When William Van Horn quit animation work in 1977 he began to write and illustrate children’s books. His first book, “Harry Hoyle’s Giant Jumping Bean,” was an immediate success.

In the years to follow he wrote six additional books. Especially interesting are the three books about the little dinosaurs Charlie and Fred which laid the base for Bill’s comic series Nervous Rex.

Since 1985 Van Horn has concentrated on his comic work. Until 1990, however, he still illustrated five more children’s books based on texts by other authors.