William Steig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Steig
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Steig in New York City on April 12, 1944. Photograph taken by Arnold Newman.
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| Born | November 14, 1907 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Died | October 3, 2003 (aged 95) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Illustrator, writer |
| Years active | 1930-2003 |
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Notable work
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| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Mead Steig
(m. 1936; div. 1949)Kari Homestead
(m. 1950; div. 1963)Stephanie Healey
(m. 1964–1966)Jeanne Doron
(m. 1968) |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) | Joseph Steig, Laura Ebel Steig |
| Awards | Caldecott Medal 1970 National Book Award 1983 CINE Golden Eagle 1984 |
William Steig (born November 14, 1907 – died October 3, 2003) was a famous American cartoonist and writer. He also worked as a sculptor. Later in his life, he became well-known for writing and illustrating children's books.
Steig is best known for his popular picture books like Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto. He also created the book Shrek!, which later inspired the famous Shrek movie series.
He was nominated for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award twice. This award honors authors and illustrators of children's books.
Contents
William Steig's Early Life
Steig was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1907. He grew up in the Bronx. His parents were immigrants from Austria. They were both socialists. His father, Joseph Steig, was a house painter. His mother, Laura Ebel Steig, was a seamstress. She always encouraged his artistic talents.
As a child, William loved to paint. He also enjoyed reading many books. He was especially interested in the story of Pinocchio. Besides art, he was good at sports. He was part of a college water polo team. He finished high school at age 15. He went to college for a short time but did not finish.
Steig's Amazing Career
William Steig was sometimes called the "King of Cartoons." He started drawing for The New Yorker magazine in 1930. He created over 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. One of his cartoon characters, Poor Pitiful Pearl, became a popular line of dolls in 1956.
Writing Children's Books
When Steig was 61 years old, he started writing children's books. His first children's book was published in 1968. He was very successful in this new career. His third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969), won the important Caldecott Medal.
He wrote more than 30 children's books. This included the Doctor De Soto series. He continued writing even when he was in his nineties.
The Story of Shrek!
One of his most famous works is the picture book Shrek! (1990). This book became the basis for the popular DreamWorks Animation movie Shrek (2001).
After the movie Shrek 2 came out in 2004, Steig became the first person to create a movie series that earned over $1 billion. This happened with only one sequel.
Awards and Recognition
In 1984, a film based on Steig's book Doctor De Soto was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This film was directed by Michael Sporn.
Also in 1984, Steig received the CINE Golden Eagle Award. This award was for the film version of Doctor De Soto.
William Steig's Family Life
William Steig was married four times. He had three children. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Mead Steig. She was an educator and artist. They were married from 1936 to 1949.
Steig and Elizabeth had a son, Jeremy Steig, who became a jazz flutist. They also had a daughter named Lucinda.
Later, he married Kari Homestead in 1950. They had a daughter named Margit Laura. After they divorced, he married Stephanie Healey for a short time. His last marriage was to Jeanne Doron, and they stayed together for the rest of his life.
William Steig had three brothers who were also talented. His brother Irwin was a journalist and painter. William illustrated two books about poker for him. His brother Henry was a writer, saxophone player, and painter. His brother Arthur was a writer and poet. William said Arthur was very smart and drew wonderfully.
Later Life and Passing
William Steig passed away from old age in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 3, 2003. He was 95 years old. The movie Shrek 2, which was released seven months after he died, was dedicated to his memory.
William Steig's Books
- 1932, Man About Town
- 1939, About People: A book of symbolical drawings by William Steig
- 1941, How to Become Extinct (illustrated by Steig)
- 1942, The Lonely Ones
- 1944, All Embarrassed
- 1944, Small Fry
- 1945, Persistent Faces
- 1946, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (illustrated by Steig)
- 1947, Till Death Do Us Part: Some ballet notes on marriage
- 1948, Listen, Little Man! (illustrated by Steig)
- 1950, The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (illustrated by Steig)
- 1950, The Agony in the Kindergarten
- 1950, Giggle Box: Funny Stories for Boys and Girls (newly illustrated by Steig)
- 1951, The Rejected Lovers
- 1953, Dreams of Glory and other drawings
- 1959, Poker for Fun and Profit (illustrated by William Steig)
- 1963, Common Sense in Poker (illustrated by William Steig)
- 1963, Continuous Performance
From this time, Steig mostly created children's picture books:
- 1968, CDB!
- 1968, Roland the Minstrel Pig
- 1969, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
- 1969, The Bad Island (later reissued as Rotten Island)
- 1971, Amos and Boris
- 1972, Dominic
- 1973, The Real Thief
- 1974, Farmer Palmer's Wagon Ride
- 1976, Abel's Island
- 1976, The Amazing Bone
- 1977, Caleb + Kate
- 1978, Tiffky Doofky
- 1979, Drawings
- 1980, Gorky Rises
- 1982, Doctor De Soto
- 1984, CDC?
- 1984, Ruminations
- 1984, Yellow & Pink
- 1984, Rotten Island
- 1985, Solomon, The Rusty Nail
- 1986, Brave Irene
- 1987, The Zabajaba Jungle
- 1988, Spinky Sulks
- 1990, Shrek!
- 1992, Alpha Beta Chowder (illustrated by William Steig)
- 1992, Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa
- 1994, Zeke Pippin
- 1996, The Toy Brother
- 1998, A Handful of Beans: Six Fairy Tales (illustrated by William Steig)
- 1998, Pete's a Pizza
- 2000, Made for Each Other
- 2000, Wizzil
- 2001, A Gift from Zeus
- 2002, Potch & Polly
- 2003, When Everybody Wore a Hat
See also
In Spanish: William Steig para niños
