Louis Slobodkin
Encyclopedia
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
was a sculptor, author and illustrator of numerous children's books.
At the age of 15, he attended the Beaux Arts Institute of Design in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1918 to 1923. He worked then as an elevator operator to sustain his living, as he studied Plato, Aquinas, Kant, and Goethe. He would deliberately get his elevator 'stuck' between floors so he could read his books.
Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's book writer in 1927, but he didn't immediately become involved with children's literature. He illustrated his first children's book in 1941, The Moffats
The Moffats
The Moffats is a children's novel by the American author Eleanor Estes.First published in 1941, it tells the story of a fatherless family in Cranbury, Connecticut: Mama, Sylvie, Joey, Janey and Rufus. Of these, Janey and Rufus tend to be the focus of the stories, which are episodic in nature...
, by his friend, Eleanor Estes
Eleanor Estes
Eleanor Estes was an American children's author.She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield.She worked as a children's librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York....
, with whom he collaborated on five more books. In 1944, he won the Caldecott Medal for illustrating Many Moons
Many Moons
Many Moons is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944. Princess Lenore becomes ill, and only one thing will make her better: the moon...
, written by American writer James Thurber. He wrote and illustrated the popular The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree book series. He was also the author of Sculpture; Principles and Practice.
During his career, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he also wrote.
He and his wife, Florence, collaborated on five books from 1958 to 1969, including The Cowboy Twins (1960). Slobodkin's last book was Wilbur the Warrior, published in 1972.
Teaching himself all manner of art from an early age, Slodbodkin began to sculpt art at the age of ten. His first brush with fame came in 1938 when his "Young Lincoln" statue appeared at the 1939–1940 World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. This statue was placed at the Federal Building during the World's Fair. It was quickly removed and destroyed by an official of the Fair who worked at the Federal Building and felt that the statue was blocking light into his office. With the help of many of his friends in the art world, a bronze version of the plaster original was permanently placed in the Headquarters Building of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D. C. Another plaster version resides in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Louis Slobodkin died in May 1975.
Fiction
- Clear the Track for Michael's Magic Train (1945)
- The Adventures of Arab (1946)
- The Seaweed Hat (1947)
- Hustle and Bustle (1948)
- Bixxy and the Secret Message (1949)
- Circus April 1 (1953)
- The Amiable Giant (1955)
- The Little Mermaid Who Could Not Sing (1956)
- Gogo and the French Seagull (1960)
- The Late cuckoo (1962)
- Io Sono (I am): Italian with Fun (1960)
- A Good Place to Hide (1961)
- Moon Blossom and Golden Penny (1963)
- Luigi and the Long-Nosed Soldier (1963)
- Picco the Sad Italian Pony (1964)
- The Polka-Dot Goat (1964)
- Yasu and the Strangers (1965)
- Colette and the Princess (1965)
- Read about the Busman (1967)
- Spaceship Under the Apple Tree series
- Spaceship Under the Apple Tree (1952)
- Spaceship Returns to the Apple Tree (1958)
- Three-Seated Spaceship (1958)
- Round-Trip Spaceship (1968)
- Spaceship in the Park (1972)
Autobiographical
- Fo'castle Waltz (1945) – This adult novel is the author's illustrated account of his short career as a sailor aboard the tramp S.S. Hermanita.
Non-Fiction
- Sculpture: Principles and Practice (1958)
- The First Book of Drawing (1958)
Illustrated Works
- The Moffats (1941) Author: Eleanor EstesEleanor EstesEleanor Estes was an American children's author.She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield.She worked as a children's librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York....
- The Middle Moffat (1942) Author: Eleanor EstesEleanor EstesEleanor Estes was an American children's author.She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield.She worked as a children's librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York....
- Rufus M (1943) Author: Eleanor EstesEleanor EstesEleanor Estes was an American children's author.She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield.She worked as a children's librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York....
- Many Moons (1943) Author: James ThurberJames ThurberJames Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
- The Hundred DressesThe Hundred DressesThe Hundred Dresses is a 1944 children's book by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin.-Plot:The book centers on Wanda Petronski, a poor and friendless Polish-American girl. Her teacher, outwardly kind, puts her in the worst seat in the schoolroom and does not intervene when her...
(1944) Author: Eleanor EstesEleanor EstesEleanor Estes was an American children's author.She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield.She worked as a children's librarian in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York.... - Young Man of the House (1946) Author: Mabel Leigh HuntMabel Leigh HuntMabel Leigh Hunt was an American writer.She was born in Coatesville, Indiana. She was raised in Greencastle by Quaker parents there, and from age 10 in Plainfield , until her physician father died...
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1946) Reprint by World Publishing Co. Author: Mark TwainMark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
- Jonathan and the Rainbow (1948) Author: Jacob Blanck
- Red Head (1951) Author: Edward EagerEdward EagerEdward McMaken Eager was an American lyricist, playwright, and author of books for children. Eager's works for children were distinctive in their use of the theme of magic making an appearance in the lives of ordinary children - what would now be classed as contemporary fantasy...
- The Alhambra (1953) Author: Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
- 'Love and Knishes: An Irrepressible Guide to Jewish Cooking" (1956) Author: Sara Kasdan
- Clean Clarence (1959) Authors: Priscilla Friedrich and Otto Friedrich
- The Cowboy Twins (1960) Author: Florence Slobodkin
- A Thousand for Sicily (1961) Author: Geoffry Trease
- The Beautiful Culpeppers (1963) Author: Marion Upington