External links
- Frank Asch at the Library of Congress, with 88 library catalog records
Frank Asch | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1946 |
| Died | August 7, 2022 (aged 76) Kapaʻau, Hawaii, US |
| Occupations | Artist, illustrator, writer |
| Spouse | Jan Asch |
| Children | 1, Devin Asch |
| Writing career | |
| Period | 1968–2022 |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Website | frankaschbooks |
Frank Asch (August 6, 1946–August 7, 2022) was an American children's book writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.
Asch was born on August 6, 1946 in Somerville, New Jersey, the son of John and Margaret (née Giasullo) Asch. He had two siblings who were 7 and 10 years older, respectively. In the 1960s, Asch attended Rutgers University and the Pratt Institute before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in 1969.
Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. He wrote over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink, and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989, he wrote Here Comes the Cat!, in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award,[citation needed] and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book. In 2004, Mr. Maxwell's Mouse received the Cuffie award for Most Unusual Book of the Year.
Beyond writing, Asch taught at a public grammar school in India in 1972, then back to the United States, teaching at a Montessori school in Edison, New Jersey in 1975. Through the 1970s, he conducted numerous creative workshops for children, including performing and producing a children's theater troupe with his wife, Jan. During this time, he also became an artist-in-residence at the New England Center for Contemporary Art in Brooklyn, Connecticut.
Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey and Middletown Springs, Vermont. Before his death on August 7, 2022, Asch lived in Kapaʻau, Hawaiʻi with his wife, Jan,[failed verification] with whom he had one child, Devin.
