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"When will you finally learn to embrace your inner child, father."

About Me

Thank you for visiting my website. My name is Tony Alioto and I am a writer and illustrator of books for kids. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and son where I love to create silly characters with good hearts and lots of wonderful flaws. 

 

I am inspired especially by art that makes me laugh or smile. By folk art and characters that probably need a hug. I love faces on inanimate objects and being inspired by the beauty of unseen or forgotten things. 

 

I created the kid's webcomic Little Green Monsters, which was featured weekly in Sunday HaHa. My wife and I also started Hungry Pajama Studios, a line of silly and pun-filled greeting cards on Etsy.

 

I enjoy working in soft and oil pastels, charcoal, watercolor, graphite and ink, and a Midori or Life sketchbook is always close by.

Contact

You can reach me at tony@wordsandcolor.com.

You can find me on Substack at Drawing Weird.

I am represented by John Rudolph at Dystel Goderich & Bourret.

What does your desk look like?

I love to surround myself with trinkets and things that make me smile and push me onward. Things with a certain positive and affirming energy.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

I am in awe of so many wonderful artists. I love James Marshall, Laura Carlin, Beatrice Alemagna, Arnold Lobel, Maurice Sendak, Maira Kalman, Giselle Potter, Matthew Wong, Shinsuke Yoshitake, Marika Maijala, Jerry Pinkney, Eva Lindström, Tor Freeman, Isabella Cotier, Carson Ellis, Rowboat Watkins, Noemi Vola, Polina Kalashnikova, Matthew Cordell, Marianna Coppo, Sophie Blackall, Ines Viegas Oliveira, Tomie DePaola, Simms Taback, William Steig, Ashley Bryan, Brian Wildsmith, Alice and Martin Provensen, Mary Blair, Kveta Pacovská, to name just a few.

What were some of your favorite picture books as a kid?

These are four books from my childhood that I remember so deeply. When I became a father myself, I searched for them in hopes that they were, in fact, real. They were not only very real, but even better than I remember.

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  • Humphrey, the Lost Whale by Richard Hall and Wendy Tokuda

  • The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

  • John Henry by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney 

  • Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman

What are some of the picture books you are loving right now?

  • The Clown of God by Tomie DePaola

  • If You’re Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow by Cooper Edens

  • Nicky & Vera by Peter Sís

  • We are Definitely Human by X. Fang

  • The Bridge by Eva Lindström

  • Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli and Mariachiara di Giorgio

  • Gorilla by Anthony Browne

  • The Lost Lake by Allen Say

  • Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

  • Mr. Coats by Sieb Posthuma

  • Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

  • Cecil the Pet Glacier by Matthea Harvey and Giselle Potter

  • Come On In: There's a Party in this Book! by Jamie Michalak and Sabine Timm

What does your sketchbook look like?

I am certainly not the best artist. But I am working on embracing these imperfections, and loving my mistakes. 

What are some very random facts about you?

My Nonni and her argyle sweaters were semi-famous.

My 86 year old (now 100 year old!) Nonni is known among San Francisco Giants fans as the Fist Pump Granny. One day at the ballpark she started dancing, pumping her fists into the air, and was featured on the jumbotron. The crowd went wild, and the rest is history. After that she had her own segment between innings, trended worldwide on Twitter, and even had her own float in the 2012 world series parade. It was a totally organic and magical time, and such a joyous memory for me and my family. It's also a great reminder that it's never too late to dance...or make books.

You can see me in the bottom left corner next to my sister at the end of the clip. I couldn't even stand? Come on, Tony.

I am related to Old West Outlaws. 

I always heard the stories and family legends of our wild west outlaw ancestors, Tom and Frank McLaury. The McLaury brothers were cowboys in Tombstone, Arizona, who took part in the infamous O.K. Corral shootout against the Earp brothers. I have always been obsessed with this slice of American frontier history, and my family's role in it. Perhaps there is a picture book here somewhere...?

Tom-Frank-McLaury.jpg

Have you ever looked at a photograph from the past and felt an instant connection and understanding with the person. Also, I should grow a mustache.

I have a very old soul...according to Fantastic Sam's.

Once in my early twenties, while getting my haircut at Fantastic Sam's (by the way, as an aside, the Fantastic Sam special always included a free Shampoo. Such a great deal! But I never, ever took it. I was too self conscious. Why oh why was I so afraid to get the shampoo? Why!?) the stylist asked me what I felt my spiritual age was. She said that she asked this question to all her first time clients. I thought about it for a moment and then said, "probably 65 or 70, i think." She stopped cutting my hair, looked at me deadly seriously, and said that I had the oldest spiritual age of anyone she had ever asked in her 35 years of cutting hair. Obviously, I still think about this a lot. And the shampoos. What does it all mean?

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