Arnold Lobel

Arnold Stark Lobel (May 22, 1933 – December 4, 1987) was an American author of children's books, including the Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup. He both wrote and illustrated those picture books, as well as Fables, for which he won the 1981 Caldecott Medal recognizing the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book.

Lobel also illustrated the works of other writers, including Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley, published in 1969.

Biography

He was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lucille Stark and Joseph Lobel, but was raised in Schenectady, New York. He attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. When he graduated from art school, he married Anita Kempler, also a children's writer and illustrator. He had two children, daughter Adrianne and son Adam, and three grandchildren.

Lobel died of a heart attack on December 4, 1987, at Doctors Hospital (Manhattan, New York).

In 2009, Adrianne Lobel started releasing some of her father's archive material in the form of new books, with added watercolors by herself. The Frogs and Toads All Sang was released in May and Odd Owls and Stout Pigs in October 2009.