Max Velthuijs (1923-2005) Biography

See index for SATA sketch: Born May 22, 1923, in The Hague, Netherlands; died of lung cancer January 25, 2005, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Illustrator and author. Velthuijs was an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. Educated at the Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands, his early career was in advertising and publishing. He worked as a graphic artist and designer until the late 1960s, when his children's books began to be published. His first, Der Junge under der Fisch (1969), was translated that year as The Little Boy and the Big Fish. Velthuijs later became known for his gentle stories featuring Frog, Duck, Pig, and Hare, which he illustrated for young readers. Among these are Frog in Love (1989), Frog and the Birdsong (1991), and Frog and the Stranger (1996). Translated into fourteen languages, his tales became favorites for children around the world, and three of his stories were adapted together as the musical play Kikker. Awarded the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration in 2004, Velthuijs was also the author of many other stories, including Little Man Finds a Home (1985), A Birthday Cake for Little Bear (1988), and Crocodile's Masterpiece (1992).