Leonard Weisgard (1916–2000)

Author of The Plymouth Thanksgiving

34+ Works 502 Members 5 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Leonard Weisgard was born in New Haven, Connecticut on December 13, 1916. He attended Pratt Institute for two years and studied dance with Martha Graham before becoming a window dresser at Macy's. He began his career making illustrations for several magazines including Good Housekeeping, The New show more Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar. He eventually focused on illustrating children's books. His first book, Suki, the Siamese Pussy, was published in 1937. He and Margaret Wise Brown first collaborated on the Noisy Books series, which urged readers to imitate sounds like dogs, trucks, and jackhammers. In 1947, he won the Caldecott Medal for The Little Island written by Brown under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald. He also wrote books he illustrated himself. In the 1950's, he designed the stage sets and costumes for several productions of the San Francisco Ballet. He died on January 14, 2000 at the age of 83. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Leonard Weisgard, illus. Leonard Weisgard, Leonard illus. Weisgard, Leonard Joseph Weisgard

Image credit: Leonard Weisgard at work

Works by Leonard Weisgard

Popular Recent

The Plymouth Thanksgiving (1967) 194 copies

Animal Tales: A Little Golden Book Collection (2004) — Illustrator — 73 copies, 2 reviews

The Most Beautiful Tree in the World (1954) 32 copies

The Beach before Breakfast (1964) 23 copies

Treasures to See: A Museum Picture Book (1956) 22 copies, 1 review

Life Long Ago: The Athenians (1963) 18 copies

My First Picture Book (1981) 16 copies

The First Farmers in the New Stone Age (1966) 14 copies

Look & See: A First Picture Book (1998) 11 copies, 1 review

Mr. Peaceable Paints (1956) 11 copies

Favorite Poems Old and New 10 copies

Whose little bird am I? (1964) 9 copies

The clean pig (1952) 8 copies

The Beginnings of Cities: Re-Creation in Pictures and Text of Mesopotamian Life from Farming to Early City Building (2000) 8 copies

The Big Book of Train Stories (1955) 8 copies

Who dreams of cheese? (1950) 8 copies

Pelican Here, Pelican There (1948) 6 copies

Silly Willy Nilly (1953) 6 copies

Suki: The Siamese Pussy (1937) 4 copies

Just Like Me (1954) 3 copies

Whistle For The Train (1900) 2 copies

The First Doll in the World 2 copies, 1 review

Down Huckleberry Hill (1947) 2 copies

The Son of God Readings from the Gospel According to St Mark (1966) 2 copies

Jesus Christ Son of God 1 copy

Family Mother Goose. Pictures, The 1 copy

How Things Began (1969) — Illustrator — 1 copy

Cinderella 1 copy

Mother Goose Nursery Pictures: Decorative Prints in Full Color 1 copy

Little Goose (1951) 1 copy

Picture Book of Musical Instruments 1 copy

Let's Play Indestructible Panoramas (1944) 1 copy

Let's Play Train: a Story-Book Game (1953) 1 copy

Growing time 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) — Illustrator, some editions — 38,216 copies, 369 reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass (1865) — Illustrator, some editions — 29,280 copies, 314 reviews

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) — Illustrator, some editions — 26,485 copies, 477 reviews

Gulliver's Travels (1726) — Illustrator, some editions — 20,934 copies, 191 reviews

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) — Illustrator, some editions — 15,099 copies, 193 reviews

Heidi (1880) — Illustrator, some editions — 14,291 copies, 175 reviews

Tales from Shakespeare (1807) — Illustrator, some editions — 6,731 copies, 45 reviews

The Courage of Sarah Noble (1954) — Illustrator — 5,221 copies, 33 reviews

The Important Book (1949) — Illustrator — 2,780 copies, 137 reviews

The Little Island (1946) — Illustrator — 2,486 copies, 58 reviews

The Golden Egg Book (1947) — Illustrator, some editions — 2,047 copies, 20 reviews

Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected For Boys and Girls (1965) — Illustrator — 1,719 copies, 8 reviews

Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Poetry and Color (1961) — Illustrator, some editions; Illustrator, some editions — 1,457 copies, 32 reviews

Rain Drop Splash (1946) — Illustrator — 720 copies, 7 reviews

Red Light, Green Light (1944) — Illustrator — 681 copies, 4 reviews

Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1880) — Illustrator, some editions — 562 copies, 7 reviews

Pussy Willow (1951) — Illustrator, some editions — 442 copies, 1 review

Where Does the Butterfly Go When It Rains? (1961) — Illustrator, some editions — 403 copies, 8 reviews

The Valentine Cat (1959) — Illustrator — 386 copies, 2 reviews

White Bird (1966) — Illustrator, some editions — 381 copies, 4 reviews

The Night Before Christmas (Leonard Weisgard) (1962) — Illustrator — 341 copies

The Secret River (1955) — Illustrator, some editions — 288 copies, 18 reviews

The Noisy Book (1993) — Illustrator — 282 copies, 12 reviews

Nibble Nibble: Poems for Children (1959) — Illustrator, some editions — 281 copies, 10 reviews

What Makes a Bird a Bird? (1969) — Illustrator, some editions — 244 copies

How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin (1956) — Illustrator, some editions — 225 copies, 2 reviews

The Quiet Noisy Book (1993) — Illustrator — 181 copies, 6 reviews

Best in Children's Books 01 (1957) — Illustrator — 178 copies, 1 review

A Wreath of Christmas Legends (1975) — Illustrator — 141 copies, 2 reviews

Hawaiian Myths of Earth Sea and Sky (1988) — Illustrator, some editions — 140 copies, 4 reviews

The Indoor Noisy Book (1942) — Illustrator — 139 copies, 3 reviews

The New American Haggadah: Haggadah Shel Pesah (1978) — Illustrator — 138 copies, 2 reviews

The Summer Noisy Book (1993) — Illustrator — 137 copies, 6 reviews

Poems of Early Childhood (Childcraft) (1923) — Illustrator — 134 copies, 1 review

A Book about God (1999) — Illustrator, some editions — 124 copies

Pilgrim Thanksgiving (1955) — Illustrator — 121 copies

The Rabbit Story (1989) — Illustrator, some editions — 121 copies

Grimm's Fairy Tales (Junior Deluxe Editions) (1954) — Illustrator — 119 copies, 1 review

Look at the Moon (1996) — Illustrator, some editions — 111 copies

Two Silly Trolls (I Can Read Book 2) (1992) — Illustrator — 109 copies

The Golden Christmas Tree (1988) — Illustrator — 108 copies

Half-as-Big and the Tiger (1962) — Illustrator, some editions — 108 copies

Sir Kevin of Devon (1963) — Illustrator — 107 copies, 1 review

Best in Children's Books 06 (1958) — Illustrator — 106 copies

Best in Children's Books 29 (1960) — Illustrator — 104 copies

The Noon Balloon (2014) — Illustrator, some editions — 103 copies, 1 review

Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Norway (1961) — Illustrator, some editions — 97 copies

Andersen's Fairy Tales (Junior Deluxe Editions) (1956) — Illustrator — 97 copies

The Country Noisy Book (1994) — Illustrator — 96 copies, 2 reviews

Best in Children's Books 34 (1960) 96 copies

Best in Children's Books 32 (1960) — Illustrator — 95 copies

Best in Children's Books 24 (1959) — Illustrator — 88 copies

Best in Children's Books 19 (1959) — Illustrator — 87 copies

Best in Children's Books 03 (1957) — Illustrator — 81 copies

The Seashore Noisy Book (1993) — Illustrator — 76 copies, 8 reviews

The Story of Valentine (1956) — Illustrator — 68 copies

Little Lost Lamb (1945) — Illustrator — 68 copies

Nannabah's Friend (1970) — Illustrator — 61 copies

Pantaloon (A Golden Classic) (1999) — Illustrator, some editions — 59 copies

Little Chicken (1943) — Illustrator — 56 copies

Growing Time (1975) — Illustrator — 54 copies

See Along the Shore (2000) — Illustrator — 52 copies

The Golden Birthday Book (1989) — Illustrator — 51 copies

Journey to Jericho (1969) — Illustrator — 46 copies

Wake Up and Goodnight (1971) — Illustrator — 38 copies, 1 review

The Raccoon and Mrs. McGinnis (1961) — Illustrator — 38 copies

Penguin's Way (2015) — Illustrator — 33 copies

The Mouse and the Lion (1990) — Illustrator — 33 copies

High Trail (1948) — Illustrator — 32 copies

Picture Book of Musical Instruments (2012) — Illustrator — 31 copies

My Book of Prayer Sabbath and Weekdays (1959) — Illustrator; Illustrator — 31 copies

Scarab for Luck: A Story of Ancient Egypt (1964) — Illustrator — 29 copies

Adam and the Golden Cock (2000) — Illustrator — 28 copies

And It Came To Pass: Bible Verses and Carols (1971) — Illustrator — 28 copies, 1 review

Baby Elephant’s Trunk (1961) — Illustrator — 27 copies

First Days of the World (2011) — Illustrator — 27 copies

The French are Coming (1965) — Illustrator — 26 copies

The Child Jesus (1958) — Illustrator — 26 copies

Who Is at the Door? (2004) — Illustrator — 24 copies

Willa: the Story of Willa Cather's Growing Up (1958) — Illustrator — 23 copies, 1 review

Like Nothing At All (1962) — Illustrator — 21 copies

Midnight alarm; the story of Paul Revere's ride (1968) — Illustrator — 21 copies

Timid Timothy (1974) — Illustrator — 20 copies

Salt boy (1973) — Illustrator — 20 copies

The Son of God ; readings from the Gospel according to St. Mark (2007) — Illustrator — 20 copies

The Beloved Friend (1963) — Illustrator — 19 copies

Brave Baby Elephant (1960) — Illustrator — 18 copies

Nails to Nickels: The Story of American Coins Old and New (1960) — Illustrator — 17 copies

Wheels (1952) — Illustrator — 17 copies

Baby Elephant and the Secret Wishes (1962) — Illustrator — 17 copies

The Big Book of Nursery Tales (1954) — Illustrator — 16 copies

When I Go To The Moon (1961) — Illustrator — 16 copies

The Little Woodcock (1967) — Illustrator — 16 copies

Good Hunting Little Indian (1962) — Illustrator — 15 copies

Indian Indian (1952) — Illustrator — 14 copies

The Cozy Hour Storybook (1960) — Illustrator — 13 copies

Doctor Proctor and Mrs. Merriwether (1971) — Illustrator — 12 copies

Baby Elephant Goes to China (1963) — Illustrator — 12 copies

Who Ever Heard of Kangaroo Eggs? (1957) — Illustrator — 11 copies

The Little Eskimo (1952) — Illustrator — 11 copies

Whale's Way (2015) — Illustrator — 9 copies

My Book of Prayer Holidays and Holy Days (1959) — Illustrator — 9 copies

When a Boy Wakes Up in the Morning (1962) — Illustrator — 9 copies

Maggie (1954) — Illustrator — 9 copies

Señor Baby Elephant the Pirate (1962) — Illustrator — 8 copies

The Magic Ringlet (1971) — Illustrator — 7 copies

Giving Away Suzanne (1963) — Illustrator — 7 copies, 1 review

Try and catch me (1972) — Illustrator — 6 copies

The First People in the World (1958) — Illustrator — 6 copies

Little Frightened Tiger (1953) — Illustrator — 6 copies

Cynthia and the Unicorn (1968) — Illustrator — 6 copies, 1 review

Night and Day (1942) — Illustrator — 6 copies, 1 review

Louis of New Orleans (1941) — Illustrator — 5 copies

Su An (1968) — Illustrator — 5 copies

Abner's Cabin (2021) — Illustrator — 4 copies

On the Sand Dune (2000) — Illustrator — 4 copies

Try on a shoe (1973) — Illustrator — 4 copies

The Boat That Mooed — Illustrator — 4 copies

When a Boy Goes to Bed at Night (1963) — Illustrator — 3 copies

Dorinda (1944) — Illustrator — 3 copies

Pedro of Santa Fe — Illustrator — 3 copies

Shepherdess of France; Remembrances of Jeanne d'Arc — Illustrator — 3 copies

Under The Greenwood Tree. Songs From The Plays Selected By Julia Louise Reynold (1940) — Illustrator — 3 copies

Mrs. Goose's Green Trailer (1956) — Illustrator — 2 copies

Jesus Christ, Son of God (1966) — Illustrator — 2 copies

Through the Harbor from Everywhere (1938) — Illustrator — 2 copies

Americans Every One (1942) — Illustrator — 2 copies

Do You Want to Hear a Secret (1960) — Illustrator — 2 copies

City Country ABC (1946) — Illustrator — 2 copies

McCall's Read Me a Story Book — Illustrator — 2 copies

Three - and Domingo — Illustrator — 2 copies

Where Did Tuffy Hide? — Illustrator — 1 copy

What is for My Birthday? (1961) — Illustrator — 1 copy

Stories of Love — Illustrator — 1 copy

The first doll in the world — Illustrator — 1 copy

Something for Now, Something for Later — Illustrator — 1 copy

Just for Fun: Humorous Stories and Poems (1958) — Illustrator — 1 copy

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Main Associated

17th century (7) American history (13) animals (3) beach (3) children (7) children's (23) children's literature (4) Christmas (5) colonial (5) Colonial America (5) fiction (6) HC (4) history (17) holiday (7) holidays (5) juvenile (3) Leonard Weisgard (17) Massachusetts (5) Mayflower (6) Native Americans (3) non-fiction (7) own (5) picture book (23) Pilgrims (23) Plymouth (14) poetry (6) Reshelving Alexandria (3) Thanksgiving (39) TQ (3) Wampanoag Indians (3)

Common Knowledge

Other names: Green, Adam
Birthdate: 1916-12-13
Date of death: 2000-01-14
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Place of death: Copenhagen, Denmark
Associated Place (for map): USA

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Reviews

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5 reviews

Cheryl_in_CC_NV 15,288 reviews

Treasures To See: A Museum Picture-Book by Leonard Weisgard

Thank goodness for modern introductions to art and to museums for children. This wasn't much better than 'oh look, something beautiful.' Yes, the examples given were real works of art, historical clothing and furniture... but the reproduction is awful (due to the limitations of the presses I assume).

In any case, it really is a one star book compared to what else you can find easily nowadays. But I'm leaving it unrated because it's a product of its time that I cannot evaluate.

Oct 18, 2024

Cheryl_in_CC_NV 15,288 reviews

Little Golden Book Collection: Animal Tales (Little Golden Book Treasury) by Kathryn Jackson

Very nice collection that includes *unabridged* copies of such stories as Mister Dog (aka Crispin's Crispian) by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams, The Golden Egg Book by Brown and Leonard Weisgard, and four stories illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. ?�Unfortunately it does not have Color Kittens... I'd still like to read a complete edition of that.

Jun 6, 20161 other review

villemezbrown 8,850 reviews

Animal Tales: A Little Golden Book Collection by Kathryn Jackson

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• The Saggy Baggy Elephant / Kathryn Jackson and Byron Jackson, authors; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse / Miriam Norton, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• How the Leopard Got Its Spots / Justine Fontes and Ron Fontes, authors; Keiko Motoyama, illustrator
• Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• Animal Orchestra / Ilo Orleans, author; Tibor Gergely, show more illustrator
• The Lion's Paw / Jane Werner Watson, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• Baby Animals / Garth Williams, author and illustrator
• The Golden Egg Book / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Leonard Weisgard, illustrator
• Animal Friends [a/k/a The Very Best Home for Me!] / Jane Werner Watson, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• The Big Brown Bear / Georges Duplaix, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator
• Home for a Bunny / Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator
• How the Camel Got Its Hump : Tales from Around the World / Justine Fontes and Ron Fontes, authors; Keiko Motoyama, illustrator
• The Tawny Scrawny Lion /Kathryn Jackson, author; Gustaf Tenggren, illustrator show less

Nov 2, 20221 other review

Chica3000 1,144 reviews

The First Doll in the World by Leonard Weisgard

I was sick at home with a cold and couldn't go to the library that Saturday like I always did. My dad went and picked up books for me to read. This was one of them. I liked it and never forgot about it. Just took awhile for me to remember the name of the book.

Dec 11, 2020

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