David Small (born February 12, 1945) is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's

picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

. His books have been awarded a

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

and two

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

s, among other recognition.

Biography

David Small was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He began drawing at the age of two years, and health problems that kept him home for much of his childhood, also led to his developing his drawing skills. He attended

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

and wrote plays throughout his teenage years. At age 21, he switched to art. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

and a master of fine arts degree at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. Small taught art for many years on the college level, ran a film series, and made satirical sketches for campus newspapers. His first book, ''Eulalie and the Hopping Head'', which he wrote and illustrated, was published in 1981."David Small: Biography"
''Authors/Illustrators''. Pippin Properties, Inc (pippinproperties.com). Archived July 4, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2015. Small earned a 1997

and The Christopher Medal for ''The Gardener'',American Library Association
Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present
Retrieved April 27, 2013. with Sarah Stewart, his wife. She also received the 2007 Michigan Author Award. In 2001 Small won the

for '' So You Want to Be President?'', combining political cartooning with children's book illustration. He received a second Caldecott Honor in 2013 for illustrating Toni Buzzeo's ''One Cool Friend''. Small's drawings have appeared in the ''New Yorker'' and the ''New York Times''. On July 15, 2014, he was announced as a finalist for the 2015 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. In 2020 it was announced that

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

Libraries would acquire David Small and Sarah Stewart's archives, including their original artwork, sketchbooks, journals, published and unpublished writings. David Small and his wife Sarah Stewart make their home in an historic manor house in

Mendon, Michigan Mendon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 870 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Mendon Township. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total ...

''Stitches''

Small's graphic memoir, '' Stitches'', was published in September 2009. It tells the story of Small's journey from sickly child to

cancer patient Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

, to troubled teen who ran away from home at sixteen to become an artist. ''Stitches'' was reviewed by the ''New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. It was a #1 ''New York Times'' Best Seller, and was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

. It was a finalist for the 2009

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for Young People's Literature.National Book Awards – 2009
''Stitches'' has been translated into seven different languages and published in nine different countries.

Works

As writer and illustrator

* ''Eulalie and the Hopping Head'' ( Macmillan, 1982) – named a ''

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 ...

'' Best Book of the Year * ''Imogene's Antlers'' (

Crown Publishers The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded int ...

, 1985) * ''Paper John'' (

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

SG 1987) * ''Ruby Mae Has Something to Say'' (Crown, 1992) * ''Hoover's Bride'' (

Knopf Books for Young Readers Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

, 1995) * ''Fenwick's Suit'' (FSG, 1996) * ''George Washington's Cows'' (FSG, 1997) * '' Stitches'' (

W.W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton An ...

, 2009) * ''Home After Dark'' (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2018)

As illustrator with Sarah Stewart

Small has illustrated several books written by Sarah Stewart and published by

(FSG). * ''The Money Tree'' (FSG, 1994) * ''The Library'' (FSG, 1995) * ''The Gardener'' (FSG, 1997) – Caldecott Honor Book * ''The Journey'' (FSG, 2001) * ''The Friend'' (FSG, 2004) * ''The Quiet Place'' (FSG, 2012) *''This Book Of Mine'' (FSG, 2019)

As illustrator with other writers

* ''Gulliver's Travels'',

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...

( William Morrow & Co., 1983) * ''The Dragon Who Lived Downstairs'',

Burr Tillstrom Franklin Burr Tillstrom (October 13, 1917 – December 6, 1985) was a puppeteer and the creator of ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie''. Early life Tillstrom was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bert and Alice Burr Tillstrom. He attended Senn High School in ...

( William Morrow & Co., 1984) * ''Company's Coming'', written by Arthur Yorinks (Knopf, 1988) * ''A Surfeit of Similes'', Norton Juster ( William Morrow & Co., 1989) * ''Petey's Bedtime Story'',

Beverly Cleary Beverly Atlee Cleary (née Bunn; April 12, 1916March 25, 2021) was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first b ...

(

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

, 1993) * ''The Christmas Crocodile'', Bonnie Becker (

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

, 1998) * ''Huckabuck Family: And How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back'',

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

, (FSG, 1999) – one of the 1923 ''

Rootabaga Stories ''Rootabaga Stories'' (1922) is a children's book of interrelated short stories by Carl Sandburg. The whimsical, sometimes melancholy stories, which often use nonsense language, were originally created for his own daughters. Sandburg had three d ...

'', * '' So You Want to Be President?'', Judith St. George ( Penguin Philomel, 2000) – winner of the 2001

* ''Company's Going'', Arthur Yorinks (

Hyperion Books for Children Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

, 2001) * '' The Mouse and His Child'',

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in ...

(

Arthur A. Levine Books Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

, 2001) * ''So You Want to Be an Inventor?'', Judith St. George (Philomel, 2002) * ''The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide'', Linda Ashman (Simon & Schuster, 2003) * ''So You Want to Be an Explorer?'', Judith St. George (Philomel, 2005) * ''My Senator and Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington, D.C.'',

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

( Scholastic Books, 2006) * ''Once Upon a Banana'', Jennifer Armstrong (Simon & Schuster, 2006) * ''When Dinosaurs Came with Everything'', Elise Broach ( Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007) * ''That Book Woman'',

Heather Henson Heather Beth Henson (born December 19, 1970) is an American contemporary puppet artist, the daughter of Jim Henson. She serves on The Jim Henson Company, The Jim Henson Legacy, and the Jim Henson Foundation Boards of Directors. She is also a Tr ...

(Atheneum, 2008) * ''The Underneath'', Kathi Appelt (Atheneum, 2008) * ''One Cool Friend'', Toni Buzzeo ( Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012) – Caldecott Honor Book * ''Long Road to the Circus'', Betsy Bird (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Small, David 1945 births American children's book illustrators American children's writers Caldecott Medal winners Writers from Detroit Wayne State University alumni Yale University alumni Living people People from Mendon, Michigan