Leo Lionni (May 5, 1910 – October 11, 1999) was an author and illustrator of children's books. Born in the Netherlands, he moved to Italy and lived there before moving to the United States in 1939, where he worked as an art director for several
advertising agencies, and then for
Fortune magazine. He returned to Italy in 1962 and started writing and illustrating children's books. In 1962 his book
Inch by Inch was awarded the
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.