Egielski, << ehg EEL skee, >> Richard (1952-…), is an American illustrator of children’s books known for his distinctive personal style. Critics have praised Egielski’s water-color illustrations for their creative use of color and space. Egielski won the 1987 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations for Hey, Al (1986), one of several books by the children’s author Arthur Yorinks that Egielski illustrated. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the most outstanding picture book by an American artist. Egielski and Yorinks also collaborated on such highly praised picture books as Louis the Fish (1980), It Happened in Pinsk (1983), and What a Trip! (2008).
Egielski collaborated with the author Pam Conrad for a series of books about the Tub People. For these books, Egielski painted a family of charming figures that resembled wooden toys. The series includes The Tub People (1989), The Tub Grandfather (1993), and The Tub People’s Christmas (1999). His other books with Conrad include The Lost Sailor (1992) and Call Me Ahnighito (1995). Egielski also illustrated The End (2007), a comic fairy tale by David LaRochelle.
Egielski has written a few picture books that he also illustrated. Buz (1995) is a fantasy about a boy who eats a bug with his breakfast. The Gingerbread Boy (1997) is a retelling of the famous fairy tale relocated to a large American city. Jazper (1998) tells the adventures of a boy insect who tries to earn extra money after his father loses his job. Slim and Jim (2001) describes the unlikely friendship between a rat and a mouse. Captain Sky Blue (2010) portrays the adventures of a toy airplane pilot. The Sleepless Little Vampire (2011) tells about a child vampire who cannot sleep because of the noise in the cemetery where he lives.
Egielski was born on July 16, 1952, in New York City. He attended the Pratt Institute in 1970 and 1971 and graduated from the Parsons School of Design in 1974.
