The Rooster Crows

1890 – 1971

Maud Fuller was the daughter of a Baptist minister, She grew up with three sisters in a parsonage. The family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Newburg, New York, and finally to Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a child, she loved picture books and to draw. After graduating from Vassar College she studied at the New York School Of Fine And Applied Art. Her first job was in the art department at the International Art Service, an advertising firm, where she met her husband, Miska Petersham. The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Med…

1888 – 1960

Mikaly Petrezselyem, the son of a carpenter and blacksmith, grew up in a peasant home. In 1911 he moved to London. Unable to support himself with art, upon advice of a friend, he emigrated to New York in 1912. Shortening his last name to Petersham, he obtained work with the International Art Service, where he met his wife, Maud Fuller. The Petershams began illustrating books together, for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, they received the Caldecott Medal for "The Rooster Crows". Often they traveled to lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to research their books. The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 …