Hudson Talbott

Hudson Talbott has written and illustrated over twenty- seven books for young readers. His books have been made into films, musicals, and have won several awards, including a Newbury Honor. Hudson grew up in Louisville, KY, the youngest of four children and the only one with an interest in the arts. Despite his parents' orientation toward sports, they supported his artistic pursuits, allowing him to study art in Italy. After living abroad for several years Hudson began his career in New York as a free-lance designer/illustrator, commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum, The Metropolitan Opera, Bloomingdale's, and the Museum of Modern Art among others. Hudson created his first children's book for the Museum of Modern Art, called How to Show Grown-Ups the Museum. His next book, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, was bought and produced as a feature-length animated film by Steven Spielberg, who also bought the film and television rights to other books which followed. Hudson then collaborated with the composer Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine on a book adaptation of their Broadway musical Into the Woods. Two other books, River of Dreams the Story of the Hudson River and O'Sullivan Stew have since been adapted and produced for the stage as musicals for schools and youth theatrical groups. Hudson's lifelong passion for travel generated the subject matter for several of his books. Amazon Diary came from his experiences in the Amazon Rainforest with Dr. John Walden, a jungle doctor who brought malaria medicine to remote indigenous tribes. Safari Journal came from his travels with Dr. Jan Grootenhuis, a wildlife veterinarian who worked with the Maasai people in Kenya. In recent years, the subjects of Hudson’s books have have been closer to home. It’s All About Me-ow captures the “catitude” of his two cats who rule his farmhouse in upstate New York. From Wolf to Woof! The Story of Dogs inspired him to get a dog, a golden doodle named Morgan. Picturing America is the story of Thomas Cole, the first great American artist, who lived in nearby Catskill, and is a companion to his book River of Dreams. Hudson’s newest book, A Walk In The Words, is his own story about how he turned the challenge of being a slow reader to his advantage. By letting his curiosity and love of language lead him into reading he became a storyteller himself, and discovered that he could paint with words.