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This article is about the author and illustrator. For the fictional Rabbi David Small, see Friday the Rabbi Slept Late.

David Small (born February 12, 1945) is an American writer and illustrator known for children’s picture books. He won the Caldecott Medal in 2001 for So You Want to Be President?, and received two Caldecott Honors for The Gardener (1997) and One Cool Friend (2012). In 2009, he published the graphic memoir Stitches.

Biography

David Small was born in Detroit, Michigan, the second son of Edward Pierce Small, Jr. and Helen “Elizabeth” née Murphy Small.[1][2] He began drawing at the age of two years, and health problems that kept him home for much of his childhood, also led to his developing his drawing skills.[3] Small has described his childhood home as abusive.[4] He attended Cass Technical High School and wrote plays throughout his teenage years.

At age 21, he switched to art. 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.[5]

Small earned a 1997 Caldecott Honor and The Christopher Medal for The Gardener,[6] with Sarah Stewart, his wife. She also received the 2007 Michigan Author Award. In 2001, Small won the Caldecott Medal for So You Want to Be President?, combining political cartooning with children’s book illustration.[6][7] He received a second Caldecott Honor in 2013 for illustrating Toni Buzzeo’s One Cool Friend.[8] Small’s drawings have appeared in the New Yorker and the New York Times.[6] On July 15, 2014, he was announced as a finalist for the 2015 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature.[9]

In addition to picture books, Small published a graphic memoir in September 2009 called Stitches about his journey from sickly child and young cancer patient to a troubled teen who ran away from home at sixteen to become an artist.[10][11][12] Upon its release, the book topped the New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller list.[13] It was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly and Amazon.com[14][15] and was a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.[16] Stitches has been translated into seven languages and published in nine countries.

In 2020, Western Michigan University Libraries announced it would acquire David Small and Sarah Stewart’s archives, including their original artwork, sketchbooks, journals, published and unpublished writings.[17]

David and Sarah Stewart live in an historic manor house in Mendon, Michigan.[18]

Works

As writer and illustrator

As illustrator with Sarah Stewart

Small has illustrated several books written by Sarah Stewart and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG).

  • The Money Tree (FSG, 1994)
  • The Library (FSG, 1995)
  • The Gardener (FSG, 1997) – Caldecott Honor Book
  • The Journey (FSG, 2001)
  • The Friend (FSG, 2004)
  • The Quiet Place (FSG, 2012)
  • This Book Of Mine (FSG, 2019)

As illustrator with other writers

References

  1. ^ ““United States Census, 1950″, FamilySearch, Tue Mar 19 04:36:31 UTC 2024), Entry for Edward Small and Elizabeth Small, 17 April 1950”.
  2. ^ ““Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1968″, FamilySearch : Sat Mar 09 16:56:06 UTC 2024), Entry for Edward P Small and Helen Elizabeth Murphy, 17 Nov 1938”.
  3. ^ “Online biography from Parent’s Choice Foundation”. Archived from the original on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  4. ^ “Books first meant to be shorter, simpler”. The Kalamazoo Gazette. 2011-06-04. pp. W2. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  5. ^ “David Small: Biography”. Authors/Illustrators. Pippin Properties, Inc (pippinproperties.com). Archived July 4, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c American Library Association: Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  7. ^ CNN Book News report on David Small and U.S. News & World Report, 29 January 2001. pg 8 (“The cartoonist in chief”). Archived May 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Kylee (2013-01-10). “Caldecott Winners and Honor Books”. Madison Public Library. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  9. ^ [1] neustadtprize.org
  10. ^ Feiffer, Jules. Blurb in “About the Book: Early Praise” Archived 2013-02-12 at the Wayback Machine. Stitches official website. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  11. ^ Konigsberg, Eric. “Finding a Voice in a Graphic Memoir”. The New York Times, September 6, 2009.
  12. ^ Woods, Paula L. “Book Review: ‘Stitches: A Memoir’ by David Small”. Los Angeles Times. September 13, 2009.
  13. ^ Gustines, George Gene. Graphic Books Best Seller List. The New York Times. September 18, 2009.
  14. ^ Best Books of 2009. Publishers Weekly. November 2, 2009.
  15. ^ Best Books of 2009 – Editors’ Picks: Top 100 Books. Amazon.com.
  16. ^ National Book Awards – 2009.
  17. ^ “University Libraries acquires David Small and Sarah Stewart archive”. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  18. ^ “It’s a David Small World: The Artwork of Caldecott Medal Winner David Small: Educator Guide”. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Multnomah County Library. October 24, 2002. Retrieved April 27, 2013.