Janet Stevens, a nationally known, award-winning illustrator, is often... learned to draw so well. She answers, “Lots and lots...

Janet Stevens, a nationally known, award-winning illustrator, is often... learned to draw so well. She answers, “Lots and lots...

Janet Stevens, a nationally known, award-winning illustrator, is often asked how she
learned to draw so well. She answers, “Lots and lots of practice! I’ve always loved to draw, and
I’ve worked hard at it. I draw and redraw characters. Believe me, I don’t always like the way it
turns out. ”
The youngest of three children, Janet was born in Dallas, Texas, but moved many times as
a child. Now she lives in Colorado with her husband Ted, dog and four cats; her two children,
Lindsey and Blake, are in college.
She has made writing a family affair; many of Janet’s recent books have been written with
her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel, a former math teacher. These works include My Big Dog,
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon, Jackalope, and Plaidypus Lost.
Her books have won numerous awards. And the Dish Ran Away With The Spoon was
an ALA Notable Book, a NY Public Library 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing, Child
Magazine’s Best Books for 2001, and a Children’s Book of the Month Selection. Janet and Susie
describe what happens when the Dish runs away with the Spoon and they don’t return!
To Market, To Market was an ALA Notable Book, a Golden Kite Honor Book, and an
American Bookseller’s Book of the Year Honor Book. This story, which takes place in a local
Boulder, Colorado market and in Janet’s kitchen, turns the traditional rhyme into a chaotic series
of shopping experiences for a frazzled shopper and her animal friends.
Coleen Salley -- the inspiration for the “shopper” character in To Market, To Market -retells a favorite southern tale in Epossumondas. Instead of a human baby, however, she has a
possum. But Epossumondas is not a very good baby and has trouble following directions. Janet
had a terrific time creating the baby opossum in diapers! Her second book about Epossumondas,
Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail!, came out during Fall of 2005.
Tops and Bottoms won a Caldecott Honor and the first Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award.
Janet retells how an industrious Rabbit outsmarts a lazy Bear. The innovative format of the book,
opening top-to-bottom, makes it great for reading aloud.
She loves drawing animals in human situations. In From Pictures to Words: A Book About
Making a Book, she uses animal characters to describe the creative process of making books
from a collection of ideas. It is an excellent guide for those interested in creating stories and a
favorite of young and old(er) alike who make books.
Janet is particularly proud of her awards voted on by children, “her” audience. Her books
have been nominated for and have won many state children’s book awards, including Colorado,
Maryland, Montana, Washington, Utah, and the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
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Epossumondus: Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in
Children’s Literature, Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award, 2003-2004,
North Dakota, Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books
of the Year, 2003, International Reading Association Children’s Choices,
2003, School Library Journal Book Review Stars, September 2002,
Florida Reading Association Children’s Book Award, many other state
book award nominations.
And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon: ALA Notable Book, NY
Public Library 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing, Child Magazine
Best Books for 2001, Bank Street College of Education’s Irma and James
Black Honor Book for 2001, Children’s Book of the Month Club Selection.
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo: 2001 Texas Bluebonnet Award, Children’s Book
of the Month Club, 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing.
To Market To Market: 1998 ALA Notable Book, 1998 Golden Kite
Honor, 1998 ABBY Honor.
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Tops and Bottoms: 1996 Caldecott Honor Book, Bill Martin Jr. Picture
Book Award, Book of the Month Club Selection, 1996 Colorado Book
Award, Parenting Publications Gold Award, Parent’s Choice Honor
Award, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Maryland Children’s Book Award.
Coyote Steals the Blanket: Colorado Children’s Book Award, Montana
Treasure State Award, Mockingbird Award -- Abilene, TX.
The Dog Who Had Kittens: Colorado Children’s Book Award, Washington State Children’s Choice Award, Indiana Young Readers Award,
Nevada Young Readers Award.
Three Billy Goats Gruff: Parents Choice Award.
Anansi and the Talking Melon: International Reading Association Children’s Choice, Utah Children’s Book Award.
Anansi Goes Fishing: International Reading Association Children’s
Choice.
Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock: Association of Booksellers for
Children Ten Best Books of the Year, 1989.
Holiday House
Currently Available:
Plaidypus Lost
From Pictures to Words
The Princess and the Pea
Coyote Steals the Blanket
Old Bag of Bones
Tortoise and the Hare
Anansi and the Magic Stick
Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock
Anansi Goes Fishing
Anansi and the Talking Melon
The Dog Who Had Kittens
Available in the Library:
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Bremen Town Musicians
It’s Perfectly True
The Big Bunny and the Easter Eggs
Nanny Goat and the Seven Little Kids
Goldilocks and The Three Bears
The Emperor’s New Clothes
The House That Jack Built
Harcourt
Currently Available:
Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, by Coleen Salley
Jackalope, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Epossumondas, by Coleen Salley
The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
To Market, To Market, by Anne Miranda
The Gates of the Wind, by Katherine Laskey
Tops and Bottoms, adapted by Janet Stevens
Three Billy Goats Gruff, adapted by Janet Stevens
The Quangle Wangle’s Hat, Edward Lear
Available in the Library:
How the Manx Cat Lost Its Tail, adapted by Janet Stevens
The Cabbages Are Chasing the Rabbits, by Arnold Adolf
Other Publishers
My Big Dog, Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, Golden Books
I’m In The Zoo Too!, Ashabranner, Dutton, New York.
The Weighty Word Book, Paul Levitt et al., University of Colorado Press.
More Information
Holiday House
Ms. Victoria L. Tisch
Director of Marketing
c/o Holiday House
425 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10017
ph: 212 - 688 - 0085 fax: 212 - 421 - 6134
Harcourt
Ms. Kia Neri
Author Promotions Coordinator
Children’s Books Division
Harcourt Inc.
525 B Street, Ste. 1900, San Diego, CA. 92101
ph: 619/699-6534 fax: 619/699-6777
Information about Janet
is now on the World
Wide Web! Visit
www.janetstevens.com
for a wealth of information about Janet and
how she makes books.
Information to help prepare for a visit from
Janet is on the website
under Visits. You can
e-mail Janet at
[email protected].
Janet has written many books
with her sister
Susan. One
favorite is called
“And the Dish
Ran Away with
the Spoon“. It
is a wild adventure in the
land of nursery
rhymes.
New for Fall 2004!
Renowned storyteller Coleen Salley and Janet have teamed up for another
Epossumondas tale, drawing on the Uncle Remus tradition and our wild
imaginations to expose a hilarious-and important!- moment in possum history.
* Salley has a true storytellerʼs voice, peppering the text with colorful descriptions and amusing expressions that give the tale an authentic folktale feel. Stevensʼs large, brightly hued mixed-media illustrations
add greatly to the fun, particularly when Papapossum is finding creative uses for his now elongated and
naked tail... This will be a surefire hit when shared with a group or one-on-one. School Library Journal
* Theyʼre baaaaack--that silly, diapered Epossumondas and Mama in her flowered dress and yellow
hat... Stevensʼ signature mixed-media illustrations humorously concoct the delightful fun with such
clever touches as Papapossumʼs persimmon-patterned shirt. This laughable stretch of the imagination, a
tale about a tail by a natural-born storyteller, may be even more entertaining than the rollicking
Epossumondas... Booklist