Happy birthday to author and illustrator Tomie dePaola, who turns 80 today. His more than 200 books have been translated into dozens of languages and have brought joy to millions of children.
dePaola, unlike many people, knew what he wanted as a career even as a very young child. In the interview below, he tells of how his path was set at the age of four:
In talking about what makes a great picture book, dePaola said, “I think the best, the best picture books are the ones where even if the child can’t read a grown up can read the story to the child then they can pick up that book again and again and by looking at the pictures remember the story.”