Tomie dePaola
(September 15, 1934 - living) U.S.A.
Children's book author and illustrator
Tomie de Paola, whose given name is Thomas Anthony de Paola, was born in Meriden, Connecticut, of an Irish and Italian background. From the time he was four years old, he knew he wanted to be an artist. He also wanted to be a singer and tap dancer! Many of his ideas for books come from his own childhood memories. He also likes to retell old folktales.
His mother, a book lover, read to him and his brother and encouraged their love of books. He credits the Saturday morning radio show, "Let's Pretend," in helping to develop his imagination. At the ripe "old age" of ten, he wrote books for his younger sisters' birthdays. One of these books was Glimmera, the Story of a Mermaid. dePaola has also drawn upon his own childhood experiences in writing books. For example, his own Italian grandmother was the model for the grandmother in Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup.
Tomie attended Pratt Institute. After graduation, he took his portfolio to New York. He met Florence Alexander in 1963 and she became his agent. Within six weeks, she had his first book contract.
His career as a professional artist and designer paralleled his success as an author. A prolific writer, he produces sometimes two to four children's books a year. Tomie has written nearly 200 children's books, with more than five million copies in print, in 15 countries and he has won many awards. He combined this career with an academic one, teaching at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.
He enjoyed many "one man shows" in Boston which featured his drawings and set designs. Many of his murals adorn the walls of Catholic churches and monasteries in New England. His book, Clown of God, is a beautiful expression of a poor one's gift to the serene mother and playful child.
Now Tomie works in a very old barn at his home in New Hampshire, where he lives with his four dogs.
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