Kirby Larson
American children's writer
Kirby Lane Larson (born August 17, 1954, in Seattle) is an American writer of children's books including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award-winner The Magic Kerchief, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger. Her book, Hattie Big Sky, was a finalist for the 2007 Scandiuzzi Book Award of the Washington State Book Awards, and won a 2007 Newbery Honor. Kirby is retired from the faculty at the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program. Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival and Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle both have won a Show-Me Award.
Biography
Larson was born August 17, 1954, in Seattle to David Neil and Donna Marie Miltenberger.
On September 6, 1975, Larson married Neil Edwin Larson, with whom she has two children, Tyler Kenton and Quinn Lois.
Larson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University in 1976 and a Master of Arts from the University of Washington in 1980.
The public source identifies “Kirby Larson” as american children's writer. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kirby, Larson and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kirby Larson”, the useful work is to connect “american children's writer” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6414941. VIAF identifies the subject as 64334919. The Library of Congress control number is n93038501. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1954, 2007, 1975 and 1976.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kirby Larson”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kirby Larson primary sources, Kirby Larson archive and Kirby research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kirby Larson”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kirby Larson” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.