Don Freeman

Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. After graduating high school and attending a summer course at San Diego School of Fine Arts, Don moved to New York, where he studied at the Art Students' League and developed a passion for the theater. Don spent much of his time on Broadway and the streets of New York City, capturing everything that happened both on and off the stage in his sketchbook. He supported himself by playing his trumpet in a dance band, but after losing his...See more

Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. After graduating high school and attending a summer course at San Diego School of Fine Arts, Don moved to New York, where he studied at the Art Students' League and developed a passion for the theater. Don spent much of his time on Broadway and the streets of New York City, capturing everything that happened both on and off the stage in his sketchbook. He supported himself by playing his trumpet in a dance band, but after losing his trumpet on the subway, Don decided to turn his attention to his sketches. He published some of the earliest graphic novels and his own journal of lithographs, called "Newsstand." After the birth of his son Roy in 1949, he ventured into writing and illustrating children's books. He eventually published over 25 children's books before he died in 1978 including the beloved Corduroy, the touching story of a relationship between a teddy bear and a girl, Lisa. Other titles are Fly High, Fly Low, Chuggy the Blue Caboose, Pet of the Met, authored with his wife, Lydia. At his death he left many complete manuscripts that Roy published over the years including Earl the Squirrel, Manuelo and his Cello, and The Sparrows of Stonehenge. See less