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A Short History of Janet Stevens and Her Books

Janet Stevens is a nationally known, award-winning illustrator. She explains, “When I was a child I was not particularly good at art, but I liked it. The more drawing I did, the better I got. When you like to do something, you practice more – and you usually improve. Now I draw almost every day in my studio and I’m still working at trying to make my art better.

The youngest of three children, Janet was born in Dallas, Texas. Her father was in the Navy, and she moved many times as a child. Now she lives in Colorado with her husband, two dogs and two cats; her two children, Lindsey and Blake, are grown -- Lindsey is in her 2nd year at veterinary school, and Blake is an actor in New York City.

Janet loves drawing animals in human situations. In From Pictures to Words: A Book About Making a Book, she uses animal characters to describe the creative process of making books from a collection of ideas. It is an excellent guide for those interested in creating stories and a favorite of young and old(er) alike who make books.

Janet is particularly proud of her awards voted on by children, “her” audience. Her books have won many state children’s book awards, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.

Lately, she has been creating books with her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel, a former math teacher. These include My Big Dog, Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon, Jackalope, Plaidypus Lost , The Great Fuzz Frenzy, and the soon-to-be-published Help me, Mr. Mutt.

Her books have won numerous awards. And the Dish Ran Away With The Spoon was an ALA Notable Book, a NY Public Library 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing, Child Magazine’s Best Books for 2001, and a Children’s Book of the Month Selection.

To Market, To Market was an ALA Notable Book, a Golden Kite Honor Book, and an American Bookseller’s Book of the Year Honor Book. This story, which takes place in a local Boulder, Colorado market and in Janet’s kitchen, turns the traditional rhyme into a chaotic series of shopping experiences for a frazzled shopper and her animal friends.

Coleen Salley -- the inspiration for the “shopper” character in To Market, To Market -- retells a favorite southern tale in Epossumondas. Instead of a human baby, however, the star of the book is a possum – and Coleen is his “mama.” But Epossumondas is not a very good baby and has trouble following directions. Janet had a terrific time creating the baby opossum in diapers. A second book, Why Epossumondas Has No Hair On His Tail, has been followed by Epossumondas Saves The Day.

Tops and Bottoms received a Caldecott Honor and the first Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award. The innovative format of the book, opening top-to-bottom, makes it great for reading aloud. In Tops and Bottoms, Janet retells how an industrious rabbit outsmarts a lazy bear.