Joan Walsh Anglund was born on January 3, 1926 in Hinsdale, Illinois, USA. She was married to Robert Anglund . She died on March 9, 2021 in Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA.
Her father was a commercial artist and her mother was a painter.
She wrote more than 120 books that have been translated into several languages and sold 50 million copies. Her stylized illustrations of children were used in greeting cards, calendars, and figurines.
She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art (Chicago), before working as an apprentice to a commercial artist.