"Drawing was my main hobby from the time I was old enough to wield a crayon, and I drew just about anything that came to mind: all sorts of animals, trains, fire engines, racing cars, airplanes, gladiators, World War I battles,Revolutionary War battles, football games, prizefights." (http://www.billpeet.net/index.htm)
His first career was working as an artisit for Walt Disney Studios, beginning in 1937. During his 27 years at Disney he was the only "storyman" to make storyboards for an entire animated film and he did it twice - The Sword In the Stone and One Hundred and One Dalmations. One of my favorite Disney short films is Goliath II by Bill Peet - the story of a tiny elephant who becomes a hero. When his two sons were young, he began telling bedtime stories which led to his first published children's book in 1959. At the height of his career he was considered one of the children's book triumverate along with Maurice Sendak and Dr. Seuss. He won a Caldecott Honor in 1990 for Bill Peet: an autobiography. What I love about his books is they are so fun and full of whimsey. The illustrations and vocabulary are imaginative. They are the perfect picture books. If you haven't read a Bill Peet book here are a few I love.
A little dog wants to be special so he visits a witch and is turned into a Whingdingdilly. At heart it is a story about accpting oneself and it is dedicated to Bill Peet's beloved dog, Rama.
Bill Peet wanted a chance to draw circus animals, so he wrote the story of a little farmyard pig who wants to join the circus. He says of this book "There is a theory that anything an author writes has sme autobiographical aspects to it, and if this is true, the Chester is the one book of mine that reflects my past more than any others."
Although it is not technically a picture book, I would recommend Bill Peet: an autobiography to anyone who wants to know more about the author or is interested in the writing and drawing process. It's also a great look inside the making of classic Disney films. The book covers his early years and his time at Walt Disney. It is filled with illustrations on every page and begins: "In that compartment of the brain where visual memoires are stored mine has been cluttered with an endless assortment of things starting with two pigs we raised in my birthplace of grandview, Indiana."
If you haven't discovered this wonderful author yet, now is the time!
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