Petersham, Maud and Miska << PEE tuhr sham, mawd and MEES kah, >> were a married team of American illustrators and authors of children’s books. They won the 1946 Caldecott Medal for their illustrations for The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles (1945). The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the best picture book by an American. The Rooster Crows is a collection of nursery rhymes, finger games, skipping rhymes, jingles, and counting rhymes. The book was a part of a patriotic series the Petershams produced during World War II (1939-1945) called “This Is America.” The series also included An American ABC (1941), one of the team’s most popular books.
The Petershams won praise for their skillful use of the printing method called lithography, for their experiments with printing processes, and for their focus on the total design of a book. They were among the first to introduce international subject matter to American picture books, beginning with Miki (1929), their first collaboration as authors and illustrators. The book tells about an American boy who visits his grandparents in Budapest, Hungary.
The Petershams developed six popular series of information books for children on such topics as clothing, food, and transportation. These series began with The Story Book of Things We Use (1933). The team wrote and illustrated several books on religious subjects, such as Joseph and His Brothers: From the Story Told in the Book of Genesis (1938).
Miska Petersham was born on Sept. 20, 1888, near Budapest, Hungary. His real name was Mihaly Petrezselyem. He immigrated to the United States in 1912. Maud Sylvia Fuller was born in Kingston, New York, on Aug. 5, 1890. She graduated from Vassar College in 1912 and studied art at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art. The couple met while both were working in the art department of an advertising agency. They married in 1917. That year, they began their joint career by illustrating children’s books by other authors. Miska Petersham died on May 15, 1960. Maud Petersham died on Nov. 29, 1971.
