Clement G. Hurd was an American illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his collaborations with author Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown was a prolific American author of children's literature, including the books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd.-Biography:...

, including Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...

(1947) and The Runaway Bunny

The Runaway Bunny

The Runaway Bunny is a 1942 picture book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. The plot deals with a small rabbit, who wants to run away...

(1942). He also illustrated a number of books written by his wife Edith (a friend of Brown's) as well as a children's book written by Gertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...

, The World Is Round. He also wrote and illustrated the book "Run,Run,Run"

The son of a New York mortgage banker Richard Melancthon Hurd

Richard Melancthon Hurd

Richard Melancthon Hurd was a pioneer real estate economist and political activist.Hurd was born in New York City and attended St. Paul's School. He graduated from Yale University in 1888, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and editor of the Yale record. He headed the mortgage department of...

, Hurd was educated at St. Paul's School

St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)

St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...

 in Concord

Concord, New Hampshire

The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....

, New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, studied architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 and painting with Fernand Léger

Fernand Léger

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...

 in Paris. On seeing two of his paintings, Brown asked him if he would consider illustrating children's books.

His son Thacher Hurd

Thacher Hurd

John Thacher Hurd is the artist and author of children's picture books including Mama Don't Allow and Art Dog.- Biography :Thacher Hurd is the son of children's book creators Clement Hurd and Edith Thacher Hurd. After attending the California College of Arts and Crafts, Thacher Hurd turned his...

 is also a children's book author and illustrator, and referred in an interview to the "wonderful aura of creativity" surrounding his father and the Vermont farm that was their home.

A doctored/altered photo of Hurd was included in the 60th anniversary republication of Goodnight Moon with a cigarette removed

Tobacco bowdlerization

Tobacco bowdlerization occurs when a publisher or government agency expurgates a photograph, text, or video document to remove images and references to consuming tobacco products...

from his hand, causing controversy over publication standards.