Transcript Leo Lionni - First Grade

Leo Lionni
May 5, 1910October 11, 1999
Leo Lionni was the
author and illustrator of
many great books that
you will read and explore.
Have you read any of Lionni’s books?
Lionni was born in Germany. He
lived in the United States for some
time before moving to Italy to write
children’s books.
Lionni wrote over 40 books for
children!
Why did Lionni write books?
Check out this video to learn
more:
Click here to check out a short
video!
Lionni says, if he was
one character from his
books, he would be
Frederick.
Fun Facts About Leo Lionni
•Leo Lionni loved to draw. His uncle was
the first to teach him how to be an artist.
•He also learned a lot about drawing from
his elementary school art class.
•Lionni also loved music. He could play
many different instruments.
When Leo was a kid, he loved to
spend time in his room because it
was filled withLeo
all the
as athings
child that
interested him:
He has jars filled live insects,
aquariums containing minnows,
tadpoles, snails, and shrimp; and
cages with mice and birds.
He had terrariums where he could
create tiny environments for snakes,
toads, salamanders, and frogs.
“The protagonists of my fables
are the same frogs, mice,
sticklebacks, turtles, snails, and
butterflies that more than threequarters of a century ago lived in
my room.” -Leo Lionni
In his room, Leo also had boxes of shells and pebbles,
displays of butterflies and beetles, and hanging on
strings around his room were leaves, seedpods,
feathers, and dried flowers.
On Saturday mornings, while his
schoolmates played soccer, Leo
went to the museums with his
pencils and sketchpad.
“I don’t need to consult nature books to copy the shapes, colors, and
textures of insects and reptiles, rodents and birds, pebbles and
seashells. I simply copy them from the images that were stored
away in my memory. When I was asked what I wanted to be when I
grew up, the answer was always, without hesitation, an artist.”
Lionni used everyday
experiences, his family,
and his surroundings to
influenced him as an artist
and creative thinker.
As you explore his books,
look for signs of Lionni’s
life in the story and
illustrations.