“Each project teaches me something new and makes me a better artist. His work has a distinctive rhythm, and his humorous animal characters have a gaiety and playfulness that children adore. From the popularity and appeal of Jose Aruego’s books, it is obvious that he has both the artistic skill and the imagination to reach the world of children. After more than three dozen books he feels he is still learning his craft and getting to know his audience. The sink-or-swim experience of drawing cartoons was how I learned to make the most of a small amount of space.” Both abilities have helped him in his career as a children’s book author and illustrator, which he began with the publication of The King and His Friends in 1969.Īlthough he is known for his amusing characters, Jose Aruego takes writing and drawing for children very seriously. But I learned a lot from the rejected work, so it wasn’t a waste. The tension was terrible, because selling cartoons was how I made my living. Aruego said: “Every Wednesday I would go to the cartoon editor with fifteen or sixteen drawings in hand, from which he might select one for publication. After graduation, he worked in advertising before taking up the demanding job of cartooning for The Saturday Evening Post, The New Yorker, Look, and other magazines. But after practicing briefly, he decided to come to the United States to study graphic arts and advertising at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Jose Aruego was born in the Philippines, where he studied law. It is a style one reviewer has termed “illustrative mime.” Aruego’s comic animals are immediately recognizable as they cavort through clear, vibrant landscapes, carrying out the action that the simple text has set in motion.

Jose Aruego’s books for young readers have earned the applause of critics, teachers, librarians, and parents-as well as the affection of children everywhere. Robert Kraus is the author of Little Louie the Baby Bloomer and Leo the Late Bloomer, illustrated by Jose Aruego, and the author and illustrator of dozens of books for children.

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus