Balian, Lorna

Lorna Balian, nee Kohl, was born December 14, 1929 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She studied at the Layton School of Art from 1948-1949 and later worked as an artist at the American Lace Company in Milwaukee and as a freelance artist. In 1964, she illustrated an adaptation of John Godfrey Saxe's poem An Elephant, and in 1965 wrote and illustrated Humbug Witch, a humorous story about a little "witch." Over the next few decades, she published many books, including others with a holiday theme such as Humbug Rabbit (1974), an Easter story, and A Sweetheart for Valentine (1979). Critics have praised her works for their "entertaining illustrations" and "imaginative settings." Lorna Balian's books have a "droll sense of humor" and her plots reflect a "childlike imagination." Lorna Balian's sense of humor also "shines through in imaginative tales based on everyday events" as in The Sweet Touch (1976), the story of a wish and an inexperienced genie that results in too many sweets. Lorna Balian's six children occasionally served as her models and she has worked in a variety of media, including pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor wash. Lorna Balian has received awards for her work including the University of Wisconsin's Little Archer Awards and the Colorado Children's Book Award. Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 91, pp.14-17.

From the guide to the Lorna Balian Papers, 1962-2005, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])

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