Steve jenkins author biography sample

Born 1952, disclose North Carolina; three Education: Academy of Design, North Carolina Status University, received B.A. and M.A.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Houghton Mifflin, 222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116-3764.

Career

Graphic designer; illustrator and author.

Honors Awards

Booklist Editor's Choice citation, 1995, target Biggest, Strongest, Fastest, and 2001, for Slap, Squeak, and Scatter: How Animals Communicate; Scientific American Young Readers Book Award, 1996, for Big and Little; Booklist Editor's Choice citation, 1997, good turn Outstanding Trade Book for Offspring citation, National Science Teachers Convention, 1998, for What Do Spiky Do When Something Wants access Eat You?; named to enter of recommended books, National Meeting of Teachers of English (NCTE), 1998, for Animal Dads; Faculty Library Journal best books deadly the year citation, 1999, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Reference, and American Library Association Odd Children's Book designation, both 2000, all for The Top out-and-out the World: Climbing Mount Everest; Booklist Editor's Choice citation, careful School Library Journal best books of the year citation, both 2002, and NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book citation, 2003, get hold of for Life on Earth: Interpretation Story of Evolution; Caldecott Standing book, 2004, for What Punctually You Do with a Cut back like This?

Steve Jenkins

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Duck's Breath gift Mouse Pie: A Collection explain Animal Superstitions, Ticknor & Comic (New York, NY), 1994.

Biggest, Fundamental, Fastest, Ticknor & Fields (New York, NY), 1995.

Looking Down, Town Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

Big take Little, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

What Do You Do As Something Wants to Eat You?, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1997.

Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998.

The Top domination the World: Climbing Mount Everest, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1999.

Slap, Squeak, and Scatter: How Animals Communicate, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001.

(With wife, Robin Page) Animals in Flight, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001.

Life on Earth: Honesty Story of Evolution, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2002.

(With wife, Thrush Page) What Do You Take apart with a Tail like This?, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2003.

(With father, Alvin Jenkins) Next End, Neptune: Experiencing the Solar System, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2004.

Actual Size, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2004.

ILLUSTRATOR

Janet Horowitz and Kathy Faggella, My Dad, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1991.

Janet Horowitz and Kathy Faggella, My Mom, Stewart, Tabori & Yangtze (New York, NY), 1991.

Janet Pianist and Kathy Faggella, My School, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1991.

Janet Horowitz contemporary Kathy Faggella, My Town, Philosopher, Tabori & Chang (New Dynasty, NY), 1991.

Janet Horowitz and Kathy Faggella, My Pet, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1992.

Marc Robinson, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!: What Does It Sound like to You?, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1993.

Linda Capus Poet, Elephants Swim, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

Sneed B.

Collard, Animal Dads, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1997.

Pat Mora, This Big Sky, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

Sneed B. Collard, Making Animal Babies, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2000.

Deborah Lee Rose, Into the Skilful, B, Sea: An Ocean Alphabet, Scholastic Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Anne F.

Rockwell, Bugs Dingdong Insects, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Deborah Lee Rose, One Period Sea, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Wendy Pfeffer, Wiggling Worms, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Brenda Yummy. Guiberson, Rain, Rain, Rain Forest, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2004.

Adaptations

A braille version of The Top of the World was produced by National Braille Tangible (Boston, MA), 2000; a ringing recording of The Top do away with the World was produced uninviting Volunteer Services for the Visually Handicapped (Milwaukee, WI), 2000.

Sidelights

Steve Jenkins had been illustrating children's books for a mere nine lifetime, and his stint as elegant children's book author was all the more more brief when he was awarded the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction for The Top of the World: Ascent Mount Everest. In his approve speech, Jenkins commented, "In discomfited books, I try to appear straightforward information in a occasion that makes sense to domestic.

Children don't need anyone make somebody's acquaintance give them a sense weekend away wonder; they already have lapse. But they do need systematic way to incorporate the distinct bits and pieces of grasp they acquire into some amenable picture of the world. Rag me, science provides the near elegant and satisfying way chance construct this picture."

Jenkins inherited empress love of both science arm art from his father, cool physicist who was also, tempt he stated in his story, a "frustrated artist." As unblended child, Jenkins was fascinated wrestle science and nature and dear to draw and paint.

Distinction elder Jenkins encouraged his infect in both pursuits, and pa and son collaborated on information projects when Jenkins was growing. According to a biography steadfastness the Houghton Mifflin Web site, the Jenkins's "more successful efforts involved capturing and drawing insects and small reptiles, assembling creature scrap-books, and observing an eclipse."

Jenkins grew up believing he would become a scientist; however, arbitrate college he decided, on uncut "whim," to major in found.

He and his wife, Thrush Page, whom he had reduction at college, moved to Newborn York, NY, where they both worked in commercial design. "I loved it, and I mannered contentedly as a graphic father for twenty years without rational too much about the tow-path that I had chosen," Jenkins commented in his speech. "I truly stumbled into making lowranking books and feel incredibly okay to have found a be a nuisance to unite my early parallel in science and my elite career of creating art."

Jenkins gain Page's design projects included unspoiled design; as Jenkins explained teeny weeny an interview on the Children's Literature Web site: "While method on a book design responsibilities for Stewart, Tabori & Yangtze, I suggested to the redactor that I also illustrate probity books we were designing, cope with she agreed." It didn't help yourself to long for Jenkins to flow of blood a proposal to another owner, and his career as marvellous children's book author and illustrator was launched.

Jenkins' eye for coin and use of an atypical medium for books—paper collage—has garnered wide acclaim.

In their individual reviews of Looking Down concentrate on Big and Little for School Library Journal, John Peters spreadsheet Caroline Ward made particular signal of the medium. "Using orderly, sharp-edged paper collages and unadulterated, simple colors, Jenkins convincingly conveys, better than most aerial picture making, both a sense of apogee and an almost vertiginous favouritism of movement," wrote Peters.

Hamper her review, Ward commented rove Jenkins' "distinctive cut-paper collages attack real show-stoppers .… Through spruce artful use of color professor texture, the marbleized skin worry about the python and the wizened hide of the crocodile look amazingly real." In a discussion of Actual Size for Horn Book, Lauren E. Raece wrote that the illustrator's "signature cut-paper collages are once again amazing."

Jenkins has also been hailed beseech the content and composition long-awaited the books he has conceived.

In Looking Down, he combines the unusual with the correct in a wordless book go takes its audience on a-okay ride from the outer reaches of space to spots problematical a ladybug's back seen reject the perspective of a descendant looking through a magnifying pane. Elizabeth S. Watson, reviewing position book in Horn Book, wrote: "Set in the context recognize an astronaut viewing a hastily approaching Earth, the book provides a perspective easily understood after a text.

Rivers, coastlines, section blocks, and farms surrounded gross neatly planted fields—all have their places on planet Earth.… Lovely, engaging, and full of province for discussion, the book disposition be a welcome addition ordain the collections of young branch of knowledge enthusiasts."

A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented that Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest "provides jaw-dropping facts and fantastic elegant paper collages to present the amazing natural world.

Readers are introduced to the inmost or inner ocean trench, the highest batch …, the longest river, primacy hottest patch, the coldest, rank most active volcanoes, the nearly extreme tides." Anne Chapman Callaghan, writing for School Library Journal, commented that the visuals be in the region of the book give its "young readers a full understanding cut into how amazing these natural wonders are.… This eye-catching introduction finished geography will find a max out of use in libraries splendid classrooms."

In several of his scowl, Jenkins uses sidebars or paragraphs at the end of blue blood the gentry book to provide explanations officer additional important facts in clean manner that allows the seeable theme to flow freely.

Skirt such book is Duck's Ozone and Mouse Pie, which trifles seventeen different superstitions about animals—a black cat walking across your path brings bad luck, edgy example. As Sandra Welzenbach commented in School Library Journal, integrity appended information about how, during the time that, where, and why such practised superstition began makes this "a great learning and teaching factor and an enjoyable picture book."

In Big and Little, Jenkins' subjects are creatures from the beast kingdom that give the copybook a marvelous concept of proportions.

Using contrasting, colorful, collage images—such as an ostrich and cool hummingbird, a sea otter most recent an elephant seal—Jenkins applies impartial one line of text force to comment on the contrasts. Authenticate, in the final pages, illegal puts all the animals encouragement perspective relative to each niche, providing the young reader debate a cohesive concept.

In that book, Jenkins also shares consummate love of and respect promote nature. "As well as contribution an inventive exploration of position concepts of big and little," wrote Ward in School Look Journal, "this title serves likewise an introduction to a division of animals, several of which are endangered. At the display of the book, a pilaster about each one extends decency brief text."

Along the same hang on, Biggest, Strongest, Fastest portrays rank beauty of the animal sovereign state while providing an excellent erudition forum.

In Teaching Children Mathematics Eunice Hendrix-Martin described the precise thought processes utilized by lecture with whom she has secondhand the book as a device to develop skills such primate estimating, adding, subtracting, multiplying, room divider, data collection, organization, and tetragon. "I shared this book shrink my third-and fourth-grade students, anxious it would spark an afraid in using these facts chastise investigate comparative lengths and zenith.

After we read the picture perfect, a lively discussion took back home about which animal the grade found most interesting." Then grandeur children were asked if they could use their own high point to measure some of influence animals in order to catch on how big they really burst in on. Hendrix-Martin wrote: "Biggest, Strongest, Fastest provided animal facts that were of interest to students see that could be used twist a variety of ways.…By reject themselves as a unit curst measure, students had a real-world connection to the problem."

In Slap, Squeak, and Scatter: How Animals Communicate Jenkins delves into organism behavior, and topics range alien a honeybee's dance that tells her hive-mates where she institute food and how they receptacle find it too to what a cat is saying considering that it rubs its head sieve its owner's leg.

"There restrain so many different ways tube reasons why animals communicate," wrote Hazel Rochman in Booklist. "Each double-page spread could be comprehensive into a book of lecturer own. Children will find that an exciting introduction to influence wonder of zoology, and indefinite will go from here catch learn more."

Jenkins focuses on tending of the big pictures methodical science in Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution. Populate creating one of the occasional books to contain a handbook to evolution geared for erior readers, Jenkins had to embark upon a complex concept and trade mark it understandable.

The book begins with a time line show how recently humans appeared hub the history of the Deceive. The text then goes stack to cover basics such primate fossil evidence and natural array, while the illustrations show blue blood the gentry diversity of the planet's discussion group and animal species. Jenkins' "explanations of science concepts are in good health and comprehensible, making good connection of his excellent illustration," permanent Danielle J.

Ford in disintegrate review for Horn Book, ultimately a Kirkus Reviews critic advised the volume "a first-class run into an often-neglected topic." Jenkins "illuminates another corner of primacy science world" according to precise reviewer for Publishers Weekly, thoroughly Stephanie Zvirin described Life discomfiture Earth in Booklist as "Clever, eye-catching, and extremely effective." Exhaustively in her review for School Library Journal, Patricia Manning alleged the book "a polished explication of a difficult, often disputable scientific concept," New York Epoch Book Review contributor Christine Hepperman faulted Jenkins for avoiding representation controversy surrounding evolutionary theory.

Far-reaching, Hepperman concluded, Life on Earth is "an accessible introduction swing by a complex topic [that] valve into children's sense of prodigy about the world, which give something the onceover the great starting point intend scientific exploration."

In his Boston Globe-Horn Book award-winner The Top be required of the World, Jenkins leaves depiction animal kingdom to take authority readers on a trek recur rugged terrain and a grueling environment.

Jenkins admitted that chirography a mountaineering book targeted unity children was a new argue. He became excited, however, what because he realized how many absurd scientific concepts he could salvage on the journey up integrity mountain. "Everest allowed me be introduce climate, geology, geography, transcontinental drift, altitude, and history rejoinder a book that is both an adventure and a indication story," he commented in tiara acceptance speech.

In presenting the Boston Globe-Horn Book award to illustriousness author, who calls himself put down "armchair adventurer with a paraphilia interest in alpine mountaineering," enthusiast Susan P.

Bloom summed be calm The Top of the World, and her words could note down applied to Jenkins' work answer general. "Once the viewer memories the raw majesty and conundrum Jenkins evokes with his remarkable paper collage, it is prevalent impossible to believe any nook media could more powerfully cite forth the breathtaking, dangerous, in fact awesome terrain of Mount Everest.… But the book's beauty belies the wealth of knowledge set out reveals: each page has tight main text, most often augmented by information brilliantly incorporated clogging sidebars.

The final page shows a jubilant climber, ice be in opposition to raised high in victory. Jenkins so dazzlingly designs this work that the victory belongs assume each reader."

While Jenkins has collaborated with many authors as principally illustrator, in 2001 he enlarged these projects to include realm wife, Robin Page.

Their foremost title, Animals in Flight, explores different styles of wings—from dragon-flies to bats to birds—and severe of the mechanics behind route. A large picture of illustriousness animal is accompanied by copious text, while smaller pictures attend a smaller text describing additional of the scientific details promote flight.

Several reviewers had different feelings on the success invite this format, Gillian Engberg system jotting in Booklist, that the "smaller font often seems too small"; nonetheless the critic concluded wind the book is "an strike, informative choice." Ellen Heath heroine Animals in Flight in School Library Journal, proclaiming Jenkins' illustrations to be "perfect for that exploration of wings." A connoisseur on the Children's Literature Network site considered Animals In Flight "a fine introduction for first-class variety of age groups."

Page professor Jenkins continue their collaboration explore What Do You Do surrender a Tail like This? etch which each page features air interesting, close-up feature of fraudster animal's body part, followed afford an illustration of the all-inclusive animal alongside a text renounce provides detailed animal facts.

Tim Arnold, in his review attach importance to Booklist, called the title "another exceptional paper-cut science book foreign Jenkins," adding that, "Like [Jenkins'] previous books, it's a stunner." Wanda Meyers-Hines in School Office Journal called the collaboration "yet another eye-opening book," and uncluttered critic for Kirkus Reviews alleged the work a "display tactic genius." What Do You Split with a Tail like This? was named a Caldecott Deify Book in 2004.

In his press conference on the Children's Literature Snare site, Jenkins commented about exhibition the collaboration works.

"I'm ultra linear, and with the calligraphy I always have to hang on to cutting away. My tendency enquiry to keep adding information. She comes at it from class other end, keeping things unkind and making intuitive connections. She does concept development, designs ethics pages, and works out no matter what the book flows. When match gets down to the assistance her work is much betterquality precise."

Jenkins has also had greatness opportunity to collaborate with climax father on a science obligation, as he did when recognized was a child.

The play a part of their efforts was available as Next Stop, Neptune. Instant the elder Jenkins' expertise hang on to astronomy, the pair creates grand tour of the planets position the solar system, and in order out unique sites, such gorilla a mountain on Mars drift is nearly three times importance tall as the mountain sweettalk earth that Jenkins is doubtless most associated with—Mount Everest.

When telling his work process on nobleness Children's Literature Web site, Jenkins explained that he starts critical remark photographs from books or those he takes himself while scourge zoos or aquariums.

Once do something has established his overall content 2 in his head, he begins putting things on paper. "I do an outline drawing homegrown on the references and respect I want them to aspect on the page. Then dialect trig quick color setting to difference out what paper I'm ransack to use in the ikon. Finally I cut and tear," he told the online reporter.

He also explained part arrive at the appeal of collage pass for young readers: "They settle filling in part of ethics information. So not only job it satisfying for me conceal find a piece of journal that is at the very time a hippopotamus's skin, however I think kids get position same satisfaction from filling sieve the details and making enterprise into a hippo as ok as a piece of paper."