Teodor Rożankowski, fotografia portretowa w kapeluszu (cropped)

Feodor Stepanovich "Rojan" Rojankovsky (russian: Фёдор Степанович Рожанковский) (December 24, 1891 – October 12, 1970), also known as Rojan, was a Russian émigré illustrator. He is well known both for

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

illustration and for

erotic art Erotic art is a broad field of the visual arts that includes any artistic work intended to evoke erotic arousal. It usually depicts human nudity or sexual activity, and has included works in various visual mediums, including drawings, engr ...

. He won the 1956

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 Servic ...

for U.S.

picture book 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 images ...

illustration from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

, recognizing '' Frog Went A-Courtin''' by John Langstaff.

Biography

Rojankovsky was born in

Mitava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...

Courland Governorate The Courland Governorate, also known as the Province of Courland, Governorate of Kurland (german: Kurländisches Gouvernement; russian: Курля́ндская губерния, translit=Kurljándskaja gubernija; lv, Kurzemes guberņa; lt, K ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

(now in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

) on December 24, 1891, to Lydia Kiprianova and Stepan Fedorovich Rojankovsky. After Stephan's death in 1897, the family moved to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to be closer to his older married sister. There, Rojan's interest in books grew, particularly natural history picture books and illustrated classics. He studied two years at the private

Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (russian: Московское училище живописи, ваяния и зодчества, МУЖВЗ) also known by the acronym MUZHZV, was one of the largest educational insti ...

but left in 1914 to serve in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

during World War I where he served as Staff Captain of one of the first motorized units until 1917. His first work appeared in the May 1915 issue of the magazine ''Lukomor’e'' where he depicted war scenes during his bed rest after being wounded in battle. After the war, Rojankovsky joined his siblings in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

and worked as an artist for the local district council where some of his projects were illustrating books for local schools. He was conscripted by the White Army in 1919, soon to be a prisoner of war in Poland. After the war, he stayed in Poland working with Polish bookseller and publisher Rudolf Wegner designing book covers and illustrating whole books. After the

Rapallo Treaty The Treaty of Rapallo was an agreement signed on 16 April 1922 bet ...

of 1922 recognized the new Soviet Union, he was unable to return to Russia with his Tsarist papers and became a stateless person and moved to France in 1925 where he worked as an art director for Lecram Press. His work for Lecram caught

Esther Averill Esther Averill (July 24, 1902 – May 19, 1992) was an American writer and illustrator best known for the Cat Club picture books, a collection of 13 stories featuring Jenny Linsky, a small black cat who always wears a red scarf. She was also an e ...

's attention and he began collaborating with Averill and her business partner, Lila Stanley. With their insight, Rojankovsky created ''Daniel Boone'' in 1931 featuring fauvist-inspired lithographs celebrating Boone and the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. The plates were prohibitive to print, so Averill and Stanley started their own Domino Press to print the book. ''Daniel Boone'' set a new direction in children's books, but was not a commercial success. In 1933, he began working with Paul Faucher on the ''Père Castor'' series. The series integrated bold coloring with games, stories or projects designed to stimulate a child's curiosity and imagination. In 1941, he moved to the US and began a career of illustrating more than a hundred books, most featuring animals or nature with

Little Golden Books Little Golden Books is a series of children's books, published since 1942. ''The Poky Little Puppy'', the eighth release in the series, is the top-selling children's book of all time in the United States.. Many other Little Golden Books have b ...

. From 1943 to 1970, Rojan illustrated 35 children's books under the imprint. Rojankovsky also wrote books, such as ''The Great Big Animal Book'', published in 1952. In 1956, '' Frog Went A-Courtin''' by John Langstaff won the

for U.S.

illustration from the

. In the 1950s and 60s, he began working with a new female editor, Margaret McElderry of

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

, and produced ''Over in the Meadow'', ''The Little River'', ''So Small'', and ''A Crowd of Cows''. Rojan died on October 12, 1970, in Bronxville, New York.

Quote

"Two great events determined the course of my childhood. I was taken to the zoo and saw the most marvelous creatures on earth: bears, tigers, monkeys and reindeer, and, while my admiration was running high, I was given a set of color crayons. Naturally, I began immediately to depict the animals which captured my imagination. Also when my elder brothers, who were in schools in the capital, came home for vacation, I tried to copy their drawings and to imitate their paintings."

Books

As writer and illustrator

* ''Daniel Boone: les adventures d'un chasseur americain parmi les peaux-rouges'' (1931) * ''The Tall Book of Mother Goose'' (

, 1942) * ''Grandfather’s Farm Panorama: Ten Feet Long'' (Platt and Munk, 1943) * ''Choo-choo Panorama'' (Platt and Munk, 1945) * ''The Three Bears'' (

, 1948) * ''Favorite Fairy Tales'' (Simon & Schuster, 1949) * ''Farm Animals'' (Merrigold Press, 1950) *''The Great Big Animal Book'' (Simon & Schuster, 1950) *''The Great Big Wild Animal Book'' (Simon & Schuster, 1951) *''The Great Big Animal Book'' (1952) *''Little Golden Mother Goose'' (

Golden Press Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...

, 1957) *''The Outside Cat'' (Morrow, 1957) *''Animals on the Farm'' (Knopf, 1962, 1967) *''Animals in the Zoo'' (1962) *''The Dog and Cat Book'' (Golden Pleasure Books, 1963) *''An Alphabet of Many Things'' (Golden Press, 1970) *''The Tall Book of Mother Goose'' (Harper and Brothers, 1942)

With other writers

*''Flash: The Story of a Horse, a Coach-Dog and the Gypsies'', written by

(Domino Press, 1934) *''Bourru, the Brown Bear'', Written by

Rose Fyleman Rose Amy Fyleman (6 March, 1877–1 August, 1957) was an English writer and poet, noted for her works on the fairy folk, for children. Her poem "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden" was set to music by English composer Liza Lehmann. H ...

and Lida (George Allen & Unwin, 1936) *''Fluff, the Little Wild Rabbit'', written by Lida, translated by Georges Duplaix (Harper & Brothers, 1937) *''The Children’s Year'', written by Y. Lacôte (Harper & Brothers, 1937) *''Adventures of Dudley and Gilderoy'', written by

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary crit ...

and Marion B. Cothren (EP Dutton & Co, 1941) *''Cuckoo'', written by Lida (

Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

, 1942) *''How the Camel Got His Hump'', written by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1942) *''How the Leopard Got His Spots'', written by

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1942) *''How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin'', written by

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1942) *''The Cat That Walked by Himself'', written by

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1942) *''The Elephant’s Child'', written by

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1942), Junior Literary Guild Award *''The Golden Book of Birds'', written by Hazel Lockwood (Simon & Schuster, 1943) *''Animal Stories'', written by Georges Duplaix (Simon & Schuster, 1944) *''Cortez the Conqueror'', written by Covelle Newcomb (Random House, 1947) *''The Butterfly that Stamped'', written by

(Garden City Publishing Co., 1947) *''Big Farmer Big and Little Farmer Little'', written by Byron and Kathryn Jackson (Simon & Schuster, 1948) *''Gaston and Josephine'', written by Georges Duplaix (Simon and Schuster, 1948) *''Our Puppy'', written by

Elsa Ruth Nast Jane Werner Watson, born Elsa Jane Werner (July 11, 1915 – 2004) was an American children's author. She also wrote under the names Elsa Jane Werner Watson, Jane Werner, Annie North Bedford, Monica Hill, Elsa Ruth Nast, W. K. Jasner, and A. N. B ...

(Simon & Schuster, 1948) *''The Big Elephant'', written by Kathryn Jackson (Golden Book, 1949) *''All Alone'', written by

Claire Huchet Bishop Claire Huchet Bishop (30 December 1898 – 13 March 1993) was a Swiss children's writer and librarian. She wrote two Newbery Medal runners-up, ''Pancakes-Paris'' (1947) and '' All Alone'' (1953), and she won the Josette Frank Award for ''Twent ...

(Viking Press, 1953), Newbery Honor Book *''The Giant Golden Book of Cat Stories'', written by

Elizabeth Coatsworth Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth (May 31, 1893 – August 31, 1986) was an American writer of fiction and poetry for children and adults. She won the 1931 Newbery Medal from the American Library Association award recognizing '' The Cat Who Went to H ...

(Simon & Schuster, 1953) *''The Giant Golden Book of Dog Stories'', written by

(Simon & Schuster, 1953) *''Horse Stories'', written by Kate Barnes and

(Simon & Schuster, 1954) *'' Frog Went A-Courtin''', written by John Langstaff (1955) *''I Play at the Beach'','' '' written by Dorothy Koch (Holiday House, 1955) *''Balboa, Swordsman an d Conquistador'', written by Felix Riesenberg, Jr. (Random House, 1956) *''Cartier Sails the St. Lawrence'', written by

(Harper & Row, 1956) *''I Like the City'', wri'' ''tten by James L. Mursell (Silver Burdett Company, 1956) *''I Like the Country'', '' ''written by James L. Mursell (Silver Burdett Company, 1956)'' '' *''Over in the Meadow'', '' ''written by John Langstaff ( Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1957) *''The Giant Golden Book of Dogs, Cats and Horses'', written by Kate Barnes and

(Simon & Schuster, 1957)'' '' *''The White Bunny and His Magic Nose'', written by Lily Duplaix (Golden Press, 1957) *''Baby Wild Animals'', w'' ''ritten by John Wallace Purcell (Simon & Schuster, 1958) *''The Cabin Faced West'', written by

Jean Fritz Jean Guttery Fritz (November 16, 1915 – May 14, 2017) was an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the Children's Legacy Literature Award for her career contribution to American children's literature ...

(Puffin Books, 1958) *''The Little River'', wr'' ''itten by Ann Rand (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1959) *''Animal Dictionary'', written by

Jane Werner Watson Jane Werner Watson, born Elsa Jane Werner (July 11, 1915 – 2004) was an American children's author. She also wrote under the names Elsa Jane Werner Watson, Jane Werner, Annie North Bedford, Monica Hill, Elsa Ruth Nast, W. K. Jasner, and A. N. B ...

(Golden Press, 1960) *''The Defender'', written by Nicholas Kalashnikoff (Oxford University Press, 1961), Newbery Honor Book *''The Whilry Bird'', written by Dimitry Varley ( Knopf, 1961) *''Cricket in a Thicket'', written by

Aileen Fisher Aileen Lucia Fisher (September 9, 1906 – December 2, 2002) was an American writer of more than a hundred children's books, including poetry, picture books in verse, prose about nature and America, biographies, Bible-themed books, plays, and ar ...

( Scribner, 1963) *''I Can Count'', written by Carl Memling (Merrigold Press, 1963) *''The Cow Went Over the Mountain'', written by Jeanette Krinsley (Golden Press, 1963) *''Hop, Little Kangaroo'', written by Patricia Scarry (Golden Press, 1965) *''Christmas Bear'', written by Marie Colmont, translated by Constance Hirsch (Golden Press, 1966) *''I Am a Fox'', written by Ole Risom (Golden Press, 1967) *''A Crowd of Cows'', written by John Graham (Harcourt, Brace and World, 1968) *''The Falcon Under the Hat: Russian Merry Tales and Fairy Tales'', selected and translated by Guy Daniels (Funk & Wagnalls, 1969) *''To Make a Duck Happy'', written by Carol E. Lester (Harper & Row, 1969) *''The Giant Golden Bible,'' written by Elsa Jane Werner (Simon & Schuster, 1946) *''Firkin & The Grey Gangsters,'' written by Ann Scott-Moncrieff (re-issued by Scotland Street Press, 2021)

References

External links

Feodor Rojankovsky
at

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Authorities — with 71 catalog records {{DEFAULTSORT:Rojankovsky, Feodor Stepanovich 1891 births 1970 deaths People from Jelgava People from Courland Governorate Animal artists Caldecott Medal winners American children's book illustrators Illustrators from the Russian Empire Painters from the Russian Empire Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni