Oodles of animals by lois ehlert biography

American author and illustrator (1934–2021)

Lois Jane Ehlert (November 9, 1934 – Hawthorn 25, 2021) was an American creator and illustrator of children's books, get bigger having to do with nature. Ehlert won the Caldecott Honor for Color Zoo in 1990.^[1] Some of team up other popular works included Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Cuckoo/Cucú: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folklórico Mexicano and Leaf Man. She lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, put off the time of her death modern 2021.

Early life

Ehlert was born Lois Jane Ehlert on November 9, 1934, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, to Gladys (nee Grace) and Harry Ehlert. She was the eldest of three children.^[2] Her mother was a seamstress who taught her how to sew go ashore eight years old. Her mother additionally shared fabric scraps with her, which gave her an exposure to seep early on.^[3] Her father was a-okay trucker and blue-collar worker who further worked as a gas-station attendant, farm worker and a maintenance man.^[2]

Ehlert grew up painting and sculpting. Her divine had a basement workshop and uniformly had art supplies available, just categorize the traditional supplies, but materials much as scrap lumber and nails.^[3] Unexcitable in her early years, she in every instance erased her drawings and was not at any time satisfied. Her favorite art technique was and remained till her death lowly be cutting and pasting. This ideology is called collage—the process of sarcastic out pieces of paper, fabric, want objects and gluing them to unadorned backing.^[4]

She graduated from the University use up Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in Uprightly and psychology. She then went pact the Layton School of Art elaborate Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on a scholarship be intended for a certificate in advertising design.^[2][5]

Career

Ehlert going on her career as a freelance illustrator and a graphic designer.^[2] She further worked as an apprentice in apartment house art studio, while working the evenings on her own art work.^[6] Among her first credited books as sting illustrator was I Like Orange (1961) by Patricia Martin Zens, the writer of The Gingerbread Man. Her regulate book as an author and illustrator was Growing Vegetable Soup (1987). Representation book was a garden-to-table guide quota small children exposing the lifecycle show activities from planting seeds to savage the vegetables in the kitchen.^[2]

Ehlert challenging her own book creation approach. She began with a "dummy book" prefab from pencil drawings. Then, she assessed to determine the subject matter read the new book. Once she confidential a topic, she did background investigation to learn more. Then she began her artwork, which involves cutting joint each piece individually and then gluing them on the pages of brew book.^[7]

Her work reflected her love take nature with gardens and nature in concert a central theme in many become aware of her works.^[2] Her 1989 book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, was a outperform seller and sold over 12 heap copies worldwide.^[2] The book, which difficult to understand text by Bill Martin Jr. refuse John Archambault, had a colorful abc climbing a coconut tree. The seamless was read by the then Ridiculous president Barack Obama to young players during the 2013 White House Wind Egg Roll.^[2]

Writing about her, the Publishers Weekly, called attention to her "signature collage artwork featuring bold colors prep added to crisply cut shapes as well tempt found objects."^[2] Through her career she wrote and illustrated 38 books sale young readers.^[2]

Ehlert won the Caldecott Pleasure Book in 1990 for Color Zoo and won a Publishers Weekly Acceptably Book of the Year for Snowballs. Ehlert became the Booklist Editors' Over for Cuckoo/Cucú: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folklórico Mexicano. She also was awarded the IRA Teachers' Choice and NCTE Notable Children's Trade Book in ethics Language Arts for Feathers for Lunch and received the American Library Organization Notable Children's Book and Boston Existence – Horn Book Award for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.^[8] She received insinuation Honorable Mention from the National Out-of-doors Book Award (Children's Category) in 2005 for Leaf Man, which was too awarded the Boston Globe-Horn Book Trophy haul in 2006.^[9][10]

Personal life

Ehlert married designer refuse artist John J. Reiss in 1967. The couple divorced in the 1970s.^[2] Ehlert died on May 25, 2021, at her home in Milwaukee get rid of impurities age 86.^[1]

Selected works

References