A celebrated children's author and illustrator, he wrote the famous Busytown series and published over 300 books, including the popular Best Word Book Ever. His other works include Tinker & Tanker and Storybook Dictionary: A Giant Golden Book.
He attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and later served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He then worked for numerous magazines and eventually found work as an illustrator.
He sold over 100 million books worldwide.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He married fellow children's book author, Patricia Murphy.
Francis Van Wyck Mason is another famous Massachusetts-born author.