Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire - Literary Works

Literary Works

Many of the d'Aulaires' early books depict the scenery and folktales of Norway: Ola, Children of the Northlights, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The couple later shifted their attention to their adopted country, and produced books about American folk heroes such as Pocahontas, Benjamin Franklin, and Buffalo Bill.

Using their research and travel experiences as inspiration, the husband and wife team produced 27 picture books for children. They received various awards for their work. Edgar illustrated Nora Burglon's book, Children of the Soil: A Story of Scandinavia which in 1932 won the Newbery Medal.

They went on to create Abraham Lincoln (1939) that received the coveted Caldecott Medal in 1940, and the 1953 Boy's Club award went to their version of Buffalo Bill (1952). The team received the Catholic Library Association Regina Medal for "continued distinguished contribution to children's literature" in 1970.

Their 1961 d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths was an elaborately illustrated compendium of Greek mythology.

In 1967, they published Norse Gods and Giants based on the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda. Contained in the book are most of the basic stories of the Norse pantheon.

Their 1972 work, d'Aulaires' Trolls was one of the New York Times Book Review's outstanding books of 1972. It was also a National Book Award finalist in 1973, and was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1974. In 1976, they followed that up by a sequel, The Terrible Troll Bird, an adaptation of one of their earlier works, Ola and Blakken.

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