Syd Hoff was a much-loved and much-read author and illustrator of numerous books for children, most notably the Danny and the Dinosaur titles and Sammy the Seal. Born and raised in New York City, he studied at the National Academy of Design and sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker when he was eighteen. His cartoons became regular features in many magazines and newspapers. Sid Hoff was born in 1912 and died in 2004, at ninety-one. His books continue to delight readers worldwide.