Gail Gibbons facts for kids

Gail Gibbons is a famous American writer and artist who creates books for kids. Most of her books teach you about real things, like how things work or about animals. She used to design graphics for TV shows. But in the 1970s, she started writing and drawing her own children's books.

Gail's Early Life and Artistic Journey

Gail Gibbons was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1944. From a very young age, she showed a lot of artistic talent. At school, she was known as an artist. She even made her own small books. She said she loved "writing and drawing pictures of what I loved."

She often visited the Chicago Art Institute, which helped her love for art grow. Gail studied graphic design at the University of Illinois. She always knew she wanted to be a writer and an artist. One of her college teachers, who illustrated children's books, also inspired her.

When she was 21, Gail married Glenn Gibbons. She got her first job at a TV station in Champaign, Illinois. She designed graphics and sets for children's shows. Later, she moved to Chicago and continued working in TV and advertising. In 1969, she moved to New York City. There, she even designed some graphics for the famous TV show Saturday Night Live. In 1971, she became a graphic designer for a children's TV show called Take a Giant Step.

Gail's Career as a Children's Author

Gail Gibbons' first book was Willy and His Wheel Wagon. It was a 32-page picture book that she wrote and illustrated herself. It came out in 1975. By 1978, she had published five children's books. These included Things to Make and Do for Halloween and Salvador and Mister Sam: A Guide to Parakeet Care.

In 1979, Gail started focusing mostly on non-fiction books for kids. Her book Clocks and How They Go showed a new, direct teaching style. She continued writing in this way, becoming a very successful non-fiction author and illustrator. Many of her books were even chosen for the popular TV show Reading Rainbow. Her most recent book, Planes, was published in 2019.

Awards and Recognitions

Gail Gibbons has won many awards for her amazing books. Here are some of them:

• 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
• National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council Award, 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
• American Library Association Notable Book citation, 1985, for The Milk Makers
• Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award, 1987, for her contributions to non-fiction children's literature
• National Council of Social Studies Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, in 1983, 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1992
• National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, in 1983, 1987, 1991, and 1998
• International Reading Association Children's Choice Award, in 1989 and 1995
• American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, 1992

Selected Books by Gail Gibbons