| P. D. Eastman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Philip Dey Eastman November 25, 1909 Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1986 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Writer, cartoonist, animator |
| Nationality | United States |
| Genres | Children's literature |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Whitham |
Philip Dey "Phil" Eastman (November 25, 1909 – January 7, 1986) was an American screenwriter, children's author, and illustrator. As an author, he is known primarily as P. D. Eastman.
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Eastman was born in Amherst, Massachusetts to Clarence Willis and Ann Hull (Dey) Eastman. After preparing at Phillips Academy and Williston Academy, he graduated from Amherst College in 1933 and later from the National Academy of Design.
From 1936 to 1941, Eastman worked at the story department of Walt Disney Productions. From 1941 to 1943 he worked at the story department of Warner Bros. Cartoons. From 1945 to 1952 he worked in the story department of United Productions of America. He contributed to the "Private Snafu" World War II training films, wrote for the animation Mr. Magoo, and the Gerald McBoing-Boing series for UPA.
A protégé of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Eastman wrote many books for children, in his own distinct style under the Dr. Seuss brand of Random House, many of which were in the Beginner Books series. His titles include:
He was the illustrator for:
He wrote:
Eastman was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, Westport Artists, the Screen Cartoonists Guild, and the Audubon Society.
Eastman was married in 1941 to Mary Louise Whitham of Glendale, California. He had two sons, Alan Eastman and Peter Anthony (Tony) Eastman, an animator, who himself directed video adaptations of Richard Scarry's children's books. Peter has also written and illustrated Fred And Ted Go Camping (2005), Fred And Ted Like To Fly (2007), "Fred and Ted's Road Trip" (2011) and contributed new illustrations to several reissues of his father's books, The Alphabet Book (2000), Big Dog... Little Dog (2003), Red Stop! Green Go! (2004), and The Cat In The Hat Beginner Book Dictionary (2007).