Bruce Degen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Degen
|
|
|---|---|
Degen at the Mazza Museum 2012 conference
|
|
| Born | June 14, 1945 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
|
| Died | November 7, 2024 (aged 79) Newtown, Connecticut, U.S.
|
| Education | • Art Major, LaGuardia High School • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cooper Union • Masters of Fine Arts, Pratt Institute |
| Known for | Illustration |
|
Notable work
|
Jamberry, The Magic School Bus series, Jesse Bear series, Commander Toad series, Daddy is a Doodlebug, Shirley's Wonderful Baby. |
| Spouse(s) | Christine |
Bruce Degen (June 14, 1945 – November 7, 2024) was a talented American illustrator and writer. He created over forty children's books during his career. He is most famous for drawing the pictures for The Magic School Bus, a popular picture book series written by Joanna Cole. Bruce Degen also worked with other writers, like Nancy White Carlstrom on the Jesse Bear books and Jane Yolen on the Commander Toad series. He also wrote and illustrated his own books, including Jamberry, Daddy Is a Doodlebug, and Shirley's Wonderful Baby.
Bruce Degen's Early Life
Bruce Degen grew up in Brooklyn, a busy part of New York City. But his summers were very different! He spent them in the quiet countryside of upstate New York. There, he loved picking wild berries. These happy memories later inspired his book Jamberry (1983).
He once said about his childhood summers: "It was green. It was soft. You could walk around in bare feet, and we used to go out and pick lots of berries that grew wild. I always thought of the world as being particularly generous and joyful." This feeling of joy helped him write a book for young children.
His Art Education
Bruce Degen went to elementary school in Brooklyn. Later, he studied art in Manhattan. He attended LaGuardia High School, which is famous for its arts programs. After that, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cooper Union. He continued his studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he received a Masters of Fine Arts degree. He focused on printmaking and also studied painting.
Bruce Degen lived in Newtown, Connecticut, with his wife, Christine Degen. They had two sons, Benjamin and Alexander. His son Benjamin Degen is also a painter, and Alex Degen creates comic books. Bruce Degen passed away in Newtown on November 7, 2024, at the age of 79.
Bruce Degen's Career as an Artist
Bruce Degen had many different jobs before becoming a full-time children's book illustrator. He designed advertisements, taught art to students, and even painted scenery for opera shows. He also taught adults how to illustrate children's books and ran a special printing studio in Israel.
An elementary school teacher encouraged him to become an illustrator. He realized his true passion was creating art for children's books. Bruce Degen loved to include humor in his work. He once joked that "You don't see many people walking around a gallery are chuckling. And I realized that I wanted a chuckle." He wanted his art to make people smile and laugh.
Before he started working on The Magic School Bus series, he taught art and other subjects. He taught at Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park, Queens, and at Edward R Murrow High School and John Dewey High School in Brooklyn.
Bruce Degen's Famous Works
Bruce Degen illustrated many books for other authors and wrote some of his own. Here are some of his well-known works:
- Commander Toad series, written by Jane Yolen (1980–1997)
- Jamberry (1983)
- Jesse Bear series, written by Nancy White Carlstrom (1986–2012)
- The Magic School Bus series, written by Joanna Cole (1986–2020)
- Shirley's Wonderful Baby by Valiska Gregory (1999)
- Daddy Is a Doodlebug (2000)
- I Gotta Draw (2012)
- I Said, "Bed!" (2014)
- Snow Joke (2014)
- Nate Likes to Skate (2016)
