Lane Smith is an awarding winning children’s book author and illustrator. He was born August 25, 1959 in Tulsa, Oklahoma but spent most of his life growing up in Corona, California. Smith studied art in college and earned a degree in fine arts. He spent time doing illustrations for Time, The New York Times, and Mother Jones before he dedicated all of his time to writing and illustrating children’s books. He is married to Molly Leach, who is a book designer and works with Smith and other authors on designing children’s books. Most of Smith’s life, him and his family would vacation in Tulsa during the summer months. During that time he gained a lot of inspiration for the landscape and traveling alone Route 66. “My family would take the old Route 66 highway. I think that's where my bizarre sense of design comes from. Once you've seen a 100-foot cement buffalo on top of a donut-stand in the middle of nowhere, you're never the same” claims Smith (Puffin Books). He has won noteworthy awards for his work. In 1993, he won the Caldecott Honors Book title for his work on The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Fairy Tales by Jon Scieszka. He also received the BCCB Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award for John, Paul, George & Ben. He has also written and illustrated numerous best sellers and worked with Disney as the head conceptual designer for the movie James and the Giant Peach (Adventures Underground).
I love the work that Lane Smith does, whether it is his illustrations or his work when he writes a book. The Stinky Cheese Man has been one of my favorite books since I was a child and have always loved the illustrations. Since I was a small child I have loved the work of Lane Smith without even knowing it and that really speaks to me. One of his strengths is that he incorporates a lot of humor and uniqueness in his illustrations. His pictures are very over the top and eye catching with distorted proportions and detail. They are not “classic” pictures or illustrations. I have never really seen illustrations done the way that Smith designs them in other children’s books. He uses very distinct characters in his stories that stick in the readers mind and catches their eye. When creating his illustrations he wants to interpret an authors work in a way that they might not have thought about or bring their words into a new light. His techniques for creating his illustrations are also very interesting and I think it very cool. He uses oils paints and does multiple layers of paint so he can manipulate the art into a specific way that is unique to that story or character (Puffin Books). From reading about him and researching his books, he comes off as extremely passionate and loves what he does which to me is great and it shows because he has won honors and recognition for his work. The humor that goes into his work would be great for a classroom as a different perspective and a way to escape from typical, “boring” text that is found in the classroom. His stories target elementary school students and they are easy to read and also geared toward both boys and girls so it applies to a large spectrum. He also writes a large range of books, from educational to putting a twist on old classics like The Three Little Pigs. One of my favorite books I have come across is John, Paul, George & Ben. It is about the Founding Father’s and colonial America but with humor and simplicity since history can be stereotypically dull and confusing. It would be great in a classroom to aid other materials and lessons about how our country came to be but in a more kid friendly way. I would use his books in my classroom to teach lessons such an anti-bullying through The Real Story of the 3 Pigs or through is work on Dr. Seuss’s Hooray for Diffendoofer Day to talk about rhyme and repetition. His books are appropriate for elementary school students and would not be apprehensive about letting my future students reading and enjoying his work.
For more information visit Lane Smith's website: http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/
Watch an interview with Lane Smith: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/smith
Popular Books Written and Illustrated by Lane Smith:
-Math Curse By: Lane Smith
-The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Fairy Tales By: Jon Scieszka Illustrated by: Lane Smith
-The Big Pets By: Lane Smith
-The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs By: Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
-The Time Warp Trio Series By: Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
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