(born 1934), U.S. author and illustrator. Tomie De Paola illustrated approximately 200 children's books, many of which he also wrote. His talents earned him the 1981 Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota, the 1983 Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association, and many other honors. In 1990 he was the United States nominee for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Thomas Anthony de Paola was born on Sept. 15, 1934, in Meriden, Conn. He grew up knowing that he wanted to become an artist and left his small town after high school to attend the Pratt Institute in New York. Between his junior and senior years, he received a scholarship for summer study in Maine with Ben Shahn. After graduating from Pratt in 1956, de Paola spent time in a monastery and then turned to jobs such as mural painting, designing greeting cards and stage sets, and teaching. He received a master's degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1969 and earned a doctoral equivalency from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco in 1970. De Paola debuted as an illustrator of children's books with ‘Sound' (1965, written by Lisa Miller). He went on to work with many other authors, including Samuel and Beryl Epstein (‘Take This Hammer', 1969), Nancy Willard (‘Simple Pictures are Best', 1977), Jane Yolen (‘The Giants Go Camping', 1979), Patricia MacLachlan (‘Moon, Stars, Frogs and Friends', 1980), Tony Johnston (‘The Quilt Story', 1985), and Jean Fritz (‘Shh! We're Writing the Constitution', 1987). De Paola was a runner-up for the 1976 Caldecott Medal for ‘Strega Nona' (1975), a self-illustrated retelling of a folktale about a magic pasta pot. The popularity of the book led to several sequels, including ‘Strega Nona's Magic Lessons' (1982), ‘Strega Nona Meets Her Match' (1993), and ‘Strega Nona: Her Story' (1996). De Paola's writings covered a wide range of subjects. Some books were based on events from his life, and others reflected his Irish-Italian heritage. His publications, all of which were self-illustrated, included ‘Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup' (1974), ‘Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story' (1977), ‘The Clown of God: An Old Story' (1978), ‘The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol' (1981), ‘Giorgio's Village' (1982), ‘Francis, the Poor Man of Assisi' (1982), ‘Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile' (1987), and ‘Get Dressed, Santa!' (1996). Beginning with ‘Tomie de Paola's Mother Goose' (1985), he created a series of anthologies collecting nursery tales, Bible stories, poems, and Christmas carols. |