Charles Schultz Sparky Sparknotes

The book I read was Sparky by Beverly Gherman. Charles Schultz, also known as “Sparky”, was a very successful cartoon producer who drew and wrote the famous comic “Peanuts.” But, as many people may not know, he had a very rough childhood. Sparky was born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sparky was born to a German immigrant father, Carl, and mother, Dena. He grew up during the Great Depression just outside of Needles, California. Charles always enjoyed it when his dad read him the Sunday newspaper comics, and he enjoyed drawing the comics too. This was when he realized he wanted to be an artist. As a child, Sparky drew his own version of a comic. He named it “Lil Friends” and gave them to his friends and family. Not long after,

Just as Sparky got really good at cartooning, he got drafted for the Army. Just as he was leaving, Sparky decided to talk to his mom who had cervical cancer. She told him to stay strong and that, if she was gone before he came back, to name the dog in his comic strip Snoopy. Not long after Sparky left for basic training, his mom died at age fifty form her cervical cancer. Sparky quickly rose to the rank of sergeant and learned how to use a machine gun skillfully. His unit, Company B in the Eighth Armored Battalion of the Twentieth Armored Infantry Division, was shipped to Europe in February 1945, where they helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp. After Charles came back home, he received the Combat Infantryman Badge for fighting under hostile combat fire. After that, he was sent to Camp Cooke before leaving on January 6, 1946. During the war, Charles enjoyed drawing cartoons to make his friends in the Army laugh during the hard times. This gave him the opportunity to perfect his technique and drawing skills. His first piece he had published was in 1947, a special in the military publication “Stars and Stripes.” Later that year, Sparky finally got his