Children’s book author Aliki turned 83 yesterday! She was born in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey in 1929. Aliki began drawing when she was in preschool. In kindergarten she displayed her very first portraits, one of herself and her family, and another of Peter Rabbit and his family. She attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Art where she graduated in 1951. After this, she painted murals, taught classes in art and ceramics, and started her own greeting card company to make money. Soon after she began traveling in Europe where she met her husband and moved to Switzerland with him. After learning that William Tell was Swiss, she visited the place where he lived and was inspired to write her very first children’s book, The Story of William Tell, which was published in 1960. You can read more about Aliki on the Something About the Author database.
You may recognize some of her non-fiction books for kids! These include:
Wild and Woolly Mammoths
Digging Up Dinosaurs
My Five Senses
You may like some of her stories too!
Quiet in the Garden
A Play’s the Thing
We Are Best Friends