[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 69 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2525-H2526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF ROBIE HARRIS

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life, the work, 
and memory of one of America's most impactful authors, Roberta 
``Robie'' Harris.
  Robie, a gifted writer, a fierce advocate for free speech, a 
treasured friend. An educator at heart, she wrote to answer the 
questions that children asked her, the questions about how to 
understand their changing bodies, feelings, and experiences of the 
world they grew up in. Her award-winning writing treated children with 
respect and autonomy, covered a wide variety of topics from engineering 
and architecture to nutrition and genetics.
  There are few people in this life who are kindred spirits. Robie was 
one for me. I am forever grateful for her friendship, humor, and 
generosity. Her illustrator and dear friend, Michael Emberly, described 
her best when he said: ``She was a complicated human being in the best 
sense, and she had one of the best attributes you can say about a human 
being--she was memorable.''
  I will always remember and be inspired by Robie. My heart is with her 
family as they grieve. Robie's passion for working with children was a 
shared mission. Her husband, Bill, founded KidsPac, which advocates for 
early-childhood education. Her sons, David

[[Page H2526]]

and Ben, have followed in their footsteps, working to address child 
poverty in this country and psychological needs.
  Life without Robie will never feel the same again, but through her 
writing and her continued work and the work of her family, her kind and 
her generous spirit will always be with us.

                          ____________________