Leo Lionni
Leo Lionni was a Dutch-American author and illustrator, best known for his contributions to children's literature. Born on May 5, 1910, in Amsterdam, Lionni grew up in a family deeply engaged in the arts, which influenced his creative pursuits from a young age. He moved to the United States in 1939 amid rising anti-Semitism in Europe and went on to have a diverse career in art and design, serving as an art director for various publications and corporate firms. In 1959, he transitioned to writing and illustrating children's books, achieving critical acclaim with his debut work, "Little Blue and Little Yellow," which features innovative tissue-paper collage illustrations and themes of friendship and identity.
Lionni's storytelling often encouraged children to look beyond appearances, exemplified in other notable titles such as "Inch by Inch," "Swimmy," and "Frederick." His books received numerous accolades, including multiple Caldecott Medal nominations and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. He spent much of his later life in Italy while maintaining a presence in New York City, continuing his work until his passing on October 11, 1999. Lionni’s legacy endures through his beloved stories that continue to resonate with readers and educators around the world.
Subject Terms
Leo Lionni
Children's book author and illustrator, artist, and art director
- Born: May 5, 1910
- Birthplace: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Died: October 11, 1999
- Place of death: Siena, Italy
Biography
Leo Lionni was born on May 5, 1910, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His father, Louis Lionni, was a Jewish diamond cutter and accountant, and his mother, Elisabeth Grossouw Lionni, was a Christian concert soprano. The entire family was interested in art, and when he was nine Lionni received a drawing table as a birthday gift from an uncle. Lionni spent free time as a child visiting the museums of Amsterdam, practicing his drawing. His father’s work required the family to relocate several times, and Lionni would be a traveler all of his life. He eventually became fluent in Dutch, German, English, Italian, and French.
Lionni received his elementary, secondary, and college education in schools in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, Italy, and Switzerland. He earned a PhD in economics from the University of Genoa in 1935. During the 1930s, he worked as a freelance writer and artist, and throughout his career he exhibited his paintings and sculptures in galleries and museums. He married Nora Maffi in 1931 and the couple had two children, Louis and Paolo. Throughout the 1930s, the family moved about Europe to support Lionni’s career as an artist and to avoid political tensions. In 1939, as pressures on Jewish people increased throughout Europe, Lionni immigrated to the United States; his wife and two sons joined him a few months later when they were able to obtain visas.
In the United States, Lionni took a job as art director for an advertising firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and also chaired the graphic design department of the Parsons School of Design. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1945. During the 1940s, Lionni was art director of Fortune magazine and director of the design department of the Olivetti Corporation in San Francisco. In 1959, he left Olivetti and commercial design to begin a new career as a writer and illustrator of children’s books.
His first book, sketched out while he was traveling on a train with his grandchildren, was Little Blue and Little Yellow: A Story for Pippo and Ann and Other Children, about two spots of paint who are friends and the difficulties they face when they get too close to each other and become green. Lionni’s theme of seeing beyond appearances and his tissue-paper collage illustrations drew a great deal of attention and admiration. His next book, Inch by Inch, won several awards and established him as an important figure in children’s literature. Beginning in the early 1960s, Lionni spent most of his time in Italy but maintained an apartment in New York City.
Lionni developed Parkinson’s disease in the 1990s and died on October 11, 1999, at his home in Siena, Italy. In addition to commercial awards for design, Lionni won several awards for his children’s books. Four of his books, Inch by Inch, Swimmy, Frederick, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse were runners-up for the Caldecott Medal. He also won American Library Association Notable Book citations and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Nicolas, Where Have You Been?.
Author Works
Children's Literature
Little Blue and Little Yellow: A Story for Pippo and Ann and Other Children, 1959
Inch by Inch, 1960
On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles, 1961
Swimmy, 1963
Tico and the Golden Wings, 1964
Frederick, 1967
The Biggest House in the World, 1968
The Alphabet Tree, 1968
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, 1969
Fish Is Fish, 1970
Theodore and the Talking Mushroom, 1971
The Greentail Mouse, 1973
A Color of His Own, 1975
In the Rabbitgarden, 1975
Pezzettino, 1975
I Want to Stay Here! I Want to Go There! A Flea Story, 1977 (also known as A Flea Story)
Geraldine, the Music Mouse, 1979
Mouse Days: A Book of Seasons, 1981 (with Hannah Solomon)
Let's Make Rabbits: A Fable, 1982
What? Pictures to Talk About, 1983
Where? Pictures to Talk About, 1983
When? Pictures to Talk About, 1983
Cornelius: A Fable, 1983
Who? Pictures to Talk About, 1983
Letters to Talk About, 1985
Words to Talk About, 1985
Numbers to Talk About, 1985
Colors to Talk About, 1985
Frederick's Fables: A Leo Lionni Treasury of Favorite Stories, 1985
It's Mine!, 1986
Nicolas, Where Have You Been?, 1987
Six Crows: A Fable, 1988
Frederick and His Friends: Four Favorite Fables, 1989
Tillie and the Wall, 1989
Matthew's Dream, 1991
A Busy Year, 1992
Mr. McMouse, 1992
Let's Play, 1993
An Extraordinary Egg, 1994
Leo Lionni Favorites: Six Classic Stories, 1994
Nonfiction
Parallel Botany, 1978
Between Worlds, 1997
Bibliography
Brodie, Carolyn S. "Quiet Celebrations of Mice and Fish and Rabbits and Especially of Blue and Yellow: Leo Lionni." School Library Monthly, vol. 20, no. 9, 2004, pp. 44–46. Presents a brief profile of Lionni and classroom activities related to his books as well as an annotated bibliography of picture books by Lionni.
Hansen, Cory Cooper. "The Art of Author Study: Leo Lionni in the Primary Classroom." Reading Teacher, vol. 60, no. 3, 2006, pp. 276–79. Discusses the benefits of an author study project using the books of Leo Lionni in a kindergarten classroom.
Heller, Steven. "Leo Lionni, 89, Dies, Versatile Creator of Children's Books." The New York Times, 17 Oct. 1999, www.nytimes.com/1999/10/17/nyregion/leo-lionni-89-dies-versatile-creator-of-children-s-books.html. Accessed 6 July 2017. Presents an obituary of Lionni, discussing his contributions to children's literature and providing a brief biography.
Lionni, Leo. Between Worlds: The Autobiography of Leo Lionni. Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. A comprehensive autobiography by Lionni, in which he traces his life and career.
"Lionni, Leo." Current Biography, vol. 58, no. 9, 1997, pp. 18–22. Current Biography Illustrated (H. W. Wilson), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cbi&AN=203033609&site=ehost-live. Accessed 6 July 2017. Presents a comprehensive biography of Lionni, tracing his career and discussing his influence on children's literature.