Tad Hills facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tad Hills
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reading at the 2014 Gaithersburg Book Festival
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| Born | April 1, 1963 Needham, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
Tad Hills was born on April 1, 1963, in Needham, Massachusetts. He is a famous American author and illustrator of children's books. He creates stories and draws the pictures for them.
His first book, Duck & Goose, became a New York Times bestseller. It was also named an ALA Notable Book for Children. This book is about two bird friends, a duck and a goose. Readers loved this funny pair, and so Tad Hills wrote more books about them. The Duck & Goose series now has nine titles. Some popular ones include Duck, Duck, Goose and Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin.
Tad Hills also wrote How Rocket Learned to Read. This book won the Irma Simonton Black & James H. Black Award. It was another New York Times bestseller. Its sequel, Rocket Writes a Story, was also very popular. It reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. Many places, like Amazon.com and Publishers Weekly, called it a top picture book.
About Tad Hills' Early Life
Tad Hills grew up in Norwell, Massachusetts. His family was very creative. His grandmother was a talented artist. They often painted, drew, and made books together. His mother was a science teacher. She loved nature and often brought wild animals home. This helped Tad Hills learn to love nature too.
He once said that his interest in making things might be genetic. This is because many people in his family were engineers.
How Tad Hills Became an Artist
Tad Hills studied art at Skidmore College in New York. But he believes his best learning came from raising his own children. He said that spending time with them helps him remember what it's like to be a child. He tries to show that innocent and excited view of the world in his books. He wants kids to see themselves in his characters.
Before writing children's books, Tad Hills tried many different arts. He acted, made jewelry, and designed interiors. He started drawing for picture books in the late 1990s. His wife, Lee Wade, worked in children's books. She would ask him to illustrate books when she couldn't find an artist.
In 2006, he published Duck & Goose, his first book in the popular series. This happened when his wife and a friend started their own book company, Schwartz & Wade Books.
Today, Tad Hills lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
