Tedd Arnold (born January 20, 1949 in Elmira, New York, United States) is a children's book writer and illustrator. He has written and illustrated over 100 books, and he has won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for his books "Hi! Fly Guy!" (2006), "I Spy Fly Guy" (2010), and "Noodleheads See the Future" (2018). He currently lives outside of Gainesville, Florida.
Background
Tedd graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA. He worked as a commercial illustrator before beginning his career writing children's books. Arnold met his wife, Carol, while living in Florida. Carol, a former kindergarten teacher, encouraged him to write and illustrate children's books. His sons, Walter and William, served as the inspiration for some of his characters and stories.
List of series
Fly Guy - Focusing on a friendly fly named Fly Guy and his owner Buzz. Huggly (The Monster Under the Bed) - Focusing on the adventures of Huggly, a cute and pudgy green monster with a yellow belly, living under the people child's bed with the help of his best friends Booter and Grubble. Parts - Focusing on an inquisitive boy named Chip Block and body parts.
Characters
Main characters
Fly Guy - A brown fly who is the main character of the Fly Guy series. Buzz - A young boy who is Fly Guy's owner. Chip Block - The main character of Parts series. Huggly - A cute and pudgy male green monster, the main character of The Monster Under the Bed series, with dark teal scales on his back, orange spots and a yellow tummy. He's shy and quiet, and can be somewhat klutzy. His belly is slightly bigger than Grubble's is. In the PC games, his tummy is lime. He was born on June 17. Booter - A purple monster who is Huggly's female best friend with light purple scales, red stripes and a yellow tummy. In the PC games, her tummy is orange while her stripes are orange and her scales are blue. She is very sweet like Huggly and sometimes hyper. She was born on January 9. Grubble - An orange monster who is Huggly's male best friend with magenta hair and spots and a yellow tummy. In the PC games, his hair and spots are red. He is also occasionally nervous and vain. He was born on September 28.
Other characters
People Child - A young boy who lives in Huggly's bedroom. People Mother - The People Child's mother. People Father - The People Child's father. Grandma - Buzz's grandmother in the Fly Guy series.
Awards
Tedd's first book, No Jumping on the Bed! was an IRA-CBC Children's Choice book and was also selected as a Parents Magazine 50 All-Time Best Children's Book. He is a three-time winner of the ALA's Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for Hi! Fly Guy and for I Spy Fly Guy, and Noodleheads See the Future
Novels for older teens
Rat Life (Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel, 2008)