Constance Kling Levy

By drawing on her own childhood encounters and keen observational skills, she described the world through verse in fresh and exuberant ways. Reviewers praised her poems for their accessible yet creative language. Her books include The Story of Red Rubber Ball (2004), Splash! Poems of Our Watery World (2002), A Crack in the Clouds and Other Poems (1998), A Tree Place and Other Poems (1994), and I’m Going to Pet a Worm Today and Other Poems (1991). School Library Journal’s Kathleen Whalin summed up the appeal of Levy’s verse best in her review of When Whales Exhale and Other Poems: “To read Levy is to see the wonder of the everyday world.”

Connie was a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, AB 1952, MA 1974 and was a recipient of a Washington University Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004. She has been an elementary grade teacher, an adjunct collge instructor and a Missouri Arts Council Writer in the Schools. She was a frequent guest speaker at conferences and college classes and taught numerous workshops at elementary schools.

Connie received numerous awards for her work, including both a Lee Bennet Hopkins Award and Honor Award and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Her books have been included on the American Booksellers Pick of the Lists, the National Council of Teachers of English Notable Books in the Language Arts, and the New York Public Library 100 Titles for Children’s Books, and have been a Junior Library Guild Selection.

About her career as a poet of children’s verse, Levy once told Contemporary Authors, “I would never have wondered about how I became a poet except that children I meet as a visiting poet frequently ask that question. And the only answer I can provide, for them and for myself, is that I don’t really know, but I think I always was. As a child I was drawn to poetry and loved hearing my mother recite poems for me that she learned when she was young. It always seemed that the poem I read or listened to was speaking to me. I could see it and feel it. The words made music and danced and played games with each other and stirred my senses. I have never stopped loving poetry, especially poetry for children. Poems are habit-forming, you know. Once you have a good taste of a flavor that suits you, you want more and more, and the pleasures stay with you always . . . When you read a poet’s work, you peek inside her or him, and I am no exception. As a writer I reveal myself in my poems, not intentionally, but because poetry is a natural expression of what the poet thinks, feels, and observes. It is me as silly, thoughtful, wondering, playing discovering ... I feel a special rapport with children and especially enjoy writing about the kinds of things they respond to, ordinary things that adults sometimes don’t really “see” for all our modern distractions.”

For all of her professional accomplishments, Connie would often say that her proudest achievement was her family— her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was much loved and her absence will be felt far and wide.

Constance was the Wife of the late Monroe Levy; dear Mother of Carol Charles (Bernie), Ken Levy (Cyndee), Don Levy (Hedva), Ed Levy (Joelyn) and the late Robert Levy (Marjie); Grandmother of Julie Perlberg (Matt), Danny Levy (Sari), Elana Charles (Alex Wu), Sara Charles, Jonathan Levy (Monique), Adina Levy, Aaron Levy, Adam Levy, Benjamin Levy (Grace Jacobsen), Noah Levy, Jonah Levy, Evyn Levy and Daphne Levy; Great-Grandmother of Rebecca Levy, Madelyn Perlberg, Sienna Perlberg, Davina Levy, Emilia Levy, Julian Wu and Naomi Wu. Sister of the late Gloria Kling Levin; Daughter of the late Samuel and Esther Kling; Dear Aunt, Cousin and Friend to many.

Funeral Service Thursday December 18, 12 PM at Congregation Temple Israel, #1 Alvin D. Rubin Dr. St. Louis, MO. 63141. The service will be Livestreamed. Burial will follow at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois Rd. Affton, MO. 63123.

Memorial contributions preferred to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) www.support.adl.org or the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry www.jfsstl.org