William Steig┬а(1907 тАУ 2003) was an American┬аcartoonist, sculptor, and, late in life, an illustrator and writer of┬аchildren's books. Best known for the┬аpicture books┬аSylvester and the Magic Pebble,┬аAbel's Island, and┬аDoctor De Soto, he was also the creator of┬аShrek!, which inspired the┬аfilm series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international┬аHans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988.