Lane Smith (illustrator) facts for kids

Lane Smith, a famous children's book artist.

Lane Smith (born August 25, 1959) is an American artist and writer. He is famous for creating amazing children's books. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2017. Lane Smith is known for his unique and fun artwork. His books can be thoughtful, like Grandpa Green, which won a Caldecott Honor in 2012. He also creates silly and wild stories, like The Stinky Cheese Man, which won a Caldecott Honor in 1992.

Lane Smith's Early Life and Career

Lane Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He moved to Corona, California when he was young. He spent summers in Tulsa. His trips on Route 66 inspired his art. He likes to mix different kinds of art and ideas in his work.

He went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. His high school art teacher encouraged him to go. To help pay for school, he worked as a janitor at Disneyland. While still a student, he drew pictures for newspapers like L.A. Weekly. He also drew album covers for music bands. After graduating in 1983, he moved to New York City. There, he drew for many magazines, including TIME and The New York Times.

Lane Smith is married to Molly Leach. She is a talented book designer. She has designed almost all of Lane Smith's books. Many of them have won awards.

Creating Amazing Children's Books

Lane Smith is best known for his popular and award-winning children's books. He has won many important awards. These include the British Kate Greenaway Medal for There Is a Tribe of Kids. He also won the Bratislava Golden Apple for The Big Pets. He has received two American Caldecott Honors for The Stinky Cheese Man and Grandpa Green. His books have also won the New York Times' Best Illustrated Book award five times.

Lane Smith's Art Style

Lane Smith uses many different art materials. He uses oil paint, pen and ink, pencils, and watercolors. He also uses collage and digital art. His artwork is known for being experimental and having interesting textures. He once said he likes artists who try new styles with every book. He enjoys experimenting, like mixing oil paint with water-based varnishes. This makes the paint bubble up, creating cool textures.

Lane Smith has illustrated books for many famous writers. These include Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, and Judith Viorst. He has also written and illustrated several of his own books. One of his most famous is It's a Book (2010). This book was a New York Times bestseller. It has been translated into over 28 languages. Other books he wrote and illustrated include The Happy Hocky Family and John, Paul, George & Ben.

In 2015, Lane Smith published his first novel for middle schoolers. It was called Return to Augie Hobble. This book received great reviews and was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year.

Working with Jon Scieszka

Lane Smith has worked a lot with writer Jon Scieszka. They started working together in the late 1980s. They created many award-winning and bestselling books. Their most popular books are The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (1989) and The Stinky Cheese Man (1992). Both books were listed among the 100 best picture books of all time by TIME magazine. Lane Smith also illustrated some books in Scieszka's The Time Warp Trio series.

Lane Smith has received the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award five times. In 2012, he was honored for his lifelong creativity in children's books. In 2014, he received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Society of Illustrators.

Lane Smith's Work in Movies

Lane Smith's artistic skills have also been used in movies. He illustrated an edition of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. He also helped design the 1996 Disney movie based on the book. He contributed designs for Disney and Pixar's Monsters, Inc.. He also worked on the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Lane Smith even wrote and directed a short film called Water Ride (1994). It was shown on TV channels like PBS and Bravo.

Lane Smith's Books

Here are some of the books Lane Smith has created:

As writer and illustrator

As illustrator

Written by Jon Scieszka

Lane Smith also illustrated some books in Jon Scieszka's The Time Warp Trio series.

By other writers

Awards and Honors

Lane Smith has won many awards for his amazing books and illustrations. Here are some of them: