Louis Slobodkin

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An example of Louis Slobodkin's artwork, the cover of The Hundred Dresses, written by Eleanor Estes.

Louis Slobodkin (February 19, 1903–May 1975), born in Albany, New York was a sculptor, author and illustrator of numerous children's books. At the age of 15, he attended the Beaux Arts Institute of Design in New York City from 1918 to 1923. He worked then as an elevator operator atsustain his living, as he studied Plato, Aquinas, Kant, and Goethe. He would deliberately get his elevator 'stuck' between floors so he could read his books. Slobodkin married Florence Gersh, a poet and children's book writer in 1927, but he didn't immediately become involved with children's literature. He illustrated his first children's book in 1941, The Moffats, by his friend, Eleanor Estes, with whom he collaborated on five more books. In 1944, he won the Caldecott Medal for illustrating Many Moons, written by American writer James Thurber. He wrote and illustrated the popular The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree book series. He was also the author of Sculpture; Principles and Practice. During his career, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he also wrote.

He and his wife, Florence, collaborated on five books from 1958 to 1969, including The Cowboy Twins (1960). Slobodkin's last book was Wilbur the Warrior, published in 1972. Teaching himself all manner of art from an early age, Slodbodkin began to sculpt art at the age of ten. His first brush with fame came in 1938 when his "Young Lincoln" statue appeared at the 1939-1940 World's Fair. This statue was placed at the Federal Building during the World's Fair. It was quickly removed and destroyed by an official of the Fair who worked at the Federal Building and felt that the statue was blocking light into his office.^[1] With the help of many of his friends in the art world, a bronze version of the plaster original was permanently placed in the Headquarters Building of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D. C. Another plaster version resides in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Louis Slobodkin died in May of 1975.

[edit] Works

Fo'castle Waltz (1945) - This adult novel is the author's illustrated account of his short career as a sailor aboard the tramp S.S. Hermanita.
Spaceship Under the Apple Tree series
- Spaceship Under the Apple Tree (1952)
- Spaceship Returns to the Apple Tree (1958)
- Three-Seated Spaceship (1958)
- Round-Trip Spaceship (1968)
- Spaceship in the Park (1972)