Leo Lionni has gained international renown for his paintings, graphic designs, illustrations, and sculpture, as well as for his books for children. He was born in Holland in 1910 of Dutch parents, and although his education did not include formal art courses (in fact, he has a doctorate in economics from the University of Genoa), he spent much of his free time as a child in Amsterdam's museums, teaching himself to draw.

Lionni's business training gradually receded into the background as his interest in art and design grew. Having settled in Milan soon after his marriage in 1931, he started off by writing about European architecture for a local magazine. It was there that he met the contacts who were to give him a start as a professional graphic designer. When he moved to America in 1939, Lionni was hired by a Philadelphia advertising agency as art director. Later he became design director for the Olivetti Corporation of America, and then art director for Fortune magazine. At the same time, his reputation as an artist flourished as he began to exhibit his paintings and drawings in galleries from New York to Japan.

Lionni launched his career as an author/illustrator of books for children in 1959. Originally developed from a story he had improvised for his grandchildren during a dull train ride, Little Blue and LittleYellow was the first of what is now a long list of children's picture books, including four Caldecott Honor Books.

Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner-for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89.

(author's full quotations can be found on randomhouse.ca)

I have a soft spot for this book, as it was the first book I ever received. I had seen it in the school library at my elementary school and someone had made an Alexander to showcase it on the shelf. Alexander is illustrated here as a grey mouse with a body of torn paper and four little grey-paper legs. He looks, quite fluffy and cute.
Willy, by contrast, is smooth and clean (cutout with scissors as opposed to being torn) to emphasize his mechanical nature.
Collage,photo montages are a common methods of illustration in many of Lionni's books. The very use of the materials suggest different environments and give a nod to his advertising background.

This is a bit of a fable,about friendship, sacrifice and wanting what may look better on the other side of the fence.

There is also a sad note to what happens to toys when the kids grow up, that's reminiscent of Toy Story 2.Willy who is supposedly among three of the favorite toys (the other being a bear and a doll) ends up in a charity box along with discarded toys when the little girl of the house has her birthday party. He's gone from hero to zero, and he becomes ignored and expendable,trash. He in fact becomes no better than Alexander who is considered a pest. Willy has lost the one thing that means the most to him. He didn't even care that he had to be dependent on others to move:as long as he was loved by everybody.
Ironically when Alexander sacrifices his wish so Willy can become a real mouse,Willy is still going to be without the conditional love he was so happy with. He's now a pest, and unwelcome in the house:but he has unconditional friendship with Alexander.