![]() ![]() In the golden age of magazines, he was an overnight success, landing illustration work for such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, Life, Harper’s Bazaar, and the Village Voice. Deeply influenced by the work of Saul Steinberg, Tomi Ungerer came to New York in 1956 with $60 in his pocket and a trunk full of drawings. The man behind these emotionally complex stories of who we are and where we fit in was born in Strasbourg, France in 1931, and grew up under Nazi occupation in Alsace, on the French-German border. It was not until many years later that I rediscovered these treasures via an animated version of The Beast of Monsieur Racine, which appeared on a DVD collection of children’s classics that I bought for my sons. Reading Tomi Ungerer’s stories sustained me as a child, made me feel-as all art should-a little less alone. A lonely retired tax collector finds unexpected companionship with a curious beast who has stolen fruit from his beloved pear tree. ![]() A bat who is disenchanted with his appearance attempts to paint himself in vivid colors and fly around in the daytime only to realize he belongs to the night. Three robbers “steal” a young orphan who opens their hearts, eventually leading them to share their wealth with other lost, unhappy, and abandoned children. ![]()
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