Authors are those people who write amazing stories and bring characters to life while illustrators are those individuals who create works of art to be published on books, and other platforms. There are many literary masterpieces that contain wonderful illustrations created the hands of various talented illustrators. The common authors who use pictures in their works are those under the children’s literature genre. The embedded images support the book in gaining readers and popularity by its ability to help the readers put their imaginations to work, pin their attention on the story, and follow the storyline.
Picture book is the common term used in describing the literary pieces intended for kids and kids at heart. But there are also books that contain amazing images that are not referred to picture books for they may not feature the right ratio of illustrations and words. However, the author and illustrator of a book do not always have to be separate persons for there are a lot of people who have been bestowed the talent for both writing and drawing. These people are referred to as author-illustrators. Thus, listed below are the awesome author-illustrators that you should know:
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was the man behind the pen name Dr. Seuss. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. Apart from his famous pseudonym Dr. Seuss, he was also known as Theo LeSieg, Rosetta Stone, and Theophrastus Seuss. Ted studied in two popular colleges, which are Dartmouth College and Lincoln College, Oxford. He is not only a children’s book author but also a political cartoonist, poet, animator, screenwriter, filmmaker, and illustrator.
Dr. Seuss has written and illustrated over 60 books. The amazing literary works of Dr. Seuss and its film adaptations have been touching the lives of children and even adults for years. Some great examples of Dr. Seuss books are The Cat in the Hat (1957). Horton Hears a Who! (1955), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), etc.
Eric Carle
On June 25, 1929 in Sycarause, New York, author, designer, and illustrator Eric Carle was born. He is currently living in Key West, Florida and has been married to Barbara Morrison, who died on 2015. Eric studied in two of the most remarkable schools for fine arts, which are State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart and Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. In 2003, he was awarded with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal — which is now referred to as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award, by the American Library Association.
Carle is popular in the literary world because of his amazing picture books for children. Among his notable works are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which sold over 50 million copies, The Grouchy Ladybug, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. Furthermore, his 1969 picture book — The Very Hungry Caterpillar, didn’t only became a bestseller but was also translated into different languages.
Gabriella Eva Nagy
Author-illustrator Gabriella Eva Nagy is a Hungarian national. Hungary is the place where she was brought into the world and was raised to see both the beauty and ugliness life brings. She already has a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Technology but she also attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and took up the Computer Animation and Multimedia major. Gabriella is always fond of looking for methods to educate and reach out to kids.
Her talents in both writing and illustrating are the two key elements into producing wonderful pieces of literature. Among her amazing works are Enchanted Rainbows, The Dancing Butterflies, and Moonlight Dance. Thus, Gabriella truly utilized her talents and abilities to touch the world of kids in order to teach eternal values.
Marla Frazee
In Los Angeles, California on January 16, 1958, writer-illustrator Marla Frazee was born. But when she was still a kid, she transferred from LA to Glendale, California. Marla acquired her bachelor of fine arts degree from the Art Center College of Design in Greater Los Angeles Area in 1981. It is in her college where she met the love of her life, photographer Tim Bradley. The two got married in 1982 but ended up separating in 2013. Although they had a bittersweet love story, they were still blessed with three angels, which are Graham, Reed, and James.
Frazee is a notable author-illustrator. Her works are mainly inspired by Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and Robert McCloskey’s Blueberries for Sal. She started practicing her craft early; thus, when she was a 3rd grader, she produced the work titled The Friendship Circle and later on became the recipient of state fair competition award. Her other notable works include World-Famous Muriel and the Magic Mystery and That Kookory!, The Seven Silly Eaters, On the Morn of Mayfest – Mrs. Biddlebox, Roller Coaster, and more.
Alex Writes 