Michael Hague (born September 8, 1948) is an American illustrator, primarily of children's

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

books.

Biography

Among the books he has illustrated classics such as ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'', ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...

'' and the stories of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

. He is known for the intricate and realistic detail he brings to his work, and the rich colors he chooses. Hague trained at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He lists his influences as the

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

series ''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full s ...

'' and the works of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

, Japanese printmakers

Hiroshige or , born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format landscape series '' The Fifty-three Stations ...

and

Hokusai , known mononymously as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' includes the iconic print ''The Gr ...

, and turn of the 20th century illustrators

Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...

, W. Heath Robinson, N. C. Wyeth and

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator, Painting, painter, and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life ...

. His first big break came through

Trina Schart Hyman Trina Schart Hyman (April 8, 1939 – November 19, 2004) was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends. She won the 1985 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustra ...

, who as an art director for

Cricket Magazine Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, gave him several cover art assignments. Hague has collaborated with family members on some works. In 2008 he and his son, graphic designer Devon Hague, produced the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

''In the Small''. He and his wife, author Kathleen Hague, have also collaborated on several books together. They currently live in Colorado Springs, where he donates time each year to making a poster for the nonprofit arts organization Imagination Celebration.

Books illustrated

* '' Gulliver in Lilliput: A Hallmark Pop-Up Book'' (Hallmark Children’s Editions, 1975) *''The Cabbage Moth and the Shamrock'' by Ethel Marbach (Green Tiger Press, 1978) *''Dream Weaver'' by Jan Yolen (Collins, 1979) *''A Necklace of Fallen Stars'' by Beth Hilgartner (Little, Brown, 1879) *''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' retold by Deborah Apy (Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1980) *''Demetrius and the Golden Goblet'' by

Eve Bunting Eve Bjørgum Bunting (née Bolton, December 19, 1928 – October 1, 2023), better known as Eve Bunting, was a Northern Irish-born American writer of more than 250 books. Her work covered a broad array of subjects and included fiction and non-fic ...

(Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1980) *'' Dragons of Light'' by

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. , he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award in List of joint ...

and Dave Smeds (

Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by A. A. Wyn, Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mystery fiction, mysteries and western (genre), westerns, and soon branched out int ...

, 1980) * ''

East of the Sun and West of the Moon "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" () is a Norwegian fairy-tale. It was included by Andrew Lang in '' The Blue Fairy Book'' (1889). "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It i ...

'' retold by Kathleen and Michael Hague (

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. It was known at different stages in its history as Harcourt Brace, & Co. and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. From 1919 to 1 ...

, 1980) *''Moments: Poems about the Seasons'' edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980) *'' A Mouse called Junction'' by Julia Cunningham (Pantheon, 1980) *''

'' by

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

(Henry Holt & Co., 1980) * ''The Man Who Kept House'' (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981) *''Michael Hague's Favourite Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales'' by

and Jane S. Woodward (Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1981) *''

The Night before Christmas "A Visit from St. Nicholas", routinely referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1823. A ...

'' by Clement C. Moore (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1981) *''The Unicorn and the Lake'' by Marianna Mayer (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1982) *''The Dragon Kite'' by Nancy Luenn (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982) *'' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'' by

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

(Macmillan, 1983) *'' The Reluctant Dragon'' by

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1983) *''

The Velveteen Rabbit ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' (or ''How Toys Become Real'') is a British children's book written by Margery Williams (also known as Margery Williams Bianco) and illustrated by William Nicholson (artist), William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of ...

'' by Margery Williams (Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1983) *''Alphabears: An ABC Book'' by Kathleen Hague (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1984) *'' The Frog Princess'' retold by Elizabeth Isle (Thomas Y. Crowell, 1984) * ''

'' by

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

(

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

, 1984) *''

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

: A Collection of Classic Nursery Rhymes'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1984) *''

Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( ; ; or ) is a German fairy tale most notably recorded by the Brothers Grimm and it was published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Grimms' story was developed from the French literary fairy tale ...

'' by

Jakob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He formulated Grimm's law of linguistics, and was the co-author of the '' Deuts ...

and

Wilhelm Grimm Wilhelm Carl Grimm (also Karl; 24 February 178616 December 1859) was a German author, philologist and anthropologist. He was the younger brother of Jacob Grimm, of the literary duo the Brothers Grimm. Life and work Wilhelm was born in February 1 ...

(Creative Education, 1984) *''

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...

'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985) *''

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a girl named Alice who falls through a ...

'' by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985) *''A Child's Book of Prayers'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985) *''The Legend of the Veery Bird'' by Kathleen Hague (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985) *''Numbears: A Counting Book'' by Kathleen Hague (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1986) *''Out of the Nursery, into the Night'' by Kathleen Hague (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1986) * Enchanted World Series ** '' Seekers and Saviors'' (1986), vol. 12 ** ''

Fabled Lands Fabled Lands is a series of fantasy gamebooks written by established gamebook authors Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson and published by Pan Books, a division of Macmillan in the mid 1990s. Cover art was by Kevin Jenkins with Russ Nicholson and Ar ...

'' (1986), vol. 13 * ''Michael Hague's World of Unicorns'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1986), revised as ''Michael Hague's Magical World of Unicorns'' (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1999) *''Unicorn Pop-up Book'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1986) *''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' by J.M. Barrie (Henry Holt & Co., 1987) *''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' by

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1886), ''A Little Princess'' (1905), a ...

(Henry Holt, 1987) *''The Land of Nod, and Other Poems for Children'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1988) *''

Rootabaga Stories ''Rootabaga Stories'' (1922) is a children's book of interrelated short stories by Carl Sandburg. The whimsical, sometimes melancholy stories, which often use nonsense language, were originally created for his own daughters. Sandburg had three ...

, Part One'' by

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg w ...

(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988) *''Rootabaga Stories, Part Two'' by Carl Sandburg (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989) *''Bear Hugs'' by Kathleen Hague (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1989) *''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

and Other Tales from Perrault'' (Henry Holt & Co., 1989) *''The Fairies'' by

William Allingham William Allingham (19 March 1824 – 18 November 1889) was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem "The Faeries" was much anthologised. But he is better known for his posthumously published ''Di ...

(Henry Holt & Co., 1989) *''The Unicorn Alphabet'' by Marianna Mayer (Dial, 1989) *''

'' by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1989) *''Old Mother West Wind'' by Thornton W. Burgess (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1990) *''

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". It ...

'' (Henry Holt & Co, 1990) *''Prairie-Town Boy'' by

ith Joe Krush(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990) *''My Secret Garden Diary (''Arcade, 1990) *''Magic Moments: A Book of Days (''Arcade, 1990) *''Our Baby: A Book of Records and Memories'' (Arcade, 1990) *''A Unicorn Journal'' (Arcade, 1990) *''

The Borrowers ''The Borrowers'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author Mary Norton, published by Dent in 1952. It features a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in ...

'' by Mary Norton (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991) *'' The Pilgrim's Regress'' by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

(Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; 1992) *''Michael Hague's Illustrated "The Teddy Bears' Picnic”'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1992) *''

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is an English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early-19th-century English poem written by Jane Taylor, "The Star". The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in '' Rhymes for the Nursery'', a c ...

'' (Morrow Junior Books, 1992) *''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

'' retold by

James A. Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales ...

(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992) *''The Rainbow Fairy Book'' (Morrow, 1993) *''The Fairy Tales of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

'' (Michael O’Mara Books, 1993) *''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'' by

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1993) *''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' by

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...

(Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1993) *''Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear: A Classic Action Rhyme'' (Morrow, 1993) *''Sleep, Baby, Sleep: Lullabies and Night Poems'' (Morrow, 1994) *''The Book of Dragons'' (Morrow, 1995) *'' The Children's Book of Virtues'' edited by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster, 1995) *''Michael Hague's Family Christmas Treasury'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1995) *'' The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, and Other Nonsense Poems'' (North-South Books, 1995) *''Michael Hague's Family Easter Treasury'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1996) *''The Perfect Present'' (Morrow, 1996) *''The Children’s Book of Heroes'' edited by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster, 1997) *''

The Story of Doctor Dolittle ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts'' (1920), written and illustrated by the British author Hugh Lofting, is the first of his Doctor Dolittle books, a series ...

'' by

Hugh Lofting Hugh John Lofting (14 January 1886 – 26 September 1947) was an English-American writer, trained as a civil engineer, who created the classic children's literature character Doctor Dolittle. The fictional physician talking to animals, based i ...

( Books of Wonder, 1997) *''The Children's Book of America'' edited by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster, 1998) *''The Twenty-third Psalm: From the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1999) *''Ten Little Bears: A Counting Rhyme'' (Morrow, 1999) *''The Book of Fairies'' (HarperCollins, 2000) *''The Children's Treasury of Virtues'' edited by William J. Bennett (Simon & Schuster, 2000) *''The Children's Book of Faith'' edited by William J. Bennett (Doubleday, 2000) *'' A Wind in the Willows Christmas'' (SeaStar Books, 2000) *''The Book of Pirates'' (HarperCollins, 2001) *''Kate Culhane, a Ghost Story'' (SeaStar Books, 2001) *''

The Tale of Peter Rabbit ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he gets into, and is chased around, the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns h ...

'' by

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

(2001) * '' The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' by

(Books of Wonder, 2001) *''The Children's Book of Home and Family'' edited by William J. Bennett (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2002) *''Good Night, Fairies'' by Kathleen Hague (SeaStar Books, 2002) *''The Teddy Bears' Picnic'' by Jimmy Kennedy (Henry Holt, 2002) *''

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting The story takes place in the Forest of Burzee and nearby lands. Baum pictures the forest as a mighty a ...

'' by

(Henry Holt, 2003) *''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' (Chronicle, 2003) *''The Book of Fairy Poetry'' (HarperCollins, 2004) *''Legendary Creatures of Myth and Magic'' by Marianna Mayer (Madison Park Press, 2006) *''Lionel and the Book of Beasts'' by E. Nesbit, retold by Michael Hague (HarperCollins, 2006) *''Animal Friends: A Collection of Poems for Children'' (Henry Holt, 2007) *''Little Bitty Mousie'' by Jim Aylesworth (Walker & Company, 2007) *''The Book of Wizards'' (HarperCollins, 2008) *''In the Small'' (Little, Brown, 2008) *''

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

’s White Christmas'' (HarperCollins, 2010) *''Michael Hague’s Treasured Classics'' (Chronicle, 2011) *''Michael Hague's Read-to-Me Book of Fairy Tales'' (HarperCollins, 2013)

References

External links

Official Facebook page
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hague, Michael 1948 births Living people American illustrators American comics artists Tolkien artists