Ed Emberley

Edward Randolph Emberley (born October 19, 1931 in Malden, Massachusetts [http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/research/findaids/emberley.htm USM biography] ] ) is an American artist and illustrator.

Biography

Emberley studied art at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston from which he got a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and illustration.. He also studied at the Rhode Island School of Design.

He married Barbara, a librarian and writer, in 1955; they have two children, Rebecca and Michael. They currently live in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Career

Emberley is best known for his work with children's books. In particular, Emberley has contributed illustrations to instructional books for drawing. From an educational standpoint, Emberley believes that everyone can learn to draw. His instructional drawing books for children present simple step-by-step instructions and often employ the numbers, letters, and shapes with which early elementary-school-age children are beginning to familiarize themselves. His book "Ed Emberley's A.B.C." uses this style of instruction exclusively, presenting a single letter-based drawing for each letter of the alphabet.

Emberley has illustrated or contributed to over 50 books. Many of the books were published in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Emberley has experienced a renaissance with adults who fondly remember using the books in their youth, and are now purchasing them for their children (or for themselves). [ [http://bccb.lis.uiuc.edu/0802true.html BCCB profile] ]

Awards and other recognition

His first book, "The Wing on a Flea" (1961), was an ALA Notable Book and made the New York Times list of best illustrated books for that year. "His One Wide River to Cross", written by his wife, Barbara, was the sole Caldecott Honor book for 1967. In 1968, he won the Caldecott Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for his further illustrations of wife Barbara Emberley's Drummer Hoff. [ [http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.htm List of Caldecott Medal winners] ]

External links

* [http://www.edemberley.com/pages/main.aspx?section=bio Emberley's website]
* [http://loadedquestions.blogspot.com/2008/02/loaded-questions-interview-with.html Interview with Ed Emberley] in which he discusses the process of creating kid-friendly drawings, the fact that both of his children also write children's books, and a series of new upcoming books with Blake Watson, Feb, 2008.

References