David Wiesner
A visual storyteller who, without a single word, invites children into breathtakingly intricate and wildly imaginative worlds.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American illustrator and writer of children's books·Birthday: February 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Wiesner’s career is a testament to the power of pictures to tell a complete, complex, and wondrous story. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he honed a style that is cinematic, meticulously detailed, and often delightfully surreal. He didn't just write and illustrate children's books; he redefined what a picture book could be. His narratives frequently unfold in a sequence of expansive, wordless spreads, demanding and rewarding deep, patient observation. In 'Tuesday,' frogs float on lily pads over a sleeping suburb. In 'Flotsam,' a boy discovers an underwater camera that reveals fantastical secrets of the deep. These are not simple tales but visual puzzles and feats of world-building that speak a universal language. The Caldecott Medal committee, the highest honor in American picture books, has awarded him its prize three times—a rare feat—recognizing his unparalleled ability to spark imagination through imagery alone.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three Caldecott Medals for 'Tuesday' (1992), 'The Three Pigs' (2002), and 'Flotsam' (2007).
- Was a U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 2008.
- Authored and illustrated the wordless picture book 'Sector 7,' a fantasy about a boy's adventure in a cloud factory.
- His book 'Free Fall,' a dream journey depicted without words, was a Caldecott Honor book in 1989.
Did You Know?
Many of his books, like 'Tuesday' and 'Flotsam,' are entirely wordless, relying solely on sequential art to tell the story.
He is an avid collector of vintage toys and model kits, which sometimes inspire elements in his illustrations.
He created a series of postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service commemorating children's book animals in 2023.
His early artistic influences include the film 'King Kong' and the work of surrealist painter Magritte.
“The pictures are the story. You have to read the images as carefully as you would read words.”
