Valenti Angelo facts for kids

Valenti Angelo (1897-1982) was a very talented Italian-American artist. He was a printmaker, an illustrator, and an author. This means he made art by printing, drew pictures for books, and wrote stories. He was born in Italy and moved to the United States. He became famous for his beautiful book illustrations and his own children's books.

Valenti Angelo's Early Life and Art

Valenti Angelo was born on June 23, 1897, in a town called Massarosa, Italy. When he was young, his family moved to the United States. They first lived in New York City. Later, they settled in Antioch, California.

When Valenti was nineteen, he moved to San Francisco. During the day, he worked hard as a laborer. In the evenings and on weekends, he spent his time at libraries and museums. He loved learning about art. He soon became a skilled artist. He was especially good at engraving and printing.

Valenti Angelo's Favorite Art Style

Valenti Angelo loved to create art using a method called linocut. This is a type of printmaking. Artists carve a design into a piece of linoleum. Then, they roll ink onto the carved surface. Finally, they press paper onto the linoleum to transfer the image.

His linocut prints often showed city nights or desert scenes from the American Southwest. These artworks are very special. Many art collectors and dealers want to own them.

Becoming a Book Illustrator and Author

In 1926, Valenti Angelo started illustrating books. His first book illustrations were for the Grabhorn Press. This was a well-known printing company in San Francisco.

Over 34 years, Valenti Angelo decorated and illustrated about 250 books. This is a huge number of books! Some of these famous books included Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. He also illustrated many books from the Bible.

Many of the books he worked on were shown in special art exhibitions. These shows were held by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. His work was featured there starting in 1927.

Writing Stories for Kids

In 1937, Valenti Angelo began writing stories for children. He was encouraged by May Massee, an editor at Viking Press. Viking Press is a famous book publisher.

In 1939, Valenti Angelo won a special award. He received the Newbery Honor for his book Nino. The Newbery Honor is a very important award for children's literature. It recognizes excellent books for young readers.

Later in his life, Valenti Angelo moved to New York State. But in 1974, he returned to San Francisco. He continued to work on his art and writing. Valenti Angelo passed away in San Francisco on September 3, 1982.

Selected Collections of His Work

You can find Valenti Angelo's art in these places:

• Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
• New York Public Library
• Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries

Selected Books He Wrote or Illustrated

Here are some of the books Valenti Angelo worked on:

• Paradise Valley
• The Rooster Club
• The Bells of Bleecker Street
• The Marble Fountain
• Nino
• Salome
• The Scarlet Letter
• The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night (He created 1001 decorations for this book!)
• The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi