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“Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!”
Children’s Book Author and Illustrator Janet Stevens Is Coming to Tulsa
During her school years, Janet Stevens was a doodler. She drew pictures on everything – from book reports to math assignments – which did not go over well with her teachers. Now this natural artist is a nationally renowned children’s book illustrator and author.
You can meet Stevens when she comes to Tulsa in November to celebrate National Children’s Book Week. Stevens is the featured artist for Tulsa City-County Library’s Books to Treasure, an annual event promoting the beauty of children’s literature and introducing the community to popular book illustrators.
Books to Treasure is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 at Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St. Stevens will talk about the art of illustrating and sign copies of her books. The presentation is free and open to the public. The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation sponsors Books to Treasure, with special thanks to the Tulsa World.
“Children’s Book Week is a time to celebrate books, reading and children,” said Stevens. “In my opinion, nothing is more important in a child’s education than the love of reading. Bringing children’s literature to the forefront and celebrating books for a week … what a great way to inspire a child to read!”
During her 27 years as a children’s book illustrator, Stevens has illustrated nearly 50 books. She has written several picture books and has collaborated with her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel, on seven titles: “Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!,” “Shoe Town,” “And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon,” “Jackalope,” “Plaidypus Lost,” “The Great Fuzz Frenzy” and “My Big Dog.”
“Working with my sister has given me more confidence in writing original stories,” said Stevens who still is more comfortable thinking of herself as an illustrator than an author. “Our collaborative efforts have brought many of my seedling ideas to fruition.”
Currently, Stevens is illustrating Coleen Salley’s “Epossumondas Saves the Day,” which is due out in Fall 2006.
Stevens has won numerous awards for her books, including many that are determined by young readers. “And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon” was selected as an American Library Association Notable Book; “Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!” was named an American Booksellers Pick of the Lists; “Tops & Bottoms” was a Caldecott Honor Book and an American Booksellers Pick of the Lists; and “To Market, To Market” was an American Booksellers Book of the Year Honor Book, a Golden Kite Honor Book for Illustration and an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book.
In conjunction with Books to Treasure, all second-graders in Tulsa County will receive a free copy of “Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!.” Plus, all second-graders who sign up for a Tulsa City-County Library card this fall will receive a special library card featuring an illustration from “Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!.”
For more information about Books to Treasure, call Central Library’s Children’s Department at 596-7971 or click on http://kids.tulsalibrary.org/services.
A Tulsa City-County Library Web Site
