Although best known today as the creator of Shrek, William Steig (1907-2003) first achieved fame for his cartoons and covers for The New Yorker and his published books of drawings such as The Lonely Ones (1942), Small Fry (1944) and Dreams of Glory and Other Drawings (1953).
His situational gags are humorous and offer keen observations on various aspects of human relationships. Later in Steig's career he began creating children's books that explore, in a lighter vein, many of the same themes as his cartoons for adults. Steig wrote and illustrated over 30 acclaimed works for children, including the Caldecott-winning Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969) and Shrek! (1990). The exhibition featured over 100 works donated to the museum in 2010 by Jeanne Steig from the artist's estate, as well as selected works for children on loan from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and private collections.