Mitsumasa Anno was born on March 20th in Tsuwana, Japan. Anno's books have all reflected an understanding of how children learn. He was trained as a teacher, and taught elementary school for ten years before devoting himself to his art. His first book to appear in the United States was Topsey-Turvies: Pictures to Stretch the Imagination, published in 1970. A collection of improbable constructions filled with impossible perspectives and angles, it had no story line and no words. The tiny pointed-capped character that he introduced and followed in later titles was a precursor to the wildly popular Where's Waldo. Also a mathematician, several of Anno's books focus on math: Anno's Counting Book, Anno's Counting House, and Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar.
The popularity of Anno's Journey inspired Anno's Italy, Anno's Medieval World, and Anno's USA, where he included Robert McCloskey's duck from Make Way for Ducklings.
