Margaret Bloy Graham facts for kids

Margaret Bloy Graham (born November 2, 1920 – died January 22, 2015) was a talented Canadian artist. She is best known for illustrating many popular picture books for children. Her most famous work is the Harry the Dirty Dog series. She created these books with her husband at the time, Gene Zion.

Growing Up and Learning Art

Margaret Bloy Graham was born in Toronto, Canada. When she was one, her family moved to Sandwich, Ontario (now part of Windsor). Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a nurse. Margaret spent her childhood in Ontario. But she also enjoyed summer holidays visiting her grandfather in England or an aunt in the United States.

When she was ten, her family moved back to Toronto. Margaret loved art from a young age. She took art classes on Saturday mornings at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Studying Art in College

Margaret went to the University of Toronto. She studied art history and graduated in 1943. After college, she continued her art studies in New York City. She took a summer course at the famous Art Students League. She also studied at New York University and the New School for Social Research.

Margaret decided to stay in New York to become a commercial artist. From 1944 to 1945, she worked as a ship draftsman. Then, in 1946, she started working in the art department at Condé Nast Publications. She stayed there until 1956.

Becoming a Writer and Illustrator

Margaret met her first husband, Gene Zion (1913-1975), at Condé Nast. They got married in July 1948.

Margaret encouraged Gene to write children's books. Their editor, Ursula Nordstrom, also encouraged him. Gene remembered that a sketch Margaret had made inspired his first book, All Falling Down (1951). This sketch showed children gathering apples in an orchard.

The Harry the Dirty Dog Series

Margaret and Gene became very famous for the Harry series of books. The first book was Harry the Dirty Dog (1956). Other popular books in the series include No Roses for Harry! (1958), Harry and the Lady Next Door (1960), and Harry By the Sea (1965). Their work together ended when they divorced in 1968.

Margaret received two special awards called Caldecott Honors. One was for her illustrations in All Falling Down. The second was for her work on The Storm Book.

Around the time of her divorce, Margaret started writing her own books. Her first book as both author and illustrator was Be Nice to Spiders (1967). She later created her own dog hero named Benjy. She wrote a series of books about Benjy's adventures.

Later Life

In 1972, Margaret married again to Oliver W. Holmes, Jr., who was a merchant-ship officer. She lived in retirement in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Major Works

Books Written and Illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham

Books Illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham