Miska Petersham
Personal Information
Description
Mikaly Petrezselyem, the son of a carpenter and blacksmith, grew up in a peasant home. In 1911 he moved to London. Unable to support himself with art, upon advice of a friend, he emigrated to New York in 1912. Shortening his last name to Petersham, he obtained work with the International Art Service, where he met his wife, Maud Fuller. The Petershams began illustrating books together, for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, they received the Caldecott Medal for "The Rooster Crows". Often they traveled to lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to research their books. The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors.
Books
Joseph and His Brother
Retells the Bible story of Joseph, victim of jealous older brothers, who, by his ability to interpret dreams, made a place for himself in the land of Egypt.
The Christ child
Passages from the King James edition recounting Christ's nativity and childhood are illustrated to show how Palestine and Egypt may have looked 2000 years ago.
The box with red wheels
The barnyard animals were curious to find out what was in the box with the red wheels. Their surprising discovery was as much a revelation to them as it was to the occupant of the box with the red wheels.