Roger Bradfield
This biography needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Roger Bradfield | |
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Born | White Bear Lake, Minnesota, U.S. | September 22, 1924
Died | December 31, 2021 Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | (aged 97)
Website | |
Official website |
Roger Martin Bradfield (September 22, 1924 – December 31, 2021) was an American children's books writer, illustrator, cartoonist, painter, and world traveller.
Early life
Bradfield was born in 1924 in
Art
Roger Bradfield won several
Food products
Bradfield worked on the
Children's books
"Jolly" Roger Bradfield is perhaps best known for his work as a children's book author and illustrator. He began his writing career when he was teaching himself how to
Bradfield illustrated some of the earliest Sesame Street storybooks, including The Together Book, the first Sesame Street book in the popular Little Golden Books line. He also illustrated Bert's Hall of Great Inventions, Big Bird's Birthday Party, and Sherlock Hemlock and the Great Twiddlebug Mystery.
His children's books have found a second life with Purple House Press—since 2004 the small press has reissued six of Bradfield's books.
Comics
From 1972 to 1978, Bradfield worked as a
In addition to the little boy, Dooley, recurring characters were the Professor, a know-it-all wind-up toy figure, Norman, a sophisticated and reflective wind-up knight, Thelma, an unhappy and bullying rag doll, and Max, an introverted mouse.
Paintings
Bradfield created vibrant and colorful paintings. These paintings mostly depict subjects that he found on his world travels and playful and fun images that he conjured up with his imagination. His preferred medium was
.World travel
He was also an extensive world traveller and visited and sketched in countries that include Greece, Norway, Portugal, France, Italy, Mexico, England, and Spain. On one trip to Mexico, Bradfield's plane had a minor accident resulting in some damage to the plane's wing tanks. So, he enlisted the help of some of the local children getting them to patch the damage up with large wads of bubble gum. The scheme did not work, as the gasoline melted the bubble gum, but the plane managed to reach its destination safely anyway.
Personal life and death
Bradfield and his wife, Joan, raised five children. He died on December 31, 2021, at the age of 97.[2]
Select bibliography
Comic strip
Dooley's World (King Features Syndicate 1972–1978)
Book featuring Dooley's World
- Everybody's Somebody!: A Christian Cartoonist Explores the Foibles and Frailties of Ordinary Folk with Dooley and His Friends by Roger Bradfield
Children's books
- There's an Elephant in the Bathtub (1964)
- Hello, Rock (1965, 2012) Listed as one of the top 100 Children's Books of all time by Time Magazine in 2020
- Hello Friend (1965)
- The Big, Happy 1-2-3 (co-authored with Joan Bradfield) (1965)
- The Big, Happy ABC (co-authored with Joan Bradfield) (1965)
- Giants Come in Different Sizes (1966, 2011)
- The Flying Hockey Stick (1966, 2007)
- A Good Knight for Dragons (1967)
Pickle-Chiffon Pie series
- Pickle-Chiffon Pie (1967, 2004)
- The Pickle-Chiffon Pie Olympics (2011)
Benjamin Dilley series
- Benjamin Dilley's Thirsty Camel (1960s, 2012)
- Benjamin Dilley's Lavender Lion
Tonka Tale stories
Mini books for Tonka that came free with the purchases of some of their toy vehicles in the early 1970s:
- Magic Garden: A Tonka Tale by Jolly Roger Bradfield (came with Tonka Jeepster Runabout No. 2460)
- Toby Digs In: A Tonka Tale by Jolly Roger Bradfield (1973)
- Toby and Smokey: A Tonka Tale by Jolly Roger Bradfield (1974) (came with Tonka Frantic Flivver, number 458 and Camping The Smokey Bear Way, number 5020) - featuring Smokey the Bear
As author only
Books that Roger Bradfield wrote or co-wrote, but did not illustrate:
- Who are You (co-authored with Joan Bradfield, and illustrated by Winnie Fitch) (1966)
- Charles Schulz Master Cartoonist (Art Instruction Schools Inc, 1975)
Illustrations for other authors
- The Bisquick Cookbook: Recipes from Betty Crocker in Answer to Your Requests by General Mills
- The Box of Important Things by Ann Hellie (1968)
- Toby the Rock Hound by Jane Dwyer Walrath (1979)
- Alvin Fernald's Incredible Buried Treasure by Clifford B. Hicks (2009)
- All in Good Time by Edward Ormondroyd (2011)
Sesame Street tie-in books
- The Together Book by Revena Dwight (1971)
- Bert's Hall of Great Inventions by Revena Dwight (1972)
- Big Bird's Birthday Party (A Golden Play and Learn Book) (1972)
- Sherlock Hemlock and the Great Twiddlebug Mystery: or The Mystery of the Terrible Mess in My Friend's Front Yard by Revena Dwight (1972)
Punch-out kits
Punch-out kits illustrated by Roger Bradfield for
- Circus Party Kit from Pillsbury ("Today Only Greatest Little Show on Earth!") (1958) (illustrated circus themed punch-out kit)
- Country Fair Party from Pillsbury (1958) (illustrated country fair/farm themed punch-out kit)
References
- ^ "Bradfield, Roger Martin - Birth certificate Index:1924-25537". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ ""Jolly Roger" Bradfield". San Luis Obispo County Tribune. 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2022-02-02.