Merle the High Flying Squirrel

Bill Peet was born William Bartlett Peed on January 29, 1915 in Grandview, Indiana. He graduated from the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis. In 1937, he began his artistic career at Walt Disney Studios. While there, he worked on several feature films including Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Song of the South, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter show more Pan. He was both an artist and the screenwriter for several films including Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, and Sword in the Stone. While working at Disney, he also wrote his own children's books and eventually left to become a full-time writer. His first book, Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, was published in 1955. During his lifetime, he wrote and illustrated 35 children's books including The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg; The Whingdingdilly; Chester the Worldly Pig; and Luckiest One of All. His book, Bill Peet: An Autobiography, was named a Caldecott Honor Book in 1989. He died on May 11, 2002 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) show less