Because she drew them, and no doubt, embellished what her family said and did. It’s the artwork and storyline that is copyrighted. Just like “Little House on the Prairie” was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and the events of her friends and family happened; because she wrote them down and book company published them, they are also copyrighted. That means no one can use the material in any other fashion without the author’s permission. It protects the author’s rights to their body of work. Anyone who infringes on those rights can be prosecuted for theft. Teachers and other instructors may use small parts of an author’s work for educational purposes, but they can’t copy the whole thing and use it in class. If they wish to do that, they have to purchase a book for each child to use.
Because she drew them, and no doubt, embellished what her family said and did. It’s the artwork and storyline that is copyrighted. Just like “Little House on the Prairie” was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and the events of her friends and family happened; because she wrote them down and book company published them, they are also copyrighted. That means no one can use the material in any other fashion without the author’s permission. It protects the author’s rights to their body of work. Anyone who infringes on those rights can be prosecuted for theft. Teachers and other instructors may use small parts of an author’s work for educational purposes, but they can’t copy the whole thing and use it in class. If they wish to do that, they have to purchase a book for each child to use.