The note 'About the Artist' in the Macmillan Classics Edition of Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (second printing 1965), which Hoban illustrated, notes that he worked in advertising for Batten Barton Durstine & Osborn and that he later became the art director of J. They had four children before divorcing in 1975.Īfter leaving military service, Hoban worked as an illustrator, painting several covers for TIME, Sports Illustrated, and The Saturday Evening Post, and as an advertising copywriter-occupations which several of his characters later shared-before he wrote and illustrated his first children's book, What Does It Do and How Does It Work?: Power Shovel, Dump Truck, and Other Heavy Machines, published by Harper in 1959. During his military service he married Lillian Aberman, who later became a writer and illustrator herself. After briefly attending Temple University, he enlisted in the Army at age 18 and served in the Philippines and Italy as a radio operator during World War II, earning a bronze star. His father died when Russell was 11, and Russell was thereafter raised by his mother, Jeanette Dimmerman. Hoban, was the advertising manager of the Yiddish-language Jewish Daily Forward and the director of The Drama Guild of the Labor Institute of the Workmen's Circle of Philadelphia. Hoban was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, to Jewish immigrants from Ostrog (now in Ukraine). He lived in London from 1969 until his death. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. Russell Conwell Hoban (Febru– December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. Gundula Ahl (1975–2011) 3 children (Jake, Ben, Wieland).Lillian Hoban (1944–1975, divorced) 4 children ( Phoebe, Abrom, Esmé, Julia).Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Celebrations.She also illustrated many picture books, including the classic stories about Frances. Lillian Hoban was the author and illustrator of many favorite I Can Read books, including Joe and Betsy the Dinosaur, Silly Tilly's Thanksgiving, and a series about Arthur the Chimpanzee. He also wrote Bedtime for Frances, illustrated by Garth Williams. Russell Hoban was the author of A Bargain for Frances, A Baby Sister for Frances, Best Friends for Frances, A Birthday for Frances, and Bread and Jam for Frances, all illustrated by Lillian Hoban.

A Birthday for Frances by Russell Hoban