Margaret Bloy Graham I

It's odd, you get a new book and become aware of an illustrator, that you already had. I am sharing 'The plant sitter' written by Gene Zion, illustrated by illustrator and author Margaret Bloy Graham (1920-2015) published in 1959 by Harper New York. I love this book, the art room plant is named after my teaching room from years ago that was filled with plants, when I stopped working for that college, the plants came home with me and I now have a jungle in the house, many of these illustrations could be of our home. 

Margaret Bloy Graham was a Canadian illustrator who is mainly remembered for 'Harry the Dirty Dog',first published in 1956 and has never been out of print. Margaret studied art history at the University of Toronto and then undertook further studies at New York University. She married graphic designer Gene Zion in 1948 they divorced in 1968 and then Margaret wrote her own texts. Margaret Graham’s talent was recognised early in her career as she was twice a runner-up for the Caldecott medal for her illustrations: for All Falling Down; and for Charlotte Zolotow’s The Storm Book, 1953.