Tomi Ungerer

Jean-Thomas “Tomi” Ungerer (28 November 1931 – 9 February 2019) was a French-Alsatian illustrator, children’s book author, graphic artist, and provocateur whose picture books are among the most visually distinctive and morally unconventional in the history of the form. His children’s books feature robbers who become philanthropists, snakes who save lives, ogres who are reformed by good cooking, and a Man in the Moon who is imprisoned by the authorities — stories animated by a darkly witty humanism that refuses to sentimentalise childhood or simplify morality. He was also a distinguished political satirist, advertising artist, and creator of erotic illustrations, and the tension between his children’s work and his adult work made him one of the most controversial figures in children’s literature.

Early Life

Ungerer was born in Strasbourg, Alsace — a region that was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, when he was eight. His childhood experience of occupation — of being forced to speak German, to attend German schools, to give the Hitler salute — profoundly shaped his worldview and his art. He later said that growing up under the Nazis taught him that authority is not to be trusted, that conformity is dangerous, and that the world is full of absurdity and cruelty — lessons that pervade his picture books.

After the war, he studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg and emigrated to New York in 1956 with sixty dollars and a trunk full of drawings.

Children’s Books

Ungerer’s first children’s book, The Mellops Go Flying (1957), about a family of pigs, established his graphic style: bold colours, strong outlines, and compositions influenced by the European poster tradition. But it was his subsequent books that made his reputation.

Crictor (1958): A boa constrictor is sent by post from Africa to an old French lady, who raises him as a pet. Crictor learns the alphabet, catches a burglar, and is awarded a medal. The book is a masterpiece of deadpan absurdity.

The Three Robbers (1962): Three fierce robbers in black cloaks and tall hats terrorise the countryside until they encounter a small orphan girl named Tiffany, who asks them what they do with their stolen treasure. Ashamed, they use their wealth to build an orphanage. The book’s stark black, blue, and red colour palette is instantly recognisable, and its moral — that even villains can be redeemed — is delivered without sentimentality.

Moon Man (1966): The Man in the Moon, curious about Earth, rides a comet down and is immediately arrested and imprisoned by the authorities, who fear what they don’t understand. He eventually escapes and returns to the sky. The book is a gentle parable about conformity, persecution, and the desire for freedom.

Zeralda’s Ogre (1967): An ogre who eats children is tamed by a small girl who is such a brilliant cook that he prefers her cuisine to raw children. They marry and live happily. The story’s treatment of violence and its unapologetically dark humour set it apart from conventional children’s fare.

The Fall and Return

In the late 1960s and 1970s, Ungerer’s publication of erotic and satirical art — including Fornicon (1969), a book of sexual satire, and The Underground Sketchbook (1964), a collection of political cartoons — led to a backlash against his children’s books. American libraries removed his books from shelves, and he was effectively blacklisted from the American children’s book establishment. He left New York, moved first to Nova Scotia and then to Ireland, and spent years in relative obscurity.

His rehabilitation began in Europe, where his children’s books had remained popular. In 1998, he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award — the highest international honour in children’s literature — in recognition of his lifetime contribution. A museum dedicated to his work opened in Strasbourg in 2007.

Art and Satire

Ungerer was a prolific artist outside the children’s book world. His political posters — against racism, war, and authoritarianism — are powerful works of graphic art. His advertising work, including campaigns for the New York Times and various European clients, demonstrates his command of visual communication. His erotic illustrations, while deliberately provocative, are accomplished works of draftsmanship.

Critical Standing

Ungerer is now recognised as one of the great picture book artists of the twentieth century — alongside Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, and Quentin Blake. His best books combine visual brilliance with moral seriousness, and his refusal to condescend to children or to pretend that the world is simpler than it is gives his work a lasting power.

Collecting Ungerer

The Three Robbers (1962, Atheneum) in first American edition is the most sought-after, bringing $300–$800. Crictor (1958, Harper) and Moon Man (1966) are also desirable. First editions of his adult satirical works are collected separately. The Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg holds the largest collection of his original art.