Virginia Lee Burton, (born Aug. 30, 1909, Newton Centre, Mass., U.S.—died Oct. 15, 1968, Boston, Mass.), American author and illustrator of children’s books, some considered classics and many still popular today.
Burton grew up from the age of seven in Sonora, California. After graduating from high school she studied both dancing and drawing, and later she continued taking art lessons at the Boston Museum School. In 1929 she became a sketch artist for the Boston Transcript. In 1937 she published her first book, Choo Choo, a children’s story she had written, designed, and illustrated. Her later books include Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (1939), Calico, the Wonder Horse (1941), and The Little House (1942), which won the Caldecott Medal for best illustrated children’s book of the year. She also wrote Katy and the Big Snow (1943), Maybelle, the Cable Car (1952), and Life Story (1962), a book organized into five acts based on geologic eras. The appeal of her books was such that many are still in print. She also illustrated Song of Robin Hood (1947), a collection of ballads edited by Anne Malcolmson with music arranged by Grace Castagnetta, and an edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes (1949). During the 1940s she taught graphic design and organized the Folly Cove Designers, whose linoleum block prints were popular.