Hoff is best known for his I CAN READ books Danny and the Dinosaur (1958) and Sammy the Seal (1959). Hoff was born in the Bronx, NY in 1912 and moved to Miami Beach in the 1950s. Hoff's storybook characters' quests for belonging often bring them right back to where they started. The Syd Hoff: Finding Home exhibition traces the life, achievement and influences of the prolific Miami Beach-based cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator. Librarian Louise Lareau and Dinosaur fansĭanny & the Dinosaur craft activities for children Librarian Louise Lareau (top right) and staff Please call the Children's Center at 21 to register for the program.įor more information about Syd Hoff please visit the Official Syd Hoff Website at Dinosaur Dance Dinosaur' will be coming to the party, thanks to the generosity of HarperCollins Publishers, so do not forget to bring your cameras. Decorate a birthday hat and listen to Carol Edmonston, Syd's niece, as she reads some of Syd's stories. Come in and join us for stories and crafts. The Children's Center at 42nd Street will be hosting birthday festivities for Syd on Saturday, September 8th. Sadly, Syd passed away in 2004 at age 91. Septemwill mark what would have been Syd's 100th birthday. Syd went on to write and illustrate over 60 books for beginning readers. It was not until 1958, however, that his career as a children's author took off with the release of Danny and the Dinosaur. During the 1940s, Syd drew a nationally syndicated cartoon called Tuffy. He became a regular contributor to The New Yorker as well as other national magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Look. Syd sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker when he was 18. Born and raised in New York, Syd started his career as a cartoonist after studying fine arts at the National Academy of Design.

Syd Hoff did not set out to be a children's author.

For others, these books were discovered as one's children or grandchildren began to explore the world of children's books. For some, books such as Danny and the Dinosaur, Grizzwold, Barney's Horse and Sammy the Seal bring back vivid childhood memories.

Syd Hoff: A Birthday Celebration on September 4, 2012īy Louise Lareau, Managing Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Streetĭo you remember the first time you read a book by Syd Hoff? If you were too young to read on your own, maybe someone in your life shared the book with you. Children's Literature at New York Public Library

Syd hoff i can read