Susan Stockdale
Susan Stockdale began her art career in 1976 as a painter of fantasy landscapes, which she exhibited in galleries and juried shows in the Washington, DC area. From the beginning, her love of pattern and color was a distinctive feature of her artwork.
This talent for creating patterns led Stockdale to freelance as a textile designer for the apparel industry in the 1980s, when she designed fabric for clothing companies including Martex, Belle France and John Anthony. After moving to Atlanta, she continued exhibiting her whimsical images. Her paintings won awards in juried exhibitions including Southern Homes Magazine's "Visual Arts for the Home" and "Georgia Artists '89," and were reproduced as note card covers by Portal Publications.
In the 1990s, Stockdale wrote and illustrated two children's picture books. Some Sleep Standing Up took readers on a lighthearted exploration of how animals sleep. Booklist praised the book for the way its "charming pictures feature delightful design work that will appeal to young eyes." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called her second book, Nature's Paintbrush , a "stunning work that goes far beyond celebrating patterns in nature." The Children's Book Council selected Nature's Paintbrush as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children.
Stockdale's newest book, Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move is a colorful, reassuring look at the many ways animal parents carry and care for their young. Stockdale is a popular speaker and has brought her author/illustrator program to more than 100 schools and organizations including the High Museum of Art, University of Georgia, and American Association of School Librarians.
Stockdale received a B.A. in art from Occidental College in Los Angeles, graduating cum laude. She also studied art with illustrator Luis de Horna in Salamanca, Spain and with Ansai Uchima at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband, two children and two patterned cats.
Contributor: Peachtree Publishing
For further information, please visit her website www.susanstockdale.com
Reviews
Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move
Susan Stockdale
Stockdale explains the many ways that animals carry their young in brief, simple statements with mainly a double-page illustration for each. For example, they may be "propped on their shoulders," or "perched on their feet," "gripped in their teeth," or "nestled in their feathers." Reassuringly, all of them are "safe and snug the way your mother carried you." Acrylic paint is applied very smoothly; the shapes of the animals often look stenciled. The result is a series of creatures in decorative settings with the caption-like text that clearly shows each method of carrying, including at the end a woman and child in a moonlit landscape. The names of the animals are not given in the text, but are listed with small pictures on the final pages with the geographic areas in which they live. A map would have been useful as well. The author's bibliography is included. 2005, Peachtree Publishers, $15.95. Ages 2 to 6. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-5614-5328-5
Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move
Susan Stockdale
In extremely simple, non-rhyming text and bold, colorful paintings, Stockdale shows all the different ways that animal mothers carry their young: "riding on their backs . . . and clinging to their bellies. . . propped on their shoulders . . . and perched on their feet. . . " The diversity of the animal kingdom is celebrated through the fourteen featured animals, ranging from the giant anteater to the African jacana, the American alligator to the European beaver. A helpful two-page list at the end of the book identifies each pictured animal and gives its geographical location; also included is a partial bibliography for further reading. The book concludes with a satisfying last page that shows a human baby cuddled close in its mother's arms, suggesting the commonality of maternal love and protection that shines through all these different forms of locomotion. A comforting first exposure to the amazing variety found in nature, ideal for bedtime sharing. 2005, Peachtree, Ages 3 to 6, $15.95. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-56145-328-5
Nature's paintbrush: The Patterns and Colors Around You
Susan Stockdale.
Stockdale encourages readers to examine ways in which patterns and colors help living things to survive. Several entries illustrate the protective benefits of camouflage, but additional advantages of pattern and color are depicted as well. For instance, the bright beaks of toucans help attract mates, while the prickly spines of cacti discourage hungry animals. Some subjects, however, seem to fit the paintbrush theme of the title better than others. The colorful and engaging illustrations invite readers to examine as well as enjoy the pictures, and the repetition of the question, "have you ever?" will prompt them to remember their own personal observations. While the subjects presented only touch the surface of this vast topic, the involving presentation of both art and text should stimulate young readers to take a closer look at the natural world around them. 1999, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $15.00. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer: Betty Hicks (Children's Literature)
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2000 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 2000 ; National Science Teachers Association; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Society of School Librarians International Book Awards Honor 1999 Science- K-6 United States
ISBN: 0-689-81081-4
Some Sleep Standing Up
Susan Stockdale
Although this is cataloged as nonfiction, most libraries will want to shelve it with the picture books, and most parents will use it as a good-night story. The text is simplicity itself, starting with the premise that "animals sleep in all kinds of ways." As the brief text and the charming pictures show, they can sleep with their eyes open or closed, in trees like leopards or standing up like giraffes and elephants--or on one leg like a flamingo. Two-page spreads illustrated in pure acrylic colors feature simple shapes often filled in with delightful design work that will appeal to young eyes. Category: For the Young. 1996, Simon & Schuster, $13. Ages 2-5. Reviewer: Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Sept. 1, 1996 (Vol. 93, No. 1)).
ISBN: 0-689-80509-8
Added 04/28/05
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