Sue DiCicco (born April 28, 1959) is an American sculptor, children's book author and illustrator, and founder of Armed with the Arts and the Peace Crane Project. Career DiCicco was born in Southern California, and started in the film industry as an animator at the Walt Disney Company, having attended the California Institute of the Arts. Her classmates were Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Chris Buck and Joe Ranft. After two years at Cal Arts, she worked for Disney and other studios as an animator, before opening her own studio. She is best known for her many children's books and creating The Peace Crane Project. Publishing DiCicco has written dozens and illustrated hundreds of children's storybooks. In the 1990s she often teamed with her late husband Gil DiCicco, as both DiCicco Studios and DiCicco Digital Arts. Since 2014, DiCicco has been the illustrator for many Classic Golden Books, including Poky Little Puppy, Shy Little Kitten, Tawny Scrawny Lion, Tootle, and The Little Red Caboose. DiCicco most recently co-wrote a book about Sadako Sasaki with Sadako's older brother, Masahiro Sasaki. John Denver DiCicco was commissioned to sculpt a heroic sized John Denver statue for the Windstar Foundation in 2002. In 2013, the Windstar Foundation closed its doors and donated the statue to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. The statue was unveiled at its new location at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado in spring 2015. The bronze study for the statue is used as a fundraiser and as the annual "John Denver Spirit Award". The initial sketch of the statue was used by the Taylor Guitar Company to create a limited edition John Denver guitar, released in 2003. Armed with the Arts and The Peace Crane Project In early 2013, DiCicco founded Armed with the Arts, with the goal of arming children with the skills to express themselves creatively. In addition to hosting the Peace Crane Project each year, Armed with the Arts launched a worldwide singing event in 2015. The foundation announced a new Creative Book Award in 2018. Purpose Global included the Peace Crane Project in its inaugural list of the 500 most influential global initiatives for peace in 2016. Ellen DeGeneres tweeted about The Peace Crane Project on Peace Day in 2019, encouraging her followers to participate. Personal life DiCicco married broadcast journalist Rolland Smith in 2021. Selected bibliography Walt Disney Presents The Little Mermaid (Golden Book/Western Publishing