Dan Santat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Santat
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Santat at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | 1975 (age 49–50) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable awards | Caldecott Medal, National Book Award |
Dan Santat, born in 1975, is an American writer and artist. He is famous for his children's books. His book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend won the 2015 Caldecott Medal. This award is given for amazing illustrations in children's books.
Santat also wrote The Guild of Geniuses. He created the Disney Channel animated TV show The Replacements. In 2023, he won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his book A First Time for Everything.
Contents
About Dan Santat's Life
Dan Santat was born in 1975 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were immigrants from Thailand. When he was three, his family moved to California. He went to Adolfo Camarillo High School.
Education and Early Career
After high school, Santat studied at the University of California at San Diego. He earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology. Later, he went to the Art Center College of Design. He graduated with honors in 2001. There, he became friends with another illustrator, Peter Brown.
Before becoming a full-time author, Santat worked in video games. He was an environment artist for Activision. He helped create art for some Spider-Man games.
Dan Santat's Books and Art
Santat's first children's book was The Guild of Geniuses. It was published in 2004. After that, he started illustrating books for other authors. He drew pictures for the first Nanny Piggins book. He also illustrated the first Otto Undercover book series.
He has worked with many writers. These include Dan Gutman for The Christmas Genie. He also illustrated The Secret Life of Walter Kitty by Barbara Jean Hicks. Another book he illustrated was The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch by Anne Isaacs.
Creating The Replacements
In 2005, Santat created a show for Disney Channel. It was called The Replacements. The show was based on an idea he had for a children's book. It first aired in July 2006.
Santat has said he admires people who can draw for animation. He found working on The Replacements challenging. He felt that working with a big company meant making the show appeal to many kids. He prefers the freedom of drawing for books.
Commercial Art and Galleries
Santat is also a commercial artist. He has drawn for many well-known clients. These include The Wall Street Journal and Esquire. His art has also appeared in magazines like Village Voice and GQ Russia. He has also worked for Macworld and Macy's.
His artwork has been shown in art galleries. He participated in the I Am 8 Bit art show in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2010, he chose not to create Google Doodles. He wanted to focus on his dream of making children's books.
By 2014, Santat had illustrated over 60 books. Fourteen of these were published in that year alone.
Dan Santat's Family Life
Dan Santat lives in Southern California. He lives with his wife, Leah. She works as a lab manager at Cal Tech. They have two sons, Alek and Kyle. Their family also includes a bird, three dogs, and two cats.
His family's original last name was "Santatevongchai". This name was given to his great-grandfather by the king of Thailand. When his parents moved to the United States, their last name was shortened to "Santat".
See also
In Spanish: Dan Santat para niños
