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Leonard Weisgard was born on December 13, 1916 and wrote or illustrated nearly 200 children’s books during his 50-year career. Weisgard attended Pratt Institute and the New School for Social Research.
Weisgard worked as a department store and magazine artist before publishing his first book, Suke the Siamese Pussy, in 1937. He also worked under the pseudonym Adam Green.
The Noisy Book started a 26-book collaboration with author Margaret Wise Brown. The Little Island, written by Brown and illustrated by Weisgard in egg tempera and zinc white, won the Caldecott Medal in 1947. He also won a Caldecott Honor the same year for Alvin Tresselt’s Rain Drop Splash.
Visit the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota to see an original illustration from the Caldecott title and many selections of his other work. Weisgard died at his home in Denmark in 2000. Visit Mr. Weisgard’s website to see more examples of his illustrations.