Jack Kent (illustrator)

Jack Kent
BornJohn Wellington Kent
(1920-03-10)March 10, 1920
Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1985(1985-10-18) (aged 65)
U.S.
Area(s)Cartoonist, Artist
Notable works
King Aroo
Spouse(s)June
Jack Kent's King Aroo (November 25, 1956)

John Wellington Kent, better known by his signature Jack Kent (March 10, 1920 – October 18, 1985), was an American cartoonist and prolific author-illustrator of 40 children's books. He is perhaps best known as the creator of King Aroo, a comic strip often compared to Walt Kelly's Pogo. In addition to his own books, he also illustrated 22 books by other authors.[1]

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Kent dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and began a career as a freelance commercial artist, working in that field until he joined the U.S. Army in 1941.