Adrienne Adams (1906–2002) was an American author and illustrator of children’s books.
Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and raised in Oklahoma, she moved to New York in 1929 to study at the American School of Design. After graduation she worked as a freelance designer, creating display work, textiles, and greeting cards.
In 1935 she married writer John Lonzo Anderson, and a few years later illustrated one of his books, Bag of Smoke (1942), which marked the beginning of her long career in children’s publishing. By the early 1950s she had devoted herself entirely to illustration.
Over the next decades Adams illustrated more than thirty books — both contemporary stories and classic fairy tales by Andersen and the Brothers Grimm — and wrote and illustrated six of her own. Her refined line, luminous color, and delicate sense of atmosphere made her one of the most admired illustrators of her generation.
She received two Caldecott Honors and numerous other awards recognizing her contribution to American picture-book art.
Amazon | Adrienne Adams
In A Halloween Happening, a community of witches invites children to a Halloween party full of magical mischief. The witches build a giant tower of jack-o’-lanterns, complete with a batwing glider platform at the top, while preparing toad tarts, worm waffles, and candy bats. Adams’ dark, muted palette and detailed […]
