Peter Spier

Peter Spier (born June 6, 1927 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch-born American author and illustrator who has published more than thirty children's books.

Biographical information

Spier grew up in Broek in Waterland as the son of Jo Spier, a very popular Dutch artist and illustrator, and Tineke van Raalte. His father was Jewish, and, during the Second World War, Peter was one of nine prisoners of Villa Bouchina and was later in Theresienstadt. After the war he studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and joined the Royal Netherlands Navy for four years. Following rumors of collaboration with the German occupiers in the war, the entire Spier family emigrated to the United States in 1950. Peter started his career at advertisement agencies and only later focused on writing and illustrating children's books.

Medium and artistic style

Like other children's illustrators such as Beatrix Potter, Peter Spier demonstrates his talent and skills as an artist/illustrator using pen, ink and watercolour on paper. Many of Spier's illustrations are extremely detailed and historically accurate. Close examination will often yield a humorous scene not readily apparent at first glance the finding of which often delights readers of all ages.

Notices

Spier reserved all rights and retained the copyrights to his works. In correspondence he noted that many of the original publishing plates used to reproduce his work were not available though the original works were thought to survive.

Publishers

The Doubleday & Company, Inc., of Garden City, New York originally published many of Spier's works including "The Mother Goose Library Series: "London Bridge Is Falling Down!". More recent publications can be found under the labels Double Day Books For Young Readers, Dragonfly Books and Random House.

Recognition

He has been awarded the 1978 Caldecott Medal, as well as the National Book Award (1982) and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1977) for his book, "Noah's Ark". He was also awarded a Christoper Award for his book "People" in 1981.

Works

* Cow Who Fell in the Canal, "Illustrator" (1957)
* The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night (1961)
* Island City: Adventures In Old New York (1961)
* The Sailing Ship (1964) (with author Jan de Hartog)
* London Bridge Is Falling Down (1967)
* Hurrah, We're Outward Bound! (1968)
* Of Dikes and Windmills (1969)
* Erie Canal (1970)
* Gobble, Growl, Grunt (1971)
* Fast-Slow High-Low (1972)
* Crash! Bang! Boom! (1972)
* Star-Spangled Banner (1973)
* Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent (1975)
* Tin Lizzie (1975)
* Noah's Ark (1977)
* Bored—nothing to do! (1978)
* Oh, Were They Ever Happy! (1978)
* Cowardly Clyde (1979)
* Bill's Service Station (1981)
* Firehouse (1981)
* Food Market (1981)
* My School (1981)
* The Pet Store (1981)
* The Toy Shop (1981)
* Rain (1982)
* No Such Things (1983)
* The Book Of Jonah (1985)
* We The People: The Constitution Of The United States Of America (1987)
* People (1980)
* Big Trucks, Little Trucks (1988)
* Fast Cars, Slow Cars (1988)
* Here Come The Fire Trucks (1988)
* Trucks That Dig And Dump (1988)
* Star Spangled Banner (1992)
* Noah's Ark (1992)
* The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night (1994)
* Circus (1995)

External links

* [http://www.lib.usm.edu/%7Edegrum/html/research/findaids/spier.htm Peter Spier's works in the de Grummond Collection the University of Southern Mississippi]