I came across a piece of trivia the other day that reminded me of some great kids’ books: William Steig, the celebrated children’s book author and illustrator, was born on November 14, 1907. Before Steig turned his talents to children’s literature, he was a respected cartoonist (his work often appearing in the New Yorker) and sculptor. Lucky for us, when Steig was in his 60s he wrote his first kids’ book, Roland the Minstrel Pig.
It wasn’t long before the world took notice. His third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, won the Caldecott Medal and he would go on to receive many more awards throughout his late-stage career. Sylvester, the story of a little donkey who discovers a magic pebble and turns himself into a rock by mistake, exudes the wit and warmth you’ll find in all of his tales. I love how, in Steig’s world, talking animals and magic are just a part of everyday life. But the love of one’s donkey family? That’s truly extraordinary.
Steig continued to write and illustrate children’s books into his 90s. His most acclaimed books include Doctor De Soto (about a kindhearted dentist mouse) and Abel’s Island (about a marooned mouse who discovers his true strengths). Today, people may know him more as the author of Shrek!, which inspired the wildly successful movie of the same name. Many more people have probably seen the movie and still not know the book exists, which is a shame. Shrek! the book is very different from the movie—the talking donkey plays a minor role and the ugly princess is never beautiful, not even by day. But the book is just as enchanting as the first Shrek movie. The illustrations are hilarious and Shrek’s antics are a hoot. Kids will get a kick out of this unusual fairy tale with the unusual hero. I especially love Steig’s sly use of challenging words like irascible, putrid, and stagnant. He doesn’t dumb down the language, a plus for young listeners and readers.
When Steig was 91, he wrote Pete’s a Pizza. This book is different from many of his others in that there are no talking animals, no magical objects, no unusual obstacles. Instead, it’s just about a boy who’s in a bad mood because it’s raining outside and he can’t play ball with his friends. So his parents decide to “turn” him into a pizza—pretending to knead his dough body and sprinkling toppings on him. By the end of the book, the “pizza” is giggling and the bad mood has lifted. So simple, yet totally magical. No wonder it rings true: Steig based the premise of this book on a game he used to play with his youngest daughter. I can’t wait to try it on my own kids.
Sandra Lee Rella, mother of two, is a freelance editor and writer, and a former children's book review editor.
