TOMIE DE PAOLA PAPERS

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi


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Creator: Tomie dePaola
Title: Tomie dePaola Papers
Dates: 1980-1991
Quantity: 1.30 cubic feet (1 box)
Identification: DG1134

Abstract: The Tomie dePaola Papers contain two illustrations and a poster created and accumulated by the author-illustrator for two books published in 1980 and 1991. A prolific artist, dePaola has illustrated more than two hundred children's books, more than one hundred of which he also has authored. His efforts have been rewarded with numerous awards, including a Caldecott Honor Medal for Strega Nona (1976) and Newbery Honor Medal for 26 Fairmount Avenue (2000).

Biographical Note

Thomas Anthony dePaola, named for his Irish and Italian grandfathers, was born on September 15, 1934, to Joseph and Florence (Downey) dePaola of Meridian, Connecticut. At the age of four Tomie announced to his family that one day he planned to be an artist who wrote and illustrated books and sang and danced on the stage. He completed fine arts degrees at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute and the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. dePaola later received the equivalent of a doctorate degree from the Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. He spent his early career teaching art at colleges in Massachusetts, California, and New Hampshire, while designing greeting cards and stage sets and painting church murals. He illustrated his first children's book, Sound, by Lisa Miller, in 1965. By the late 1970s he was able to leave the teaching profession and plunge full time into writing and illustrating children's books.

Tomie dePaola has received most of the prestigious awards given by the children's book world, including the Caldecott Honor Medal for Strega Nona (1976), the Kerlan Award (1981), the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association (1983), the Smithson Medal from Smithsonian Institution (1990), the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion (1995), and the Newbery Honor Medal for 26 Fairmount Avenue (2000). He was also the United States nominee in illustration for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal (1990). A prolific artist, he has illustrated more than two hundred children's books more than one hundred of which he also has authored. He remains one of the most popular creators of books for children, receiving more than 100,000 fan letters each year. Most of his original artwork and papers are kept at the Kerlan Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota.

Sources:
Tomie dePaola: His Art & his Stories by Barbara Elleman (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999)
Official Tomie dePaola website: http://www.bingley.com, accessed 13 March 2003


Scope and Content Note

The Tomie dePaola Papers contain two illustrations and a poster created and accumulated by the author-illustrator between 1980 and 1991. dePaola's papers were created from his composition of two published books. The material is organized into a single series for books.

The Book Series contains two original double-page watercolor illustrations for Bonjour, Mr. Satie (1991) and The Legend of Old Befana (1980). The former was featured on the cover of the May 1991 issue of Book Links. A signed Book Links poster featuring this artwork is included with the original illustration. The papers in the Books Series are arranged alphabetically by title.


Series and Subseries

A. Books (1980-1991)

Bonjour, Mr. Satie (1991)

The Legend of Old Befana (1980)


Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.


Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Tomie dePaola Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, (cite the item's box/folder numbers).

Provenance

These papers were donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries by Tomie dePaola in 1995.

Processing Information

Processed by C. Alder, March 2003. Encoded into EAD Version 1.0 by Danielle L. Bishop. This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Container Listing

Box/Folder

.

A. Books

Bonjour Mr. Satie story and illustrations by Tomie dePaola (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1991)
1/1 Autographed watercolor illustration for pp. 20-21, (1 item)
1/2Autographed Booklinks poster featuring illustration on pp. 20-21, (1 item)
The Legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story retold and illustrated by Tomie dePaola (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980)
1/3 Autographed watercolor illustration for pp. 10-11, (1 item )

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The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection

The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
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