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Small, David, 1945-

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1945-

Biography

David Small is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. His books have been awarded a Caldecott Medal and two Caldecott Honors, among other recognition. He was born and raised in Detroit and began drawing at an early age.

He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at Wayne State University and a master of fine arts degree at Yale University. Small taught art for many years on the college level, ran a film series, and made satirical sketches for campus newspapers. His first book, Eulalie and the Hopping Head, which he wrote and illustrated, was published in 1981.

Small earned a 1997 Caldecott Honor and The Christopher Medal for The Gardener, with Sarah Stewart, his wife. In 2001 Small won the Caldecott Medal for So You Want to Be President?, combining political cartooning with children's book illustration. He received a second Caldecott Honor in 2013 for illustrating Toni Buzzeo's One Cool Friend. Small's drawings have appeared in the New Yorker and the New York Times. On July 15, 2014, he was announced as a finalist for the 2015 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.

David Small and his wife Sarah Stewart make their home in an historic manor house in Mendon, Michigan.

His current work and list of awards can be found on his website.

Found in 325 Collections and/or Records:

A Surfeit of Similes - Envelope 1/1 (O/A), 1989

 File — Envelope 3: [Barcode: 31141024382421]
Scope and Contents

39 piece of original art (mostly in black ink but also in watercolor), 5 ink and pencil drafts, 1 complete draftbook with colored cover, and 1 book jacket cover with sever damage. (pages 8-9 and 66-67 are missing from the collection.)

Dates: 1989

American Politics: How it Really Works - Envelope 1/1 (O/A), 1989

 File — Envelope 1: [Barcode: 31141024381951], Object: 1
Scope and Contents

15 pieces of original art in ink (needs preserving) and 23 pieces of draft artwork in pencil and ink. (art from page 82 missing from collection)

Dates: 1989

Anna and the Seven Swans 1/2, 1984

 File — Frame 111: [Barcode: 31141024383296]
Scope and Contents

An ink, watercolor, and pastel piece of Anna losing the flowers she had collected in the woods due to a gust of wind.

Dates: Publication: 1984

Anna and the Seven Swans 2/2, 1984

 File — Frame 112: [Barcode: 31141024383304]
Scope and Contents

An ink, watercolor, and pastel piece of a witch adding logs to a wood burning oven while hunched over a stove.

Dates: Publication: 1984

Anna and the Seven Swans - Envelope 1/1 (O/A), 1984

 File — Envelope 2: [Barcode: 31141024382181], Object: 1
Scope and Contents

One types letter and 29 pieces of original art and around 30 drafts (pages 2-5, 23 are missing from the collection.)

Dates: 1984

Bloom 1/3, 2016

 File — Frame 143: [Barcode: 31141024459922]
Scope and Contents

An ink and watercolor piece of a fairy sitting in the forest on a leaf in front of a young girl.

Dates: Publication: 2016

Bloom 2/3, 2016

 File — Frame 144: [Barcode: 31141024459880]
Scope and Contents

An ink and watercolor piece of a young girl yelling and shattering a pane of glass with her fist.

Dates: Publication: 2016

Bloom 3/3 - Image 1/2, 2016

 File — Frame 145: [Barcode: 31141024459914], Object: 1
Scope and Contents

An ink and watercolor piece of a fairy helping a young girl make bricks out of mud.

Dates: Publication: 2016

Bloom 3/3 - Image 2/2, 2016

 File — Frame 145: [Barcode: 31141024459914], Object: 2
Scope and Contents

An ink and watercolor piece of a fairy pushing a cart of bricks while a young girl builds a wall with them.

Dates: Publication: 2016

Bloom - Envelope 1/3 (O/A), 2016

 File — Envelope 4: [Barcode: 31141024381969]
Scope and Contents

20 watercolor, pastel, and pencil pieces of original art and 9 pieces of watercolor, pastel, ink, and pencil draft artwork. (missing original artwork from Cover Pages, Title Page and pages 0, 5, 12-13, 16-17, 19, 25, 30-33, Dedication Page)

Dates: 2016