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Leonard Weisgard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leonard Joseph Weisgard (1916-12-12)December 12, 1916 |
| Died | January 14, 2000(2000-01-14) (aged 83) |
| Education | Pratt Institute |
| Known for | Children'spicture bookillustration |
| Notable work | Collaborations withMargaret Wise Brown |
| Spouse | Phyllis Monnot |
| Awards | Caldecott MedalCaldecott Honor 1947 |
Leonard Joseph Weisgard (December 13, 1916 – January 14, 2000)[1] was anAmerican writer andillustrator of more than 200children's books. He is known best for his collaborations with writerMargaret Wise Brown.
Weisgard was born inNew Haven, Connecticut, and spent most of his childhood in England. He studied art at thePratt Institute in New York City.
His first book,Suki the Siamese Pussy, was published in 1937, and his first collaboration with Brown was two years later,The Noisy Book. He won the 1948Caldecott Medal for U.S.picture book illustration, recognizingThe Little Island, written by Brown. They collaborated again onThe Important Book, published by Harper & Brothers in 1949. Altogether, Weisgard illustrated at least 14 of Brown's books, including two that were published posthumously. (Brown wrote the text for six books that were published as by "Golden MacDonald". All were unpaged picture books illustrated by Weisgard and published by Doubleday.)[2]
The same year, Weisgard received the Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in the book “Rain Drop Splash” authored by Alvin Tresselt. He was the first to be awarded the Caldecott Medal and the Caldecott Honor in the same year.
WriterMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings was aNewbery Medal runner-up in 1956 forThe Secret River, which Weisgard illustrated. He also illustratedAlice Dalgliesh'sThe Courage of Sarah Noble, a 1955 Newbery Medal runner-up.
Weisgard married Phyllis Monnot in 1951 and moved toCopenhagen, Denmark, with her and their three children in 1969. He died on January 14, 2000, in Denmark.
withbiography – copyright The Estate of Leonard Weisgard
