Gail Gibbons
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Gail Gibbons | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gail Jane Gibbons November 24, 1944 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, Illustrator |
| Years active | 1959-P |
| Website | https://www.gailgibbons.com |
Gail Gibbons is an American writer and illustrator of children's books, most of which are non-fiction. She started her career as a graphic artist for television, but transitioned to writing and designing children's books in the 1970s.
Early life[edit]
Gibbons was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1944, and she was described as exhibiting "artistic talents at an early age."[citation needed] She gained a reputation in school as an artist, eventually creating her own small books that she personally described as "writing and drawing pictures of what I loved and where I wanted to be." She often visited the Chicago Art Institute nearby which likely fueled her passion for art.[citation needed] She studied graphic design at the University of Illinois. Gibbons herself quoted in the Something about the Author Autobiography Series, "I consider myself quite fortunate because I never had to debate with myself as to what I wanted to do with my life. The answer was always there. I wanted to be a writer and artist." Gibbons was inspired by one of her professors at the University of Illinois who was a professional children's book illustrator.[citation needed]
When she was 21, she married Glenn Gibbons, and started her first job with a television station in Champaign, Illinois. She worked on children's show designing on-air graphics and set design.[citation needed] Later, the couple moved to Chicago, and Gibbons continued her work with the TV station, WMAQ-TV while also picking up jobs in advertising. In 1969, she moved to New York City, worked for WNBC-TV, and ended up designing a few graphics for Saturday Night Live. In 1971, she became the graphic designer for Take a Giant Step, a children's television program on NBC.[citation needed]
Career[edit]
Gail Gibbons first book was Willy and His Wheel Wagon,[1] a 32-page self-illustrated picture book published by Prentice-Hall. By 1978, Gibbons had published 5 children's books, including Things to Make and Do for Halloween and Salvador and Mister Sam: A Guide to Parakeet Care. By 1979, Gibbons was pushed to publish solely non-fiction children's books, and she released Clocks and How They Go, which exhibits a more direct teaching style in writing.[citation needed] Gibbons continued with this style of writing, growing into a prolific non-fiction children's book author and illustrator. Some of her books were even chosen as Reading Rainbow selections. Her most recent book was Planes, published in January 2019.
Awards[edit]
Source:[2] City Art Director Club award, 1979, for The Missing Maple Syrup Sap Mystery
- American Institute of Graphic Arts award, 1979, for Clocks and How They Go
- National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council Award, 1980, for Locks and Keys, and 1982, for Tool Book
- Certificate of appreciation from U.S. Postmaster General, 1982, for The Post Office Book: Mail and How It Moves
- American Library Association Notable Book citation, 1983, for Cars and How They Go, and 1985, for The Milk Makers
- Washington Post/ Children's Book Guild Award, 1987, for contribution to nonfiction children's literature
- National Council of Social Studies Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1992
- National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1998
- International Reading Association Children's Choice Award, 1989, 1995; American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, 1992
Selected works[edit]
- Willy and His Wheel Wagon (Prentice-Hall, 1975), self-illustrated
- Salvador and Mister Sam: A Guide to Parakeet Care (P-H, 1975), self-illustrated
- Behold ... the Dragons
- Behold ... the Unicorns!
- Farming
- Fire! Fire!
- Giant Pandas
- How a House Is Built
- Knights in Shining Armor
- My Basketball Book
- Penguins
- Pigs
- The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree (1984)
- Tell Me, Tree: A Book About Trees for Kids
- The Milk Makers
- The Vegetables We Eat
- The Reasons for Seasons
- Emergency!
- Catch the Wind!: All About Kites
- Sunken Treasure
- Department Store
- Zoo
- Beacons of Light: Lighthouses
- Flying
- Up Goes the Skyscraper
- Country Fair
- Click!: A book about cameras and taking pictures
- How a house is built
- Paper, Paper Everywhere
- Exploring the deep, dark sea
- Deadline!: From News to Newspaper
- My Football Book
- The Post Office Book: Mail and How it Moves
- Fill It Up!
- Weather Forecasting
- Pottery Place
- Playgrounds
- My Basketball Book
- Trains
- The Reasons for Seasons
- Caves and Caverns
- Locks and Keys
- The Milk Makers
- The Honey Makers
- Tunnels
- Yippee-Yay!: A Book About Cowboys and Cowgirls
- Sun Up, Sun Down
- My Soccer Book
References[edit]
- ^ Children's book author and illustrator, Gail Gibbon
- ^ Gail Gibbons. Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource Center
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Video interview with transcript, short biography, and more at Reading Rockets
- Gail Gibbons at Library of Congress, with 150 library catalog records
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