Ed Emberley

Edward Randolph Emberley (born October 19, 1931 in Malden, Massachusetts) is an American artist and illustrator.

Biography

Emberley studied art at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston (now Massachusetts College of Art and Design), from which he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and illustration. He also studied at the Rhode Island School of Design.

He married Barbara, a librarian and writer, in 1955; they have two children, Rebecca and Michael. They currently live in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Career

Emberley is best known for his children's book work - particularly instructional drawing books. Emberley believes that everyone can learn to draw. His drawing books for children feature clear step-by-step instructions employing numbers, letters, and shapes graded to the early elementary school level. For example, the book Ed Emberley's A.B.C. uses this style of instruction, presenting a single letter-based drawing for each letter of the alphabet.

Emberley has illustrated or contributed to over 50 books, many of which were first published between the 1960s and 1980s. Renewed interest in Emberley's work has come from adults who first encountered his books as children and now are purchasing them for their own children. His most recent book, "The Red Hen", was released on October 26, 2010; like his penultimate work, 2009's "Chicken Little", it is yet another collaboration with Rebecca Emberley.

Awards and other recognition

His first book, The Wing on a Flea (1961), was an ALA Notable Book and made the New York Times list of best illustrated books for that year. His One Wide River to Cross, written by his wife, Barbara, was the sole Caldecott Honor book for 1967. In 1968, he won the Caldecott Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for his illustrations of Barbara Emberley's Drummer Hoff.

External links

• Emberley's website