Allen Say

The boy apprenticed himself for many years to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei, an experience detailed in his book Drawing from Memory, as well as the basis of his semi-autobiographical novel The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice.

He attended military school for a short time, an experience that was decidedly negative: "I learned bad English from rich juvenile delinquents and developed a lifelong loathing for uniforms and professional soldiers."

Afterward, Say enrolled himself at Citrus Union High School, where he was able to continue his studies in art and graduated in 1956.

In the years before becoming a full-time author and illustrator, Say worked as a sign painter and photographer, as well as being drafted into the U.S. Army for a time.

Upon returning to the United States, he pursued photography as a career choice, but was encouraged to explore his illustrations.