Tomie de Paola was born on September 15, 1934, in Connecticut. From the time he was four years old, he knew he wanted to be an artist. Many of his ideas for books come from his own childhood memories. He also likes to retell old folktales. Tomie de Paola has written nearly 200 children's books, and he has won many awards. Tomie de Paola lives with his four dogs in New Hampshire.