Leonard Kessler

Leonard Kessler (October 28, 1920 – February 16, 2022) was an American children's book author and illustrator who published more than 200 books, including more than 45 in collaboration with his wife Ethel Kessler. His books include Mr. Pine's Purple House.

Early life and education

Leonard Kessler was born in Akron, Ohio and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father, Albert, was a plumber and his mother, Lillian, was a nursing assistant. He recalled his grandmother giving him crayons when he was six years old, and telling him, "Lenny, take this crayon; you can make your own world." From 1942 to 1945 Kessler served in the United States Army during World War II, and he used his artistic abilities to sketch enemy gun emplacements as a scout stationed in Europe. "I vowed that if I ever got out of that alive, I would never worry again" he later said.

In 1949, Kessler received his bachelor's degree in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University, where he shared a studio with the artists Andy Warhol and Philip Pearlstein, with whom he remained friends.

Career

After a short stint working on educational television scripts, Kessler was asked if he had thought about children's literature. His first book, "What’s in a line? A first book of graphic expression", was published in 1951. Kessler went on to write and illustrate more than 200 books for young readers, including about 45 that he created in collaboration with his wife, Ethel Kessler.

Kessler often worked on about six books at a time. He said, "I really dig working for kids." For inspiration he gathered neighborhood children to sit in a circle and talk with him, and recorded the sessions. Sometimes he crouched down to experience life from children's height. Kessler said that when writing, "I find I have to try to find the kid I used to be." He wrote many drafts of his stories, and said, "Much as in sculpting, the simpler the better." He frequently found inspiration in his own children, and wrote Here Comes the Strikeout! (1965) after his son struck out 22 times in a row in Little League Baseball.

Personal life and family

Kessler met his future wife Ethel Kessler, a social worker and kindergarten teacher, in his childhood neighborhood in Pittsburgh. They married after he returned from the war in 1946, and had two children. In 1953, the Kessler family moved upstate to a house in New City that was painted light purple, and sublet their Manhattan apartment to Andy Warhol and his mother, who brought her 25 cats all named Sam. Kessler has said, "My work is my hobby."

Leonard and Ethel Kessler retired to Sarasota, Florida in the 1990s. Ethel developed Alzheimer's disease, and lived in a care facility before her death in 2002. Kessler said throughout his life, including at age 80, "I keep searching every morning for that 6-year-old kid I used to be." He died on February 16, 2022, at age 101 at his home in Sarasota.

Bibliography

References

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