Kraus, Robert, 1925-

Herman Robert Kraus was a cartoonist for national magazines, the author and illustrator of children's books. He was president of Windmill Books, Inc from 1965, and president of Springfellow Books from 1972. His awards include several American Library Association notable books citations, a place on the Horn Book Honor List and a Children's Trade Book Award.

From the description of Robert Kraus papers, 1942-1991 <bulk 1961-1991> (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 63280421

Robert Kraus (1925-2001) was an American cartoonist, illustrator, author and publisher.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kraus entered and won a cartoon contest hosted by the Milawaukee Journal at the age of ten. He was later hired to contribute a weekly series titled, Public Nuisances. Kraus attended the Art Students League of New York in 1945.

He freelanced for various publications, including Collier's, Life and The Saturday Evening Post . By the 1950s Kraus was a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker, which published 50 of his cartoons in his first year of employment. .

More than 400 of his cartoons appeared in The New Yorker and he drew 21 covers for the magazine over his career. Kraus wrote, illustrated and edited more than 100 children's books from 1955 to the late 1990's; one of his best-known was Leo the Late Bloomer . He was president and founder of children's book publisher Windmill Books.

From the guide to the Robert Kraus Cartoons, 1955-1968, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

Robert Kraus was born June 21, 1925, in Milwaukee WI. He sold his first drawing at the age of 11, when he had the idea to make a drawing based on the tune 'shave and a hair cut, two bits' and took it door-to-door to barber shops until he sold it, getting a number of rejections along the way. Kraus began selling to national magazines such as Esquire, Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post as a teenager of 16 and 17 years old. As he mailed in his work, the editors had no idea he was so young. He graduated high school as an honor student at 16, but rather than go to college and on to law school as his mother hoped, he hitch hiked across the country then went to art school first in Milwaukee then in New York City (the Arts Students' League). He had wanted to become a fine artist, but saw cartooning as a way to support himself and his new wife in New York City. One day while he and and his wife, Pamela, who also was an artist, were in waiting for an assembly to begin at the League a discussion arose about how impossible it was to get published The New Yorker . Kraus said to the group that he could get in in two years. Afterward his wife asked him how he could say something like that so publicly. His response? Well, he could. As it turned out it took him only about 7 months, after which he became a regular contributor.

After 15 years of this he decided to try something new: writing and illustrating children's books full time. In 1965 he established Windmill Books, which specialized in children's picture books and functioned in partnerships with large publishing houses. Among Kraus's innovations were the Tubby Books, small waterproof books that children could read in the bathtub.

During his career, Kraus had many notable creative collaborators: José Aruego, Fred Gwynne, and William Steig. He often used animals as his main characters to address very human themes such as the need to belong. Some of his more successful and memorable titles include The Trouble with Spider, Whose Mouse are You?, and Leo the Late Bloomer . The last was read by former First Lady Barbara Bush on national television, as part of her literacy campaign. He also received several honors and awards for his work. Kraus died August 7, 2001.

Biographical Sources: Pamela Kraus, Bill Kraus, Something About the Author, vols. 4, 65, 93, 130, and Something About the Author Autobiography Series, vol. 11.

From the guide to the Robert Kraus Papers, 1957-1991, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])