James Horvath is a children’s writer, illustrator and author of ''Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail'', ''Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail'' and ''Work, Dogs, Work: A Highway Tail''. He is also head of Jamestoons Studios, a design company that has illustrated images for ad, marketing and branding agencies as well as other writers.
Education and background
Horvath was born in
South Amherst, Ohio. Though he was interested in drawing as a child, he did not know what to do with his hobby. He held down a number of jobs after high school, including a stint in the
Navy, in
construction and as a
bicycle messenger
Bicycle messengers (also known as bike or cycle couriers) are people who work for courier companies (also known as messenger companies) carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business di ...
in
Washington, D.C. He returned to illustration when he first worked with an
Apple computer in 1990 while attending
Northern Virginia Community College. He currently resides in
Morro Bay, California.
In 2002, Hovath established Jamestoons Studios, and worked with
Google,
Nestlé, ''
Reader’s Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'',
Sprint
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
*Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint, ...
,
Tyco and
Toshiba International. His work appeared in advertising, computer games for children and other books. His influences include
Josh “Shag” Agle,
Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel and
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
cartoons.
Work
Horvath said his inspiration for his series of stories about dogs in construction came from his own sons’ interest in stopping to watch building job sites.
accepted his first book, ''Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail'', which tells the story of a construction crew of canines who are building a park, shortly after Horvath attended the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators'
Los Angeles summer conference in August 2011. The publisher extended a three-book contract to the writer/illustrator.
''Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail'' was published on April 23, 2013; its followup, ''Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail'' (a story about the crew taking down and constructing a building) was released on December 30, 2013.''Work, Dogs, Work: A Highway Tail'' will be released on September 23, 2014.
His series of books have been well received by reviewers, with
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
noting that it is engaging and solid. The New York Times also described the illustrations as reflecting Horvath’s influences in comics and cartoons as well as featuring "Hanna-Barbera panoramas". Atlanta Parent also named ''Dig, Dogs, Dig'' as one of its Best Books of 2013. The series is also praised for its inclusiveness of female characters in construction and being the favorite of a reviewer’s child.
List of works
* ''Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail'' (2013)
* ''Build, Dogs, Build: A Tall Tail'' (2013)
* ''Work, Dogs, Work: A Highway Tail'' (2014)
References
External links
James Horvath and Jamestoons Studios’ homepageJames Horvath’s GoodReads profileJames Horvath’s book blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horvath, James
American children's writers
Artists from Ohio
American children's book illustrators
Bicycle messengers
People from Morro Bay, California
People from Lorain County, Ohio
Writers from Ohio
Writers from California
Writers who illustrated their own writing