Susan Stockdale
Susan Stockdale began her professional art career as a textile designer for the apparel industry. Her work with textiles gave her an opportunity to express her love of pattern and color, which continues to inspire her artwork today.
Susan has written and illustrated four picture books for young readers that celebrate nature: Some Sleep Standing Up, which examines the many ways in which animals sleep; Nature's Paintbrush, which explores how patterns and colors help living things survive; Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move, which looks at how animal parents carry and care for their young; and Fabulous Fishes, which introduces children to both exotic and familiar fishes. Susan's love of pattern extends to her writing, which often features descriptive, rhyming text.
Her nonfiction books have won numerous awards from the science and literary community. Nature's Paintbrush was selected as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and a "Best Children's Book of the Year" by Bank Street College of Education. Carry Me! won a 2005 Parents' Choice Award and was a Science Books & Films "Outstanding Science Read Aloud." Fabulous Fishes was an NSTA "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" and a Science Books and Films "Best Book." Her book illustrations have been selected twice for the prestigious Society of Illustrators "Original Art Exhibition" in New York City. Her next picture book, Bring on the Birds, will be published in 2011.
Susan 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 and two patterned cats.
For further information, please visit her website www.susanstockdale.com
Reviews
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
Fabulous Fishes
Susan Stockdale
Bold illustrations accompany the rhyming text in this stunning new book by author/illustrator Susan Stockdale. Students will delight at the rhythm as, "Sand fish, land fish, fish that light their lights", come alive with vibrant, stylized drawings of each fish as it fills the pages before them. Even the end pages invite you to join the underwater world of fish as they swim right off the pages before your eyes. Each picture incorporates details from that fish's environment, such as the coral which surrounds the bouncing seahorses along with the swaying sea grasses to which they are tethered or the murky ocean or riverbed floor that comes up to greet the whiskered catfish. The final double-page spread offers the reader information including the proper name of each fish, an interesting fact and information about the fish's habitat. This book would be a lovely addition to any library or personal collection. Teachers could use Fabulous Fishes as an introduction to primary non-fiction and it would be a fantastic way to incorporate an art or a language art lesson into science. 2008, Peachtree Publishers, Ages 3 and up, $15.95. Reviewer: Theresa Finch (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2009; National Science Teachers Association; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Cybils, 2008; Finalist Non-Fiction Picture Books; United States
ISBN: 978-1-561454297
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 04/14/10
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