"I believe an illustrator has to be a costume designer, set designer and an actor all in one, for he or she must put characters in a setting that not only tells a story but is also filled with emotions and feelings."
(Laszlo Gal quoted in Booth, David. "Laszlo Gal: Illustrating the Text". Writers on Writing. Markham, Ont.: Overlea House, 1989. P. 15.)
After emigrating to Canada from Budapest in 1956, Laszlo Gal worked for T. Eaton, the Globe & Mail, and the CBC graphic arts department. An offer from the Italian firm, Mondadori Editori, led to a picture-book contract and a four-year stay in Italy. His work in Italy provided him with an opportunity to experiment with colour and technique and to immerse himself in Italian art and architecture. Upon his return to Canada, the rich and decorative style of his paintings, which had always been influenced by his east European heritage, began to show evidence of his new interest in Italian art. With each of his books, Gal strives to develop a distinctive ambience which will reflect the setting and period of the story. He spends a great deal of time on research and preliminary sketches. For The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1979), Renaissance-style architecture and costuming evoke the period of the tale, while the rich browns of Chinese silk paintings give his illustrations for The Enchanted Tapestry (1987) the appearance of ornate tapestries. Many of Laszlo Gal's illustrations are framed with intricately styled borders. The black and white borders of his favourite book, Canadian Fairy Tales (1984), give his paintings a rich and detailed appearance. The National Library's holdings include illustrations, sketches and tracings for The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1979), The Little Mermaid (1983) and Canadian Fairy Tales (1984).
Awards
 1978 | Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE Book Award for his illustrations in The Shirt of the Happy Man, My Name Is Not Odessa Yarker, and Why the Man in the Moon Is Happy and Other Tales of Eskimo Creation. |
| 1979 | Canada Council Children's Literature Prize, English language, illustration, for The Twelve Dancing Princesses. |
| 1980 | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for The Twelve Dancing Princesses. |
| 1983 | Canada Council Children's Literature Prize, English language, illustration for The Little Mermaid. |
Selected Bibliography
Le Brave petit tamia. Written by Nancy Cleaver; translated by François Marois; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Richmond Hill, Ont.: Scholastic-Tab Publications, 1981.
31 p.: ill.; 22 cm.
ISBN 0590711202
(French edition of How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes)
Canadian Fairy Tales. Written by Eva Martin; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Vancouver: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, c1984.
123 p.: col. ill.; 26 cm.
ISBN 0888990308
Cartier Discovers the St. Lawrence. Written by William Toye; illustrated by Laszlo Gal.
Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1970.
32 p.: col. illus., 2 col. maps.; 29 cm.
ISBN 0195401727 (bd.)
ISBN 0195403487 (pbk.)
El Cid: Soldier and Hero. Written by Maria de Vivanco; illustrated by Lazlo Gal. New York: Golden Press, c1968.
137 p.: col. ill.; 29 cm. (A Golden Book)
Cristobel: A Story for Young People. Written by Catherine Ahearn; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Ottawa: Golden Dog Press, 1982.
84 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0919614450
East of the Sun & West of the Moon. Written and illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1993.
40 p.: col. ill.; 30 cm.
ISBN 077103301X
ISBN 0771033028 (pbk.)
The Enchanted Tapestry: A Chinese Folktale. Written by Robert D. San Souci; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Vancouver: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1987.
32 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0888990502
A Flask of Sea Water. Written by P.K. (Patricia Kathleen)
Page; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989.
33 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0195407040
The Goodman of Ballengiech. Written by Margaret Crawford Maloney; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: General Paperbacks, 1991, c1987.
32 p.: col. ill.; 26 cm.
ISBN 0773673490 (pbk.)
Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Written by Margaret Crawford Maloney; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Methuen Children's Books, c1983.
30 p.: col. ill.; 30 cm.
ISBN 0458951102
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes. Written by Nancy Cleaver; illustrated by Laszlo Gal.
Richmond Hill, Ont.: Scholastic-TAB Publications, 1975, c1973.
31 p.: ill.; 22 cm.
Iduna and the Magic Apples. Written by Marianna Mayer; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. New York: Macmillan, c1988.
40 p.: col. ill.; 23 x 29 cm.
ISBN 0027651207
Islands. Written by Anne Smythe; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Vancouver: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, c1995.
32 p.: ill.; 29 cm.
ISBN 0888992386
Merlin's Castle. Written and illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Stoddart, 1995.
32 p.: col. ill.; 23 x 29 cm.
ISBN 077372852X
The Moon and the Oyster. Written by Donia Blumenfeld Clenman; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Victoria, B.C.: Orca Book Publishers, c1992.
31 p.: ill.; 29 cm.
ISBN 0920501834
The Moon Painters: and Other Estonian Folk Tales. Written by Selve Maas; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. New York: Viking Press, 1971.
143 p.: illus.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0670488321
My Name Is Not Odessa Yarker. Written by Marian Engel; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Kids Can Press, c1977.
36 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN 0919964133 (pbk.)
ISBN 0919964702 (bound)
Pome & Peel: A Venetian Tale. Written by Amy Ehrlich; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, c1990.
32 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0803702876
ISBN 0803702884 (lib. bdg.)
Prince Ivan and the Firebird: A Russian Folk Tale. Written and illustrated by Laszlo Gal.
Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1991.
40 p.: col. ill.; 30 cm.
ISBN 0771033001
Raven, Creator of the World: Eskimo Legends. Written by Ronald Melzack; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1970.
91 p.: col. illus.; 24 cm.
Scared Sarah. Written by Mary Alice Downie; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Don Mills, Ont.: Nelson, c1974.
64 p.: col. ill.; 23 cm. (Nelson Venture Books; level 3, set C)
Sea Witches. Written by Joanne Robertson; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1991.
30 p.: col. ill.; 22 x 30 cm.
ISBN 0195408004
The Shirt of the Happy Man = La camicia dell'uomo felice. Written by Mariella Bertelli; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Kids Can Press, c1977.
28 p.: ill; 18 cm. (Folktale Series)
ISBN 0919964176
Tales of the Far North. Written by Eva Martin; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. New York: Dial Books, 1986.
123 p.: ill. (some col.); 27 cm.
ISBN 0803703198
(American edition of Canadian Fairy Tales)
Tiktala. Written by Margaret Shaw-MacKinnon; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Stoddart, 1996.
32 p.: col. ill.; 29 cm.
ISBN 0773729208
The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Fairy Story. Written by Janet Lunn; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: Methuen, 1979.
32 p.: col. ill.; 30 cm.
ISBN 0458938904
ISBN 0458985406 (pbk.)
Why the Man in the Moon is Happy and Other Eskimo Creation Stories. Written by Ronald Melzak; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1977.
61 p.: col. ill.; 26 cm.
ISBN 0771058322
The Willow Maiden. Written by Meghan Collins; illustrated by Laszlo Gal. Vancouver: A Groundwood Book, Douglas & McIntyre, 1985.
38 p.: col. ill.; 28 cm.
ISBN 0888990391
Original Illustrations and Manuscript Material Available at the National Library of Canada
Laszlo Gal papers, 1979-1984 [manuscript].
3 m.
Graphic designer and illustrator of children's books. Toronto, Ontario. Illustrations, sketches and tracings for The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Little Mermaid and Canadian Fairy Tales; includes typescript (photocopy) of text for The Little Mermaid and Canadian Fairy Tales with annotations by Gal.
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