Barbara Knutson, 45, Children’s Author

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The New York Sun

Barbara Knutson, an author and illustrator of children’s books, died Saturday of a rare autoimmune deficiency in St. Paul, Minn. She was 45.


Knutson’s books included “How the Guinea Fowl Got Its Spots: A Swahili Tale of Friendship” (1991) “Sungura and Leopard: A Swahili Trickster Tale” (1994). Her latest book, “Love and Roast Chicken,” was drawn from her travels in Peru with her husband, Chris Jensen, was included in the American Library Association Notable Book listings for 2005.


Her books also drew from her travel experiences in Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt.


Her first book, “Why the Crab Has No Head,” was published in 1987.


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