Tomie dePaola

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Thomas Anthony "Tomie A." dePaola (born September 15, 1934), is an American author and illustrator of over 200 children''s books, including Caldecott Honor book Strega Nona and Newbery Honor book 26 Fairmount Avenue. DePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut to a family of Irish and Italian heritage. He had one brother, Joseph, and two sisters, Judie and Maureen. DePaola was attracted to art at an early age and credits his family with encouraging his development as an artist and influencing the themes of his works. After high school, dePaola attended art school at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. DePaola graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. DePaola taught art at Newton College of the Sacred Heart from 1962 to 1966, then moved to California where he taught at San Francisco College for Women from 1967 to 1970. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1969, as well as a doctoral equivalency from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco.