William Steig, who lived from 1907 to 2003, was a celebrated American cartoonist, illustrator, and children’s book author best known for creating Shrek!, which inspired the famous movie franchise. Born in Brooklyn to Austrian-Jewish immigrants, he grew up in an artistic household and initially built a legendary seven-decade career drawing over 1,600 cartoons and 122 covers for The New Yorker starting during the Great Depression. At the age of 61, he pivoted to children’s literature, publishing over 30 beloved books characterized by rich vocabulary and expressive animal characters. His masterful storytelling earned him high praise and major literary awards, including the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Newbery Honors for both Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto.
