photo by Kristin Angel

David Hyde Costello was born in upstate New York and began drawing as soon as he could hold a crayon. He drew constantly, filling reams of paper with characters of his own making. His favorites became the subjects of ongoing stories that David wrote and illustrated. One of his early recurring characters was “The Math Wizard,” who lived on the upper-right-hand corner of his eighth-grade math assignments and whose adventures were of continuing interest to the entire class.

In high school, David’s interests branched out. He attended the Hartford Academy of Performing Arts, where he studied acting, and then went on to major in theater and visual arts at Bard College. After graduating, David worked on the sets of plays and movies, including Hello, Dolly! on Broadway and such films as Angels in America, Spider-Man, The Departed and The Fighter. He also painted, created puppets for theater productions, and spent a year living in Indonesia.

David now lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he writes children’s stories, songs, and plays; goes hiking and cross-country skiing; and continues to fill reams of paper with the characters and images that populate his imagination. He is the author and illustrator of Here They Come!, I Can Help, and Little Pig Joins the Band.

Young David Hyde Costello with paint

a sample of David's early work