Weisgard, Leonard, 1916-2000

Leonard Weisgard, Caldecott award-winning illustrator of more than 200 children's books was perhaps best known for his collaboration with the author Margaret Wise Brown. Weisgard was born in New Haven, Connecticut but spent much of his early childhood in England, where his father originally came from. "Books", he once said in an interview, "have always, for as long as I can recall, been a source of real magic in this wildly confusing world."

Leonard Joseph Weisgard wrote or illustrated more than 180 books for children during his career, starting with Suki (1937), some under the pseudonym Adam Green. He also illustrated books by others, notably Margaret Wise Brown, whose The Little Island, illustrated by Weisgard, won the 1947 Caldecott. Brown, her editors and illustrators shared the 1984 Kerlan Award.

Leonard Joseph Weisgard (b. 1916) wrote or illustrated more than 180 books for children during his career of some 50 years. After a childhood spent living on both sides of the Atlantic, Weisgard finished growing up in New York, and attended Pratt Institute and the New School for Social Research. He began his career as a department store and magazine artist, but in 1937 he wrote and illustrated Suki, the Siamese Pussy, the first of his children's books. His self-illustrated books appeared under his own name and under the pseudonym, Adam Green. In addition, he illustrated many books by other authors, most notably Margaret Wise Brown with whom he created 26 books, beginning with The Noisy Book. The Little Island, written by Brown and illustrated by Weisgard in egg and zinc white (with color), won the Caldecott Medal in 1947. In 1984, Weisgard shared the Kerlan Award which was given to "Margaret Wise Brown and her Editors and Illustrators."Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 85, 99. 194-201.

d. January 14, 2000.

Leonard Weisgard, Caldecott award-winning illustrator of more than 200 children’s books was perhaps best known for his collaboration with the author Margaret Wise Brown . Weisgard was born in New Haven, Connecticut but spent much of his early childhood in England, where his father originally came from.

His interest in the quality of children’s books began after his family moved back to the USA when he was 8. As a schoolboy in New York, he was dissatisfied with the books supplied by the public schools he attended. He found the illustrations monotonous and thought that the world could not be all that dreary and limited to only one color. He went on to study art at the Pratt Institute and the New School for Social Research, where he was influenced by primitive cave paintings, Gothic and Renaissance art and avant-garde French illustrators of children’s books of the 1920s.

Leonard Weisgard also studied dance with Martha Graham and worked in the field of window display. He began his career making illustrations for magazines such as Good Housekeeping, The New Yorker, and Harper’s Bazaar .

His first book, Suki, the Siamese Pussy, was published in 1937, followed by an adaptation of Cinderella . In 1939 the first of more than two dozen collaborations with Margaret Wise Brown was published, The Noisy Book . Their 1947 book, The Little Island, which Brown wrote under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald, won the Caldecott Medal for best-illustrated children’s book. Weisgard also collaborated with other children’s book writers and wrote books he illustrated himself, sometimes under the pseudonym “ Adam Green ".

Leonard Weisgard married Phyllis Monnot in 1951 and they had three children, Abigail Weisgard (1952), Christina Weisgard (1954) and Ethan Weisgard (1957). Leonard and Phyllis often worked together creating set and costume designs with Leonard sketching and Phyllis making patterns so the designs could become a reality. He designed the stage sets and costumes for several productions of the San Francisco Ballet, including The Dryad and The Nutcracker . During the years he lived in Roxbury, Connecticut, Weisgard was deeply involved with children's education. He lectured extensively and worked closely with The American Library Association.

Leonard Weisgard moved to Denmark with his wife and children in 1969 where he lived for the rest of his life. His children and grandchildren (Ethan and Midoriko's son Yuji and daughter Nanami) all live in Copenhagen.

"Books", he once said in an interview, "have always, for as long as I can recall, been a source of real magic in this wildly confusing world."

Leonard Joseph Weisgard (b. 1916) wrote or illustrated more than 180 books for children during his career of some 50 years. After a childhood spent living on both sides of the Atlantic, Weisgard finished growing up in New York, and attended Pratt Institute and the New School for Social Research. He began his career as a department store and magazine artist, but in 1937 he wrote and illustrated Suki, the Siamese Pussy, the first of his children's books. His self-illustrated books appeared under his own name and under the pseudonym, Adam Green. In addition, he illustrated many books by other authors, most notably Margaret Wise Brown with whom he created 26 books, beginning with The Noisy Book . The Little Island, written by Brown and illustrated by Weisgard in egg and zinc white (with color), won the Caldecott Medal in1947. In 1984, Weisgard shared the Kerlan Award which was given to "Margaret Wise Brown and her Editors and Illustrators."

Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 85, 99. 194-201.