Joel Fram, founder of Eeyore's Books for Children in New York City, died on May 6 from complications following cancer surgery. He was 81.
Fram opened one of the first children's-only bookstores in the country in the modern era, Eeyore's Books for Children, in 1974 on the Upper West Side. In 1981, he opened a second location, on the Upper East Side. Both locations hosted many author visits, as well as popular weekly story-times on the large plush Eeyore's cushions. Because of difficult economic times and the expansion of superstore chains, both locations closed in 1993.
After the stores' closings, Fram started a book packaging business, and wrote and compiled several books, including (with Carol Boswell and Margaret Maas) I Heard It Through the Playground: 616 Best Tips from the Mommy and Daddy Network for Raising a Happy, Healthy Child from Birth to Age Five; and (with Sandra Salmans) Weird Cures: The Most Hilarious, Disgusting, and Downright Dangerous Medical Treatments Ever; Slip of the Tongue: Offhand Remarks That Ended High-Flying Careers; and Untying the Knot: An Irreverent View of Divorce. He also re-published The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook in 1999.
A private memorial was held on May 31, where "Joel's sense of humor, his kindness, and his generosity, as well as his love of travel, were highlighted. Eeyore's representatives mentioned his foresight as he envisioned the first [modern era] all-children's bookstore in New York City, his strengths as a bookseller, and his ability to hire excellent staff who went on to become award-winning children's book authors and illustrators, school librarians, publishers, editors, publicists, and marketeers, as well as continuing as booksellers."
[Thanks to Kate Kubert Puls]