Lois Jane Ehlert was an American author and illustrator of children's books, most having to do with nature.
15 Facts About Lois Ehlert
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Lois Ehlert lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the time of her death in 2021.
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Lois Ehlert's mother was a seamstress who taught her how to sew at eight years old.
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Lois Ehlert's mother shared fabric scraps with her, which gave her an exposure to art early on.
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Lois Ehlert's father was a trucker and blue-collar worker who worked as a gas-station attendant, dairy worker and a maintenance man.
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Lois Ehlert's father had a basement workshop and always had art supplies available, just not the traditional supplies, but materials such as scrap lumber and nails.
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Lois Ehlert then went to the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on a scholarship for a certificate in advertising design.
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Lois Ehlert started her career as a freelance illustrator and a graphic designer.
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Lois Ehlert worked as an apprentice in an art studio, while working the evenings on her own art work.
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Lois Ehlert began with a "dummy book" made from pencil drawings.
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Lois Ehlert's work reflected her love of nature with gardens and nature playing a central theme in many of her works.
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Lois Ehlert's 1989 book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, was a best seller and sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
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Lois Ehlert won the Caldecott Honor Book in 1990 for Color Zoo and won a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for Snowballs.
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Lois Ehlert received an Honorable Mention from the National Outdoor Book Award in 2005 for Leaf Man, which was awarded the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in 2006.
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Lois Ehlert died on May 25,2021, at her home in Milwaukee at age 86.