, she stepped back from her occasional freelancing for Jack and Jill. Her daughter said those years were filled with practical responsibilities and quiet creativity.

“She was always drawing, sketching, when she had time,” Lynne Cherry said. “I would sit there at the card table and draw while she was painting.”

Helen Cherry with her daughter, Lynne (Courtesy of the Cherry family)

Those years also included helping her husband establish Cherry’s Pharmacy in Ridley Park, a demanding project that required long hours. Cherry assisted when she could, often working at the pharmacy while her children were in school.

“She would come and help and work when she could,” her daughter said.

Later, when Cherry was in midlife, she returned to professional illustration in a sustained way and began a second, highly productive career. To avoid confusion with her daughter, Lynne, who was already an established children’s book illustrator, she adopted a pen name that combined her maiden and married names, publishing as Helen Cogancherry.

Over the course of her career, Cherry illustrated roughly 30 children’s books and well over 100 magazine pieces, working for publications that included Highlights, Ladybug and Cricket. She illustrated stories that often addressed difficult subjects with honesty and care.

“She was always an artist,” Lynne Cherry said. “She said it was something that she can’t not do.”

Her daughter said Cherry’s particular strength was her ability to capture feeling and convey it clearly to young readers.

“She could capture emotion on a child’s face and actually evoke emotions in the reader,” Lynne Cherry said. “She was really, really gifted.”

Cherry was also known for her careful research, especially for historical works.

“Every book, every picture — everything she illustrates is researched,” her daughter said. “The history has to be really accurate.”

Among the books Cherry was especially proud of were historical fiction written by Scott Russell Sanders, including “The Floating House” and “Warm as Wool.” She also illustrated books that addressed subjects such as alcoholism, abuse, bullying and shame — topics that were sometimes considered taboo in children’s publishing.

“She tackled some really difficult topics,” Lynne Cherry said.

In her personal life, Cherry loved music and cooking. She sang show tunes while she worked and taught her children the songs and how to cook, especially traditional Jewish dishes prepared for holidays.

“She’s just a really, really, really good cook,” her daughter said.

As a grandmother, Cherry spent hours drawing and painting with her grandchildren, who regularly gathered around a large table in her home. Family members often posed for her illustrations, and her daughter said those sessions became an extension of Cherry’s work as both an artist and a teacher.

Her daughter said those everyday moments reflected Cherry’s values.

“She showed everybody how to be a good human being in this world,” Lynne Cherry said.

Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.