From the New York Times, November 21, 1974
Louise Perkins Fitzhugh, author and illustrator of "Harriet the Spy" and other children's books, died Tuesday evening at a hospital in New Milford, Conn. She was 46 years old and lived in Bridgewater, Conn.
"Harriet the Spy," hailed as a classic on its publication in 1964 by Harper & Row, is still an international best seller in hard cover and paperback.
The book tells the story of Harriet, an engaging eavesdropper and occasional liar who exposes the hypocrisies of the adult world. "When I grow up," Harriet declares, "I'm going to know everything about everybody and put it all in a book."
The book helped to introduce a new realism to children's fiction and has been widely imitated. It is under option to Raystar Productions for a motion picture and television series.
Miss Fitzhugh also wrote and illustrated "The Long Secret" (Harper & Row) and "Suzuki Beane" (Doubleday & Co.). A new book, "Nobody's Family Is Going to Change," is scheduled for publication November 29 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Miss Fitzhugh was also the co-author of "Bang Bang You're Dead," an antiwar book published by Harper & Row.
Her lively drawings were distinctive for their movement and humorous detail. Miss Fitzhugh had studied painting at the Art Students League and in Bologna, Italy, after her graduation from Bard College in 1950. Her oil paintings were realistic, and were exhibited at several galleries over the yeaers.
Miss Fitzhugh, who was unmarried, is survived by her mother.