Born in Elmira, New York, Tedd grew up in a family of six with three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old. His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts degree from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Carol, started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a commercial illustrator. Carol, a Kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, No Jumping on the Bed!. His second son, William, now stars in No More Water in the Tub!, a sequel to his first book. He has now published more than 30 books as author and illustrator. When not working on his books, Tedd's interests include tennis, sketching, reading, coin collecting, and the computer.
"The inspiration to begin writing and illustrating for children
came from my wife, Carol. As a kindergarten teacher, she collected
picture books. I was attracted to their colorful pages and the way
the words and pictures played with each other, much like the
captioned cartoons I had drawn when I was young."Perhaps the
biggest surprise of my career as an author is that I'm now going
back to elementary school! Visiting young readers in classrooms and
libraries is something I love. Kids keep me on my toes and they ask
a lot of questions. The number one question seems to be, 'Where do
you getyour ideas?' It's also the hardest question to answer
because every idea is different. Some ideas seem to pop out of thin
air -- while I'm in the shower or walking the dog. Others come from
reading or research. But most of my ideas come from my family and
the things they do and say."For instance, one time when my first
son, Walter, was five years old, I found him lying on the couch,
looking pale as a ghost and clutching a Bible to his chest. He was
praying! When I asked what was wrong, he wouldn't answer. In fact,
he wouldn't even open his mouth. My wife, Carol, finally coaxed a
response from him: he pointed inside his mouth. Carol exclaimed,
'You have a loose tooth!' Walter's eyes nearly popped out with
fright. We quickly assured him that it was perfectly okay for his
tooth to come loose and that a new one would replace it. But Carol
and I looked at each other and realized that despite all our
efforts to be good parents, we had somehow completely forgotten to
warn Walter that teeth fall out! He had thought he was falling
apart! I made a little note in my journal; then ten years later, I
expanded that memory into my book Parts."Tedd Arnold lives
in Elmira, New York, with his wife, Carol, two sons, Walter and
William, two cats, Cody and Frankie, and one dog, Hershey.copyright
? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights
reserved.
Born in Elmira, New York, Tedd grew up in a family of six with
three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for
several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old.
His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville,
Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's
office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts
degree from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Carol,
started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a
commercial illustrator. Carol, a Kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's
attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired
his breakthrough picture book, No Jumping on the Bed!. His
second son, William, now stars in No More Water in the Tub!,
a sequel to his first book. He has now published more than 30 books
as author and illustrator. When not working on his books, Tedd's
interests include tennis, sketching, reading, coin collecting, and
the computer."The inspiration to begin writing and illustrating for
children came from my wife, Carol. As a kindergarten teacher, she
collected picture books. I was attracted to their colorful pages
and the way the words and pictures played with each other, much
like the captioned cartoons I had drawn when I was young."Perhaps
the biggest surprise of my career as an author is that I'm now
going back to elementary school! Visiting young readers in
classrooms and libraries is something I love. Kids keep me on my
toes and they ask a lot of questions. The number one question seems
to be, 'Where do you getyour ideas?' It's also the hardest question
to answer because every idea is different. Some ideas seem to pop
out of thin air -- while I'm in the shower or walking the dog.
Others come from reading or research. But most of my ideas come
from my family and the things they do and say."For instance, one
time when my first son, Walter, was five years old, I found him
lying on the couch, looking pale as a ghost and clutching a Bible
to his chest. He was praying! When I asked what was wrong, he
wouldn't answer. In fact, he wouldn't even open his mouth. My wife,
Carol, finally coaxed a response from him: he pointed inside his
mouth. Carol exclaimed, 'You have a loose tooth!' Walter's eyes
nearly popped out with fright. We quickly assured him that it was
perfectly okay for his tooth to come loose and that a new one would
replace it. But Carol and I looked at each other and realized that
despite all our efforts to be good parents, we had somehow
completely forgotten to warn Walter that teeth fall out! He had
thought he was falling apart! I made a little note in my journal;
then ten years later, I expanded that memory into my book
Parts."Tedd Arnold lives in Elmira, New York, with his wife,
Carol, two sons, Walter and William, two cats, Cody and Frankie,
and one dog, Hershey.copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for
Young Readers. All rights reserved.
Tedd Arnold's 1987 cautionary tale, No Jumping on the Bed! returns as a board book. When Walter refuses to heed his father's titular warning, he and his bed end up crashing "down and down" through neighbors' apartments. PW noted, "textual puns and subtle visual jokes make this a bedtime story worthy of repeated readings"-and Arnold fans will enjoy seeing this artist's beginnings, in a very different visual style. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
"A takeoff on a familiar and usually idle warning, this should be a hit with anyone who has battled over jumping on the bed. Arnold's illustrations, in a style reminiscent of William Joyce, richly depict the nighttime lives of the apartment building's various inhabitants and skillfully capture the sensation and perspective of tumbling through space. Textual puns and subtle visual jokes make this a bedtime story worthy of repeated readings."-- Publishers Weekly
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