Rita Balducci

SHEILAH BECKETT (1913-2013) brought to life dozens of stories for Golden Books in her long career as an illustrator, including The Nutcracker (which she illustrated at age 99) and The Twelve Days of Christmas. Entirely self-taught, she was the first woman to work at the prestigious Charles E. Cooper advertising art studio, where she illustrated ads, album covers, and Christmas cards. She died in 2013 at the age of 100.