Peter Parnall

Peter Parnall
Born
Peter Kommer Parnall

(1936-05-23)May 23, 1936
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 2017(2017-09-08) (aged 81)
Lincoln, Maine, U.S.
OccupationsIllustrator, writer
SpouseVirginia Shepard
Children
  • Bart
  • Stacy
Writing career
SubjectsAnimals, nature
Notable works

Peter Kommer Parnall (May 23, 1936 – September 8, 2017) was an American artist and writer, best known for his work on books for younger readers. His work earned him high praise and a number of awards. Some of his books have become collector items.

Biography

Peter Parnall was born in Syracuse, New York on May 23, 1936. He was raised in the small town of Willow Springs in the Mojave Desert. He went to Cornell in 1954 because he wanted to become a veterinarian, but got pneumonia and failed his freshman mid-terms. After leaving Cornell he went west to train horses. When his father's birthday came around he drew him a picture of a horse. His father hung it on the wall and told him he should go back to school for art. He attended the Pratt Institute for two years, until he got bored and left. For ten years he had a freelance advertising business (with clients including Mr. Potato Head and G.I. Joe), which he enjoyed but eventually "got tired of convincing people they should buy stuff they don't need." Once he decided on a career in illustrating books, he moved with his wife and son to Milford, New Jersey, where he started a farm in Alfalfa Hill (which he would eventually depict in his self-authored 1975 book Alfalfa Hill) while also teaching art and design at Lafayette College.

Parnall died on September 8, 2017, at the age of 81.[unreliable source?]

Works

Parnall illustrated over 80 books, including nearly 20 which he authored himself, often studies of habitats. His favorite medium was pen and ink of subjects from the natural world. Many of his works have been separately published in limited editions as signed and numbered prints.

As Author and Illustrator

As illustrator

References

  1. 1 2 Peter Parnall (Winter 2005). "Peter Parnall: The artist behind the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's logo". Birdscope (Interview). Vol. 19, no. 1. Interviewed by Diane Tessaglia-Hymes. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13.
  2. ↑ "Peter Parnall". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Books Illustrated by Peter Parnall". Page Books. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
  4. ↑ "Peter Parnall: From Ads to Bird Art in Milford". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Collection: Sheila Moon Papers". University of Minnesota Archives. Retrieved 14 September 2026.

Citations