James Stevenson (July 11, 1929 – February 17, 2017) was an American
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...
and author of over 100 children's books. His cartoons appeared regularly in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine. He usually used a unique
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
style of illustration that is very recognizable. His books, like ''What's Under My Bed'', have been featured on the ''
Reading Rainbow
''Reading Rainbow'' is an American educational children's television series that originally aired on PBS and afterwards PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 ...
'' television series.
Biography
James Stevenson was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and educated at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
, where he was the feature editor of campus humor magazine ''
The Yale Record
''The Yale Record'' is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it became the oldest humor magazine in the world when ''Punch'' folded in 2002."History", The Yale Record, March 10, 2010. http://www.yalerecord.com/about/histo ...
''.
He contributed his first cartoon to ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' on March 10, 1956.Stevenson, James (March 10, 1956). Cartoon. ''The New Yorker''. New York: Conde Nast.
James Stevenson wrote and illustrated his first book ''Walker, the Witch, and the Striped Flying Saucer'' in 1969. He had previously illustrated the children's book ''If I Owned a Candy Factory'' (1968) written by his then eight-year-old son, James Walker Stevenson.
Awards
*''Could Be Worse!'' (1977) - was awarded the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
' "Outstanding Children's Book of the Year", and
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
ALA Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure.
* ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...
*''Monty'' (1979) - School Library Journal's "Best Books for Spring"
*''Fast Friends: Two Stories'' (1979) - ALA's Notable Book designation
*''The Worst Person in the World'' (1979) - Children's Choice Award (
International Reading Association
The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...
)
*''Howard'' (1980) - New York Times' "Best Illustrated Book" and New York Times' "Outstanding Book"
*''That Terrible Halloween Night'' (1980) - ALA's Notable Book designation and Children's Choice Award (International Reading Association)
*''The Wish Card Ran Out!'' (1981) - School Library Journal's Best Books of 1981
*''The Night after Christmas'' (1982) - Children's Choice Award (International Reading Association) and
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Gl ...
/
Horn Book
''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...
honor list
*''We Can't Sleep'' (1982) -
Christopher Award
The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...
*''Oliver, Clarence, and Violet'' (1982) -
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
*''What's Under My Bed?'' (1983) - Boston Globe/Horn Book's honor list, ALA's Notable Book designation, and School Library Journal's Best Books of 1983
*''Grandpa's Great City Tour: An Alphabet Book (1982) - Garden State Children's Book Award (
New Jersey Library Association
The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) is a library organization located in Trenton, New Jersey. It was established in 1890, and is the oldest library organization in the State of New Jersey. The NJLA began in 1890 with 39 members, and current ...
)
*''Higher on the Door'' (1987) - Parents' Choice designation and
Redbook
''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-comprise ...
award
*''Georgia Music'' (1987) - Boston Globe/Horn Book honor list
*''Granddaddy's Place'' (1987) - Parents' Choice Picture Book award
*''The Supreme Souvenir Factory'' (1989) - Children's Choice Award (International Reading Association)
*''Oh No, It's Waylon's Birthday!'' (1990) - Children's Choice Award (International Reading Association)
*''Something Big Has Been Here'' (1992) - Kentucky Bluegrass Award
*''Don't You Know There's a War On?'' (1992) - Parents' Choice Picture Book award
Select bibliography
Children's books
*''Walker, the Witch, and the Striped Flying Saucer''
*''If I Owned a Candy Factory''
*''Just Around the Corner''
*''Lost and Found New York: Oddballs, Heroes, Heartbreakers, Scoundrels, Thugs, Mayors, and Mysteries''
*''Rolling Rose''
*''Here Comes Herb's Hurricane'' (1973)
*''That's Exactly the Way It Wasn't''
*''Monty''
*''No Need for Monty''
*''Howard''
*''The Most Amazing Dinosaur''
*''Clams Can't Sing'' (1980)
*''A Village Full of Valentines'' (1995)
*''The Castaway'' (2002)
Grandpa, Mary Ann and Louie series
A series of tales told by a grandfather character to his grandchildren. Usually containing outrageous and unbelievable tales:
#''Could Be Worse!'' (1977)
#''That Terrible Halloween Night'' (1980)
#''We Can't Sleep'' (1982)
#''The Great Big Especially Beautiful Easter Egg'' (1983)
#''Grandpa's Great City Tour: An Alphabet Book'' (1982)
#''What's Under My Bed?'' (1983)
#''Worse Than Willy'' (1984)
#''That Dreadful Day'' (1985)
#''There's Nothing to Do'' (1986)
#''No Friends'' (1986)
#''Will You Please Feed Our Cat?'' (1987)
#''We Hate Rain!'' (1988)
#''Grandpa's Too-Good Garden'' (1989)
#''Brrr'' (1991)
#''That's Exactly the Way It Wasn't'' (1991)
''Emma'' series
Featuring Emma, a good witch, and her nemeses Dolores and Lavinia:
#''Yuck!'' (1984)
#''Emma'' (1985)
#''Fried Feathers for Thanksgiving''
#''Happy Valentine's Day, Emma!'' (1987)
#''Un-Happy New Year, Emma!''
#''Emma at the Beach'' (1990)
''The Worst'' series
Featuring a crotchety old man:
*''The Worst Person in the World ''
*''The Worst Person in the World at Crab Beach''
*''The Worst Person's Christmas''
*''Worse than the Worst''
*''The Worst Goes South''
''Mr. Frimdimpny'' series
These books feature the alligator Mr. Frimdimpny who has rules about no laughing:
*''Don't Make Me Laugh'' (1999)
*''No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling'' (2004)
''Mud Flat Friends'' series
*''Mud Flat Spring''
*''Christmas at Mud Flat''
*''Mud Flat Mystery''
*''Mud Flat April Fool''
*''Flying Feet: A Mud Flat Story''
*''The Mud Flat Olympics''
*''Yard Sale''
*''Heat Wave at Mud Flat''
Autobiographical and reminiscent picture book series
A series of books illustrated in a softer watercolor style:
*''When I Was Nine''
*''Higher on the Door'' (1987)
*''July''
*''Don't You Know There's a War On?''
*''Fun No Fun'' (1994)
*''I Had a Lot of Wishes'' (1995)
*''I Meant to Tell You'' (1996)
Young Adult novels
*''The Bones in the Cliff''
*''The Unprotected Witness''
Poetry
Collections of James Stevenson's poetry, illustrated by himself.
*''Candy Corn''
*''Popcorn''
*''Cornflakes''
*''Sweet Corn''
*''Corn Chowder''
*''Corn-Fed''
*''Just Around the CORNer''
Cartoons collections
*''Sorry, Lady. This Beach Is Private!'' (1963)
*''Let's Boogie!'' (1978)
Novels
*''Do Yourself a Favor, Kid'' (1962)
*''The Summer Houses'' (1963)
*''Sometimes, But Not Always'' (1967)
*''Something Marvelous Is About to Happen'' (1971)
*''Cool Jack and the Beanstalk'' (1976)
*''Uptown Local, Downtown Express'' (1983)
Illustrations for other authors
* ''If I Owned a Candy Factory'' (1968) by James Walker Stevenson (James Stevenson's son)
* "Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day" by Donald J. Sobol
* ''Tony's Hard Work Day'' (1972) by
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...
* ''Cully Cully and the Bear'' (1983) by
Wilson Gage
Mary Quintard Govan Steele (May 8, 1922 – July 6, 1992) was an American author and naturalist. She wrote over twenty books, mainly for children. One of them, ''Journey Outside'', was a Newbery Honor Book. Steele sometimes wrote under the n ...
* ''I Know a Lady'' (1984) by
Charlotte Zolotow
Charlotte Zolotow (born Charlotte Gertrude Shapiro; June 26, 1915 – November 19, 2013) was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of many books for children. She wrote about 70 picture book texts.
The writers she edited include Paul Fl ...
Loop the Loop
The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.
History
The vertical l ...
'' (1992) by
Barbara Dugan
Barbara may refer to:
People
* Barbara (given name)
* Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter
* Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer
* Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously a ...
* ''The Royal Nap'' (1995) by Charles C. Black
* ''Rocks in His Head'' (2001) by
Carol Otis Hurst
Carol may refer to:
People with the name
*Carol (given name)
*Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist
*Martine Carol (1920–1967), French film actress
*Sue Carol (1906–1982), American actress and talent agent, wife of actor Ala ...
* ''Happily Ever After'' (2001) by
Anna Quindlen
Anna Marie Quindlen (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, journalist, and opinion columnist.
Her '' New York Times'' column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. She began her journalism career in 1974 as a r ...
Illustrations for Judy Blume
The following books by
Judy Blume
Judith Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 25 novels. Among her best-known works are ''Are You There God? It's Me ...
feature cover artwork and inner illustrations by James Stevenson:
* ''Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One'' (August 28, 2007)
* ''Cool Zone! with the Pain and the Great One'' (May 13, 2008)
* ''Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One'' (August 12, 2008)
* ''Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One'' (May 12, 2009)
Illustrations for Janet Schulman
James Stevenson illustrated three of Janet Schulman's ''Jack the Bum'' series:
* ''Jack the Bum and the Halloween Handout'' (1977)
* ''Jack the Bum and the Haunted House'' (1977)
* ''Jack the Bum and the UFO'' (1978)
Illustrations for Helen V. Griffith
James Stevenson illustrated a few of Helen V. Griffith's books:
* ''Georgia Music'' (1986)
=Helen V. Griffith's ''Grandaddy'' trilogy
=
All illustrated by James Stevenson:
# ''Grandaddy's Place'' (1987)
# ''Grandaddy and Janetta'' (1993)
# ''Grandaddy's Stars'' (1995)
:* ''Grandaddy and Janetta Together: The Three Stories in One Book'' (2001) (anthology that collects the three previous ''Grandaddy'' books)
Illustrations for Jack Prelutsky
The following books of children's
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...
by
Jack Prelutsky
Jack Prelutsky (born September 8, 1940) is an American writer of children's poetry who has published over 50 poetry collections. He served as the first U.S. Children's Poet Laureate (now called the Young People's Poet Laureate) from 2006–08 ...
are illustrated by James Stevenson:
* ''The Baby Ugs are Hatching'' (1982)
* ''The New Kid on the Block'' (1984)
* ''Something BIG Has Been Here'' (1990)
* ''A Pizza the Size of the Sun'' (1996)
* ''It's Raining Pigs and Noodles'' (2000)
* ''My Dog May Be a Genius'' (2008)