Richard Egielski (born July 16, 1952 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) is an American illustrator and writer who has worked on more than fifty children's

picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

, eight of which he authored. He received his education at Parson's School of Design.

Career

Egielski's collaboration with

Arthur Yorinks Arthur Yorinks (born August 21, 1953) is an American author, playwright and director. He is best known for writing '' Hey, Al'', which won a Caldecott Medal. Early life Arthur Yorinks was born on August 21, 1953, in Roslyn, New York. He was rai ...

resulted in nine picture books, including '' Hey, Al'', which was awarded the

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

in 1987. He is also known for his illustrations in the ''Tub People'' series by Pam Conrad. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' named ''Buz'', a book he wrote and illustrated in 1995, one of the top ten best

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

of the year for its illustrations. ''Jazper'', which he illustrated, was also recognized as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 1998. Egielski's artwork is displayed in private and public collections, as well as corporate collections, throughout the United States.

Personal life

Egielski currently lives in

Milford, New Jersey Milford is a borough located in western Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,232, a decrease of one person (−0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,233, which ...

with his wife, Denise Saldutti, who is also an artist and illustrator, and their son. He is of

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

heritage.

Selected books by or illustrated by Egielski

* ''The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring'' (1976), by

John Bellairs John Anthony Bellairs (January 17, 1938 – March 8, 1991) was an American author best known for his fantasy novel '' The Face in the Frost'' and many Gothic mystery novels for children featuring the characters Lewis Barnavelt, Rose Rita Po ...

, a novel * The ''Molly'' Series by Miriam Chaikin, 1979-1988 * ''Louis the Fish'' (1980), by

* '' Amy's Eyes'' (1985), by Richard Kennedy, a novel * '' Hey, Al'' (1986), by Arthur Yorinks * ''The Tub People'' (1989), by Pam Conrad * ''Buz'' (1995) by Egielski * ''The Gingerbread Boy'' (1997), by Egielski * ''Jazper'' (1998), by Egielski * ''The Tub People's Christmas'' (1999), by Pam Conrad * ''The Web Files'' (2001), by

Margie Palatini Margie Palatini is an American author of children's picture books. She was born in Edison, New Jersey, and lives in nearby Plainfield, New Jersey. Palatini is a graduate of the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Book ...

* ''Slim and Jim'' (2002), by Egielski * ''The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin'' (2003), by

Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including ''Goodnight Moon'' (1947) and ''The Runaway Bunny'' (1942), both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She has been called "the laureate of the ...

* ''The Small World of Binky Braverman'' (2003) by

Rosemary Wells Rosemary Wells (born January 29, 1943) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She often uses animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby and Timothy from Timothy Goes t ...

* ''The End'' (2007), by David LaRochelle * ''Homework'' (2009), by

* ''Gumption!'' (2010), by

Elise Broach Elise Broach (born September 20, 1963) is an American writer. Her publications include the acclaimed novels ''Shakespeare's Secret'', ''Desert Crossing'', and ''Masterpiece''. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale Uni ...

* ''The Sleepless Little Vampire'' (2011), by Egielski * ''Itsy Bitsy Spider'' (2012), by Egielski

References

External links

"Egielski, Richard"
''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' Academic Edition {{DEFAULTSORT:Egielski, Richard 1952 births Caldecott Medal winners American children's book illustrators People from Milford, New Jersey Writers from New York City Living people American people of Polish descent Artists from New York City Writers who illustrated their own writing Writers from Hunterdon County, New Jersey