William Steig Biography

Fast Facts

• Won a Caldecott Medal for "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" in 1970
• Attended the City College of New York and the National Academy of Design, but admitted to being a bad student at both
• Became a freelance illustrator and cartoonist in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash in order to take care of his family, drawing cartoons for publications like Life, Judge, and, most importantly, The New Yorker
• Began writing and illustrating children's books in 1968, when he was recruited by fellow New Yorker cartoonist Bob Kraus to create "Roland the Minstrel Pig․"
• Quote: "(In response to the films based on his book "Shrek!" that bore little resemblance to the source material): "It's vulgar and disgusting and I love it․""
• Quote: "Art, including juvenile literature, has the power to make any spot on earth the living center of the universe․․․it helps us to know life in a way that still keeps before us the mystery of things․ It enhances the sense of wonder․"
• Best known as a cartoonist, sculptor, and children's book author who created "Shrek!," the book that inspired the film series by the same name
• His other well-known children's books include "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" and "Roland the Minstrel Pig․"
• His partnership with The New Yorker lasted for more than 70 years, producing over 1600 drawings and 121 covers for the magazine
• Created a series of woodcarvings in the shape of male and female figures, all named Jason and Tessie respectively, which appeared in his one-man show at the Downtown Gallery in 1939