William Pène du Bois facts for kids

William Sherman "Billy" Pène du Bois (born May 9, 1916 – died February 5, 1993) was an American writer and artist who created books for young readers. He is most famous for his book The Twenty-One Balloons, which came out in 1947. This book won the important Newbery Medal in 1948.

Billy Pène du Bois was also a runner-up twice for the Caldecott Medal. This award is given for the best illustrations in children's books. He was recognized for illustrating books written by others, and also for two picture books he wrote himself.

From 1953 to 1960, Pène du Bois was the art editor for The Paris Review, a well-known literary magazine. He worked with its founder, George Plimpton.

Early Life and First Book

William Pène du Bois was born in Nutley, New Jersey, in May 1916. His mother, Florence Sherman Pène du Bois, designed children's fashion. His father, Guy Pène du Bois, was a famous art critic and painter. Billy's older sister, Yvonne, also became a painter, and his cousin, Raoul Pene Du Bois, became a well-known costume and stage designer. Art was definitely in their family!

When Billy was eight, his family moved to France. He went to school there in Versailles and Nice. They moved back to Nutley when he was 14. After high school, he was accepted into an architecture school and even offered a scholarship. However, he had written and illustrated a book during a vacation. He sold this book and decided to focus on creating books instead of going to college. His first book, Elisabeth, the Cow Ghost, was published in 1936 when he was just nineteen years old.

A Career in Books

By the time he joined the army in 1941, at age 24, he had already written and illustrated five more books. He spent his army years (1941–1945) in Bermuda with an artillery unit. He worked as a writer for Yank magazine, edited the camp newspaper, and drew maps.

Besides writing and illustrating his own stories, Pène du Bois also drew pictures for books by other famous authors. These included Jules Verne, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Rumer Godden, Claire Huchet Bishop, and John Steinbeck. He also illustrated articles and advertisements for magazines.

In 1960, he became very interested in old cars. He spent a lot of time and money fixing up a 1931 Brewster Croydon Coupe Rolls-Royce.

One of the biggest moments in his career was winning the Newbery Medal in 1948 for The Twenty-One Balloons. As an illustrator, he was a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1952 for Bear Party and in 1957 for Lion.

Some of his books, like Bear Party and Lion, are picture books with very few words. But others, such as The Twenty-One Balloons, The Three Policemen, and Peter Graves, are enjoyed by people of all ages. These books are full of clever ideas and fun illustrations. They often feel like science fiction because they explore imaginative ideas, some of which might even be possible! Many of his stories show the influence of Jules Verne, who wrote famous adventure and science fiction novels.

Personal Life

Pène du Bois married Jane Michele Bouche in 1943. They later divorced. In 1955, he married Willa Kim, who designed costumes for plays.

His cousin, Margot Tomes, also became a children's book illustrator. Another cousin, Raoul Pene Du Bois, was a well-known designer for theater costumes and sets.

William Pène du Bois died on February 5, 1993, in Nice, France, after having a stroke.

Books by William Pène du Bois

As Writer and Illustrator

• Elisabeth, the Cow Ghost (1936)
• Giant Otto & Otto at Sea (1936) – This story is about a very large dog named Otto who goes on a sea adventure.
• The 3 Policemen, or, Young Bottsford of Farbe Island (1938) – A clever ten-year-old boy named Bottsford helps three funny policemen on an island catch thieves who are stealing fish.
• The Great Geppy (1940) – A striped horse (not a zebra!) is hired to solve a mystery at a circus. Geppy pretends to be different circus performers to find out what happened.
• The Flying Locomotive (1941)
• The Twenty-One Balloons (1947) – A schoolteacher plans to spend a year in a balloon. But an accident causes him to crash on a secret island called Krakatoa. The island is home to twenty families who have found a hidden diamond mine. They use their wealth to build amazing houses that are also restaurants! When Krakatoa explodes, the families and the teacher escape on a platform lifted by twenty balloons.
• Peter Graves: An Extraordinary Adventure (1950) – A boy named Peter, who sometimes gets into trouble, meets a kind scientist named Houghton Furlong. The scientist has invented a material that can make things float! Peter accidentally destroys Houghton's house, and they must work together to earn money to rebuild it.
• Bear Party (1951)
• Squirrel Hotel (1952) – This is a sweet story about a man who builds a very fancy hotel just for squirrels. The illustrations show the amazing dollhouse-like building with squirrels playing and even making electricity!
• The Giant (1954) – This book is about an eight-year-old boy who is seven stories tall! He is very sweet and polite, but people try to hide him because giants can scare people. A friend tries to find a way for the giant to be accepted by everyone.
• Lion (1956) – This story is about an angel who is learning to design animals. The angel tries to create the animal we know as a lion. It's a story about being creative and finding your place in the world.
• Castles and Dragons (1958)
• Otto in Texas (1959) – Otto the giant dog visits Texas and finds a dinosaur skeleton and a tunnel used by oil thieves.
• Otto In Africa (1961) – More adventures of Otto the giant dog.
• The Three Little Pigs (1962) – The classic story told in a fun, rhyming way.
• The Alligator Case (1965)
• Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead (1966) – A boy lives in a house that does everything for him automatically. But when the power goes out, he learns a lesson about not being lazy!
• The Horse in the Camel Suit (1967) – A young detective tries to help a show group that has been locked up by the town policeman. He soon discovers they are actually criminals!
• Pretty Pretty Peggy Moffitt (1968) – A girl who loves looking at herself in mirrors has many accidents because she is so focused on her looks.
• Porko von Popbutton (1969) – This story is about a 274-pound thirteen-year-old boy who loves food more than anything. He is unhappy at boarding school until he accidentally joins the hockey team.
• Otto And The Magic Potatoes (1970) – Even more adventures for Otto the giant dog.
• Call Me Bandicoot (1970) – A fast-talking young man tells stories to people on the Staten Island Ferry to earn food and money.
• Bear Circus (1971)
• Mother Goose for Christmas (1973) – A picture book.
• The Forbidden Forest (1978) – Lady Adelaide, a boxing kangaroo, helps defeat the German army and becomes a hero of the Great War.
• Gentleman Bear (1985) – A story about a London gentleman and his teddy bear, who has been his friend for over seventy years.

As Illustrator Only

• The Mousewife, written by Rumer Godden (1951)
• Twenty and Ten, by Claire Huchet Bishop (1952)
• Castles and Dragons: Read-to-yourself fairy tales for boys and girls, collected by the Child Study Association of America (1958)
• A Certain Small Shepherd, Rebecca Caudill (1965)
• The Magic Finger, Roald Dahl (1966)
• William's Doll, Charlotte Zolotow (1972)
• My Grandson Lev, Charlotte Zolotow (1974)
• Bear in Mind: A book of bear poems, selected by Bobbye S. Goldstein (1989)
• Harriet, by Charles McKinley, Jr. (1946)