It’s Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week – a perfect time to spotlight wonderful kidlit creators! Today, the spotlight is on Erin E Stead, one of my all-time favorite illustrators. (A self-described introvert, she might not be comfortable in all that brightness, so we’ll keep this post brief.)
Erin E. Stead is the award-winning illustrator of 12 books, 7 of which she collaborated on with her husband, author-illustrator Philip C. Stead. They work together in an old barn in Michigan. She won the Caldecott Medal for her first book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
As far as illustrations go, hers could be likened to a warm, snuggly blanket. Her style is quiet and gentle, distinguished by her engaging characters rendered in pencil and colored with watercolor and/or woodblock techniques. She has a way of drawing sweet and friendly faces that makes me want to pour a mug of tea, sit down, and visit a while with Amos, Bear, or the Uncorker of Ocean Bottles.
What is it that I love about Erin E. Stead’s illustrations? Undoubtedly, it’s the way she combines her detailed pencil drawings with bold paint swashes and luscious textures. It’s the colors she chooses. Her spare yet complex compositions that always have a subtle detail or hint at humor. And yes, it’s the characters she creates. I fall in love every single time.
Okay, okay … enough already! You may be thinking. It’s obvious that you LOVE Erin’s illustrations. And you’ve convinced me to read a few of her books. Which would you recommend to read first?
Well, of course, to start, it would have to be A Sick Day for Amos McGee. It’s pretty much a perfect book. However, it’s not my favorite book of hers. Shocker, I know. That would be a tie between The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles and Music for Mister Moon (which features a child as the main character, which is rare for her books). The latest collaboration from the Steads, The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer, is also a sumptuously imaginative book and highly recommended.
But you may have different tastes than I do (you probably do) and want to make up your own mind. Here is a list of the books she’s illustrated, as of February 2023:
- A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead & Erin E. Stead (2010) – winner of the Caldecott Medal
- And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano (2012)
- Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead (2012)
- If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano (2013)
- Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead (2015)
- The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas (2016)
- Tony by Ed Galing (2017)
- The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip C. Stead (2017)
- Music for Mister Moon by Philip C. Stead (2019)
- Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead (2021)
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (2022)
- The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer by Philip C. Stead (2022) (Our book review)
I hope this helps you discover more books to befriend and love. And if you’d like to discover other brilliant picture book authors and illustrators, or have a recommendation for us, leave a comment below. Happy reading!