Butter at the Old Price: The Autobiography of Marguerite de Angeli is an account of the life and work of the children's author and illustrator Marguerite de Angeli

Marguerite de Angeli

Marguerite de Angeli was a bestselling author and illustrator of children's books including the 1950 Newbery Award winning book The Door in the Wall...

, who wrote such books as The Door in the Wall

The Door in the Wall

The Door in the Wall is a 1949 novel by Marguerite de Angeli that received the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1950.-Plot summary:...

, Ted and Nina Go to the Grocery Store

Ted and Nina Go to the Grocery Store

Ted and Nina Go to the Grocery Store is a 1935 children's story book written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli. Although de Angeli had previously illustrated books and stories for other authors, this was her first work as both author and illustrator...

, Henner's Lydia

Henner's Lydia

Henner's Lydia is a 1936 children's story book written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli, winner of the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature for another book, her 1950 The Door in the Wall. Henner's Lydia is a story about a young Amish girl named Lydia Stoltzfus and...

, and Black Fox of Lorne

Black Fox of Lorne

Black Fox of Lorne is a 1956 children's historical novel written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli. This Newbery Honor Book is about tenth-century Viking twins who shipwreck on the Scottish coast and seek to avenge the death of their father...

. The autobiography was printed in 1971 when its author was 82 years old. Her 1946 story Bright April

Bright April

Bright April is a 1946 children's story book written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli, who later won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature for another book, 1950's The Door in the Wall...

was the first children’s book to address the divisive issue of racial prejudice. She was recipient of the 1950 Newbery Award for The Door in the Wall, and was twice named a Caldecott Honor Book

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...

 illustrator, first in 1945 for Yonie Wondernose

Yonie Wondernose

Yonie Wondernose is a 1944 picture book by Marguerite de Angeli, who would later win the Newbery Medal for The Door in the Wall. Sometimes described as an "Amish Curious George", the book was to win the Caldecott Honor citation. As with many of de Angeli's books, it was how she expressed her...

and again in 1955 for Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes. She received a 1957 Newbery Honor mention for Black Fox of Lorne, a 1961 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...

, and the 1968 Regina Medal

Regina Medal

The Regina Medal is an American Literary award of the Catholic Library Association. It was established in 1959 to recognize "continued, distinguished contribution to children’s literature without regard to the nature of the contribution"....

. The autobiography is composed in an engaging and personal style, recounting the events of her family of six children, her affection for her husband, the many places they lived, and the circumstances leading to the stories and illustrations of her approximately thirty books.