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An Illustrator Dies, His Last Book Unfinished. In Steps His Son.

A beloved illustrator died in the middle of a project. His son, who
had been drifting away from art for years, was given the chance to
finish the work.

Credit...

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By Liz Moore

Liz Moore, whose most recent novel is "The God of the Woods,"
reported from Philadelphia.

  * Jan. 13, 2025Updated 3:06 p.m. ET

Charles Santore was in the middle of illustrating the children's book
he did not know would be his last when he began to feel weak.

The book was "The Scroobious Pip," Edward Lear's nonsense poem about
an uncategorizable creature: part beast, part bird, part fish, part
insect. The man bringing it to visual life was a beloved illustrator,
a master of realism whose versions of "The Night Before Christmas,"
"Peter Rabbit" and "The Wizard of Oz" have sold hundreds of thousands
of copies.

Over the course of his career, Charlie, as he was known, rarely
missed a day in his studio, two blocks from Rittenhouse Square in
Philadelphia. But suddenly, he found himself in so much pain that he
was unable to work.

On Aug. 11, 2019 -- only six days after he was admitted to
Pennsylvania Hospital -- Charlie died. He was 84.

Soon after, his friend and agent Buz Teacher called a meeting with
Charlie's three adult children to discuss their father's work. Among
the most pressing questions was how to proceed with "The Scroobious
Pip," which was under contract with Running Press, a
Philadelphia-based imprint of Hachette. Charlie had made nine
drawings for it -- each one an incredibly detailed menagerie -- and
three watercolor paintings. But there was an enormous amount of work
left.

ImageA man stands in the middle of an art studio, with
paint-splattered pieces of paper, paints and brushes around.
Nicholas Santore, known as Nicky, in his father's studio, much of
which remained untouched after his death in 2019. Credit...Aaron
Richter for The New York Times

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