Who wrote the 1943 children's book Homer Price, which features a runaway doughnut machine?

Robert McCloskey wrote the 1943 children’s book Homer Price, which features a runaway doughnut machine.

Homer Price is a collection of humorous stories set in a small American town. In the best-known episode, Homer helps operate a newly acquired automated doughnut machine. The machine malfunctions and continues producing doughnuts, creating a comic problem as the pastries accumulate.

The story reflects the period’s fascination with automation and modern machinery. Commercial doughnut machines had already made large-scale production possible, so the book turned a real technological trend into playful children’s fiction.

McCloskey both wrote and illustrated Homer Price. He is also known for Make Way for Ducklings, published in 1941, and One Morning in Maine. The doughnut episode is sometimes remembered as a film or television story, but its original source is McCloskey’s book, not a standalone doughnut-themed movie.