Ingri d'Aulaire (December 27, 1904 – October 24, 1980) and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (September 30, 1898 – May 1, 1986) were writers and illustrators of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

who worked primarily as a team, completing almost all of their well-known works together. The couple immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from Europe and worked on books that focused on history such as ''Abraham Lincoln'', which won the 1940

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

. They were part of the group of immigrant artists composed of Feodor Rojankovsky, Roger Duvoisin,

Ludwig Bemelmans Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian and American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the ''Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939. Early li ...

, Miska Petersham and Tibor Gergely, who helped shape the Golden Age of picture books in mid-twentieth-century America.

Background

Edgar Parin, originally of Swiss citizenship, was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany to an Italian portrait painter Gino Parin and Ella Auler, a talented artist and musician who had moved from St. Louis to Paris. His parents separated when Parin was six years old and he grew up spending time with each, travelling around Europe with his father. Edgar Parin took his mother's maiden name when she changed it from ''Auler'' to ''d'Aulaire''. After studying architecture for a year in Munich, he began art studies at its School of Arts and Crafts (German: Kunstgewerbeschule). Edgar, a pupil of Hans Hofmann and

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

,"D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls"
(2006 edition). Random House Canada. studied

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, painted murals in France and Norway, and exhibited in Paris, Berlin and Oslo. He illustrated many books in Germany from 1922 to 1926 and painted frescoes in Norway from 1926 to 1927. Ingri Mortenson was born in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

, Norway into an artistic family. Her uncle, for instance, was a clergyman and poet who translated the Icelandic ''

Edda "Edda" (; Old Norse ''Edda'', plural ''Eddur'') is an Old Norse term that has been applied by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as the ''Prose Edda'' and an older collection of poems ( ...

s'' into Norwegian and set his own poetry to music by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

. When she was 15, the Norwegian painter Harriet Backer encouraged her to pursue art as a career, and Ingri later studied at art schools in Norway, Germany and France. Ingri and Edgar met in Munich when Ingri was an art student."Contributor biographical information for ''The two cars''"
New York Review Books. 2007. Hosted by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

(LC) Online Catalog. They were married in 1925. A modest insurance settlement following a near-fatal bus–trolley collision in Paris provided the seed money for Edgar's steerage-class voyage to the U.S. to scout for opportunities. He garnered enough commissions illustrating books to send for Ingri and they moved into a cold-water walk-up flat in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

in 1929. At first they pursued separate careers. Edgar concentrated on illustrating books using wood block engravings and stone

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

; Ingri garnered commissions to paint portraits of prominent businessmen. Their work caught the eye of the director of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

. Acting on her suggestion, the d'Aulaires decided to turn their talents to children's books and collaborated to create ''The Magic Rug'' in 1931. Shortly thereafter they became U.S. citizens. They lived and worked in

Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Wester ...

, from 1941 until their deaths in the 1980s. They also had a farm in Royalton, Vermont.

Literary works

Many of the d'Aulaires' early books depict the scenery and folktales of Norway: ''Ola'', ''Children of the Northlights'', ''East of the Sun and West of the Moon''. Later their attention shifted to their adopted country and they produced books about American heroes such as

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, and

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

. Using their research and travel experiences as inspiration, the husband-and-wife team produced 27 illustrated books for children including many

picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

. Edgar illustrated '' Children of the Soil: A Story of Scandinavia'' by Nora Burglon, who was a 1932

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

runner-up for that work. The d'Aulaires won the third annual Caldecott Medal in 1940 for ''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

'', a picture-book life of the 16th U.S. President. They won the 1953 Boy's Club award for their version of ''

'' (1952). ''Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths'', published by Doubleday in 1962, was an elaborately illustrated compendium of

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, 192 pages in 46 chapters. In 1967, they published '' Norse Gods and Giants'', based on the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' () or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often considered to have been to some exten ...

'' and ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...

''."''D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths'', by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire"
James Hynes. ''The New York Times''. December 18, 2005. The 154-page book presents 30 Norse myths and includes most of the basic stories of the Norse pantheon. ''D'Aulaires' Trolls'' was one of ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' outstanding books of 1972. It was also a

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

finalist. They completed a sequel in 1976, ''The Terrible Troll Bird'', an adaptation of one of their earlier works, ''Ola and Blakken''.

Reprints

In 2005, New York Review Books reissued ''Norse Gods and Giants'' under the name ''d'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths''. This volume was carefully printed to reproduce the vibrant color and texture of the original lithographs, and includes a glowing foreword by

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

."D'Aulaires' book of Norse myths"
(2005 edition). LC catalog record. With links to information from the publisher. Its immediate popularity prompted NYRB to reissue ''d'Aulaire's Trolls'' in 2006, which likewise was a meticulous reprint of the 1972 original pressing. That was followed by a reprint of ''The Terrible Troll Bird''. ''Animals Everywhere'' was reprinted and retitled ''d'Aulaires' Book of Animals'' in late April 2007, followed by a new edition of ''The Two Cars'', then by ''Too Big'' and ''Foxie'', a retelling of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's short story "Kashtanka". In 2016, University of Minnesota Press reissued ''East of the Sun and West of the Moon'' under the title ''d'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales.''

Translations

In 2007 and 2008, respectively, the Italian publisher Donzelli Editori reissued smaller-format Italian language editions of ''Norse Myths'', retitled ''Miti Del Nord'', and ''Trolls'', retitled ''Il Libro Dei Troll''. Several of the d'Aulaires' books are also available in Korean and Japanese language editions.

Awards

The d'Aulaires received the Catholic Library Association Regina Medal for "continued distinguished contribution to children's literature" in 1970. They were the 1974 U.S. nominee for the biennial, international

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

for children's illustrators. The d'Aulaires and ''Abraham Lincoln'' won the

from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

in 1940, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". ''Buffalo Bill'' (1952) won the 1953 Boy's Club award. ''D'Aulaires' Trolls'' (1972) was a finalist for the annual National Book Award, Children's Literature and a ''

New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' "outstanding book" for 1972.

Works

* ''The Magic Rug'', Doubleday, 1931 * ''Ola'', Doubleday, 1932 * %% * ''Ola and Blakken'', Doubleday, 1933 * ''The Conquest of the Atlantic'', Viking Press, 1933 * ''The Lord's Prayer'', Doubleday, 1934 * ''Children of the Northlights'', Viking Press, 1935 * % * ''George Washington'', Beautiful Feet Books, 1936 * ∗ * ''East of the Sun and West of the Moon'', Viking Press, 1938 * %%% * ''

'', Doubleday, Doran, 1939 * ∗ * ''Animals Everywhere'', Doubleday, 1940 , * ∗ * ''Leif the Lucky'', Doubleday, Doran, 1941 * ∗ * ''The Star Spangled Banner'', Doubleday, Doran, 1942 * ''Don’t Count Your Chicks'', Doubleday, 1943 * ''Wings for Per'', Doubleday, 1944 * ''Too Big'', Doubleday, 1945 * * ''Pocahontas'', Doubleday, 1946 * ∗ * ''Nils'', Doubleday, 1948 * ''Foxie'', Doubleday, 1949 * * ''Benjamin Franklin'', Doubleday, 1950 * ∗ * ''Buffalo Bill'', Doubleday, 1952 * ∗ * ''The Two Cars'', Doubleday, 1955 * * ''Columbus'', Doubleday, 1955 * ∗ * ''The Magic Meadow'', Doubleday, 1958 * ''d'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths'', Doubleday, 1962 * ∗ (Also available as an unabridged audio CD narrated by

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinctive deep husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards. After debuting ...

, and

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...

.)∗ * ''Norse Gods and Giants'', Doubleday, 1967 * † ∗ * ''Trolls'', Doubleday, 1972 * # ∗ * ''The Terrible Troll Bird'', Doubleday, 1976 * ‡
* Currently in print
, Reissued as ''d'Aulaire's Book of Animals'', New York Review Books, 2007''D'Aulaire's Book of Animals''
(2007 edition). LC catalog record. See linked publisher description.
# Reissued as ''d'Aulaires' Trolls'', New York Review Books, 2006
† Reissued as ''d'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths'', New York Review Books, 2005
‡ Based on the earlier ''Ola and Blakken''
% Reissued by the University of Minnesota Press, 2012
%% Reissued by the University of Minnesota Press, 2013
%%% Reissued as ''d'Aulaires Book of Norwegian Folktales,'' University of Minnesota Press, 2016

References

External links

* Edgar Parin and Ingri D'Aulaire Papers. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
"The d'Aulaires' Children's Books"
at Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Aulaire, Ingri And Edgar Parin d' American children's writers American children's book illustrators Caldecott Medal winners Married couples People from Kongsberg People from Wilton, Connecticut Writers from Connecticut Writers who illustrated their own writing Writing duos