Alice Ochs (shown in "eBay (v2)") · Public domain

A Playboy cartoonist who became, almost by accident, one of the most-read children's authors in the world — The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic have sold more than 20 million copies in over 47 languages. He wrote songs too, including Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue," and won two Grammy Awards across a career that never fully separated the two audiences.