Rathmann, Peggy (1953-…), an American illustrator of children’s books, won the 1996 Caldecott Medal for Officer Buckle and Gloria (1995). The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the best picture book by an American. Rathmann’s prizewinning book portrays the friendship between a school safety officer named Officer Buckle and his police dog, Gloria. Rathmann also wrote the book. Readers and critics praised Officer Buckle and Gloria, like Rathmann’s other works, for its action and humor and for its colorful and expressive drawing.
Rathmann typically bases her stories on incidents from her own childhood. Her first picture book was Ruby the Copycat (1991), which she also wrote. It tells the story of a new girl in school named Ruby who tries to act like Angela, a popular girl in her class. Rathmann illustrated Bootsie Barker Bites (1992), written by the American author Barbara Bottner. The story portrays a mischievous little girl named Bootsie Barker.
Rathmann wrote and illustrated Good Night, Gorilla (1994). She set her story in a zoo, where a gorilla steals the keeper’s keys and frees the animals from their cages. 10 Minutes till Bedtime (1998) and The Day the Babies Crawled Away (2003) are both playful picture books for younger children. Rathmann wrote and illustrated both books.
Margaret Crosby Rathmann was born on March 4, 1953, in St. Paul, Minnesota. She attended numerous universities before earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. She also studied children’s book writing and illustration at the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles.
