Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1914 and emigrated to the United States in 1928. After finishing his studies at the Art Student League and the New York School of Industrial Design, Mr. Galdone worked in the art department of a major publishing house. There he was introduced to the process of bookmaking, an activity that was soon to become his lifelong career. Before his death in 1986, Mr. Galdone illustrated almost three hundred books, many of which he himself wrote or retold. He is fondly remembered for his contemporary style, bright earthy humor, and action-filled illustrations, which will continue to delight for generations to come.
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Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1907 and immigrated to the United States in 1928. Though he was also a painter and sculptor, he is best known as a writer and illustrator of children's books. During his early career Galdone worked in the art department at Doubleday where he designed a successful book jacket. The experience led him to believe that he could make a living as a freelance illustrator. He left behind the working world of New York City when he and his wife moved to rural Rockland County, New York. Many of Galdone's works are adaptations of fairy tales and folktales. Some of these are The House that Jack Built (1961), Cinderella (1978), and Three Aesop Fox Fables (1971). He illustrated the well-known Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars and sequels written by Ellen MacGregor. He has illustrated works by John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Edward Lear, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. During his career he illustrated over 100 books and wrote and illustrated several dozen others. Galdone was twice runner up for the Caldecott Medal, in 1957 and 1958. Paul Galdone died in 1986.