She explored the struggles of young women in the novel “The L-Shaped Room” but found her biggest success with a children’s book about a magical cupboard.
A poet, publisher and professor, she channeled the revolutionary spirit and deconstructionist currents of the 1960s to challenge the conventions of poetry.
After his father, who created the character, died, he continued the series of books about a modest elephant and his escapades in Paris for seven decades.