Arnold Spilka facts for kids

Arnold Spilka (born November 14, 1917 – died December 14, 2002) was an American artist who created pictures for children's books. He was also a writer and a poet.

Who Was Arnold Spilka?

Arnold Spilka was born in New York City. He loved art from a young age. He went to a special art school called the Art Students League. There, he learned how to draw from a famous artist named Rico Lebrun. He also studied sculpture, which is about making art from clay or stone.

Spilka's Work as an Illustrator

Arnold Spilka drew pictures for many books written by other authors. Some of the writers he worked with include Robert Froman, John Lawson, Beman Lord, and Ann McGovern. His drawings helped bring their stories to life for young readers.

Books and Poems by Arnold Spilka

Besides illustrating, Arnold Spilka also wrote his own books. He often filled them with silly poems and fun ideas. One of his well-known books is A Rumbudgin of Nonsense, published in 1970. It's a picture book full of nonsense verse, which means poems that are playful and don't always make perfect sense.

Other books he wrote and illustrated include:

• A Lion I Can Do Without (1964)
• And the Frog Went Blah (1972)
• Bumples, Fumdidlers, and Jellybeans (1996)

He also wrote poems like Don't Tell Me That I Talk Too Much and Flowers are a Silly Bunch. The poem Flowers are a Silly Bunch starts by describing nature, like how trees might seem bossy or lakes seem shy. But it ends up being a poem about how much he liked living in the city.

Where to Find His Work

Some of Arnold Spilka's original drawings and papers from the 1960s and 1970s are kept in a special collection. They were given to the University of Minnesota. You can find them in their Children's Literature Research Collections, which helps people study children's books and art.