Stephen Gammell (born February 10, 1943) is an American illustrator of children's books . He won the 1989 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman . His illustrations in Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker (1982) and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant (1986) earned those titles the designation of Caldecott Honor books. [1] Although he is most widely known for his evocative, nightmarish illustrations for Alvin Schwartz 's Scary Stories to Tell
Gammell grew up in Iowa . His father, an art editor for a major magazine, brought home periodicals that gave Stephen early artistic inspiration . His parents also supplied him with plenty of pencils, paper, and encouragement. He is self-taught.
He started his career with freelance commercial work , but became interested in children's book illustration. His first picture book was published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1973: A Nutty Business by Ida Chittum, featuring a "war" between squirrels and a farmer. [2] That same year he illustrated The Search ( Harper & Row , 1973), a juvenile biography of Leo Tolstoy by Sara Newton Carroll. [3]