William Steig

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist (whose work appeared regularly in The New Yorker, Saturday Evening Post and many other magazines), illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books.

Steig’s books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, and the American Book Award. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing.