John Peterson (author)
Encyclopedia
John Peterson was an American author of children's books during the 20th century. He is best known as the creator of The Littles
, which began as a series of books in 1967, later adapted into a long-running animated cartoon
series by DiC Entertainment
. Peterson was also the author of The Secret Hide-Out
, a popular Scholastic Books title in the 1960s and 1970s.
John Lawrence Peterson was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania
on February 10, 1924, and attended Pratt Institute
before volunteering and serving as a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division in World War II
. After the war he returned to Pratt Institute and graduated in 1948. He lived in the Clinton Hill
district of Brooklyn, New York with his wife Holly (Simmonds), also a Pratt graduate, where he had sons John Christopher, Matthew James, and Joel David Barnes, and a daughter Elizabeth Holly. Peterson later moved to Hankins, New York. His son Chris had nine children who have since produced eight great-grandchildren. Peterson died in November 2002 at the age of seventy-eight.
John Peterson was an illustrator for advertising and magazines for two decades before writing his first book, Tony's Treasure Hunt, later renamed Terry's Treasure Hunt. Another great Peterson title is How to Write Codes and Send Secret Messages featuring such timeless tricks as mirror writing
, the reverse mirror code, and the use of invisible ink
.
During his lifetime he spoke at US elementary schools, volunteered for the Boy Scout
s and directed a Sunday school class with his wife Holly at an Episcopal church.
The Littles
The Littles is a series of children's novels by American author John Peterson, the first of which was published in 1967. Peterson's books were adapted into the The Littles animated series by DIC Entertainment 16 years later...
, which began as a series of books in 1967, later adapted into a long-running animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
series by DiC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
. Peterson was also the author of The Secret Hide-Out
The Secret Hide-Out
The Secret Hide-Out is a children's novel written and illustrated by children's author John Peterson, who also created The Littles. It was originally published as a hardback title by Four Winds Press in 1965, then became a long-running paperback for Scholastic Press and its book clubs, through the...
, a popular Scholastic Books title in the 1960s and 1970s.
John Lawrence Peterson was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania
Bradford, Pennsylvania
Bradford is a small city located in rural McKean County, Pennsylvania, in the United States 78 miles south of Buffalo, New York. Settled in 1823, Bradford was chartered as a city in 1879 and emerged as a wild oil boomtown in the Pennsylvanian oil rush in the late 19th century...
on February 10, 1924, and attended Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
before volunteering and serving as a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war he returned to Pratt Institute and graduated in 1948. He lived in the Clinton Hill
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bordered on the east by Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the west by Fort Greene, on the north by Wallabout Bay and on the south by Prospect Heights...
district of Brooklyn, New York with his wife Holly (Simmonds), also a Pratt graduate, where he had sons John Christopher, Matthew James, and Joel David Barnes, and a daughter Elizabeth Holly. Peterson later moved to Hankins, New York. His son Chris had nine children who have since produced eight great-grandchildren. Peterson died in November 2002 at the age of seventy-eight.
John Peterson was an illustrator for advertising and magazines for two decades before writing his first book, Tony's Treasure Hunt, later renamed Terry's Treasure Hunt. Another great Peterson title is How to Write Codes and Send Secret Messages featuring such timeless tricks as mirror writing
Mirror writing
Mirror writing is formed by writing in the direction that is the reverse of the natural way for a given language, such that the result is the mirror image of normal writing: it appears normal when it is reflected in a mirror. It is sometimes used as an extremely primitive form of cipher...
, the reverse mirror code, and the use of invisible ink
Invisible ink
Invisible ink, also known as security ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and which later on can be made visible by some means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography, and it has been used in espionage...
.
During his lifetime he spoke at US elementary schools, volunteered for the Boy Scout
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
s and directed a Sunday school class with his wife Holly at an Episcopal church.