Nature's Paintbrush: The Patterns and Colors Around You
(From flower petals to a toucan's bill, this brightly illu...)
From flower petals to a toucan's bill, this brightly illustrated picture book introduces beginning readers to the many shapes and colors seen in the animals and plants of the rain forest.
(Animal parents carry their young in many different ways. ...)
Animal parents carry their young in many different ways. Some tote babies on their backs. Others dangle them from their mouths or prop them on their shoulders. From kangaroos carrying babies in pouches in the Australian Outback to penguin babies perched on their parents’ feet in the frozen Antarctic, each animal family is shown in its natural habitat. The story ends on a reassuring note with a human baby snuggled in her mother’s arms. In straightforward language and bright, colorful pictures, author-illustrator Susan Stockdale shows young children how animals around the world transport their young.
(Dive into an underwater world with amazing fish and their...)
Dive into an underwater world with amazing fish and their habitats on every page! From the spiky lionfish and the brightly colored clownfish to lanternfishes and hatchetfishes that flash lights so they can find each other in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, children will be fascinated by the breadth of sea life depicted. With a simple, rhyming text and richly textured illustrations, author-illustrator Susan Stockdale introduces young readers to different kinds of fish and the underwater world they call home. An afterword offers fascinating facts and a closer look at each fish.
(Birds come in all sorts of interesting shapes, sizes, and...)
Birds come in all sorts of interesting shapes, sizes, and colors and many of them can do amazing things as well. Can you imagine... Dancing birds, Diving birds, Hanging birds, Hiding birds. They're all real! In her latest book, noted author-illustrator Susan Stockdale introduces young readers to both exotic and familiar birds in energetic rhyming text. The bright, bold colors and crisp, clean lines of Stockdale's birds, depicted in their natural habitats, can't help but grab your attention. An afterword identifies each animal and tells a little bit about it and where it lives.
(A patterned parade of animals comes to life! Bouncy, alli...)
A patterned parade of animals comes to life! Bouncy, alliterative rhyme and gorgeous illustrations introduce readers to a wide range of striped animals. Susan Stockdale’s bright, detailed paintings help show the many reasons stripes are so often found in nature. An afterword provides more information about each featured animal and where it lives, and explains the role its stripes play. Readers can test their knowledge of animal stripes with a fun matching game at the end!
(A celebration of pattern and color, Susan Stockdale's ill...)
A celebration of pattern and color, Susan Stockdale's illustrations focus on the diversity of Earth's flora and fauna. The author and illustrator of six children's books, Stockdale grew up in Florida and spent part of her childhood in Ireland; both places inspired her love of nature. The twelve colorful illustrations in this calendar, depicting animals in their natural habitats, are from Stockdale's books Bring On the Birds; Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move; Fabulous Fishes; and Nature's Paintbrush. Each image is paired with a brief description of the animal's behavior and native range.
(You’ll be amazed to discover all the different reasons wh...)
You’ll be amazed to discover all the different reasons why animals have spots! What kinds of animals have spots, and why do they have them? To scare predators, hide more easily, or warn enemies to stay away? With engaging rhymes and bright, bold images, award-winning author and illustrator Susan Stockdale introduces young readers to the many ways in which animals benefit from their spots. Back matter tells a little bit more about each animal, and readers can test their knowledge of animal spots with a fun matching game at the end!
(With rhythmic, rhyming text and beautifully patterned pai...)
With rhythmic, rhyming text and beautifully patterned painting, Fantastic Flowers introduces young readers to 17 flowers that resemble all kinds of things. Budding botanists will be amazed at how much they look like upside-down pants, wild monkeys and even tiny babies! Fantastic Flowers encourages close observation of nature and visual object identification with exuberance and charm. Back matter explains what a flower is and how it is pollinated and provides photos of each flower along with its common and scientific name, native range and pollinators. Children can compare and contrast the whimsical paintings of the flowers with the photos.
Susan Stockdale is an American illustrator and writer. She creates picture books for young children that celebrate nature.
Background
Susan Stockdale was born on October 3, 1954, in Miami, Florida, United States to the family of a former ambassador to Ireland Grant Stockdale and an author and poet Alice Boyd Magruder Proudfoot. She grew up in Coral Gables, Florida, the youngest of five children. Her interest in nature and her love of color evolved during these formative years. She also spent a few childhood years in Ireland, where her father served as Ambassador during the Kennedy administration. The Irish landscape was a patchwork of sparkly greens, filled with cows, sheep and other animals she'd never seen in tropical Miami. These two very different environments - the sunny tropics of Miami and the magical surroundings of Ireland - influenced her development as an artist.
Education
Susan Stockdale received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Occidental College in Los Angeles, graduating cum laude in 1976. She also studied art with an illustrator Luis de Horna in Salamanca, Spain and a printmaker Ansei Uchima at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York.
Susan Stockdale is the author and illustrator of nonfiction picture books such as Fantastic Flowers, Stripes of All Types and Fabulous Fishes. She held many "day" jobs - art gallery manager, special events coordinator and public relations director - while continuing to paint. She began her art career in 1976 as a painter of fantasy landscapes, which she exhibited in galleries and juried shows. Stockdale also freelanced as a textile designer for the apparel industry, designing fabric for clothing sold at Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and other retail stores. Her work with textiles gave her an opportunity to express her love of pattern and color, which remain distinctive features of her artwork today.
Stockdale researches her books extensively, working closely with scientists to vet her text and illustrations for factual accuracy. She travels to see her subjects, as well. To create Bring On the Birds, she visited the Galapagos Islands, where she watched Blue-footed Boobies perform their lively mating dance. She snorkeled in the waters of Belize to see many of the fishes featured in Fabulous Fishes, and explored the rainforests of Costa Rica to research animals featured in other books. Called "a feast for the eyes" by Kirkus Reviews, her distinctive imagery has been exhibited in the Society of Illlustrators Original Art Show and is featured on puzzles, notecards and other products.
A former National Book Festival speaker and ambassador for the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child literacy initiative, Susan Stockdale presents frequent programs about her bookmaking process at schools, libraries, and conferences.
(Animal parents carry their young in many different ways. ...)
2005
Membership
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
,
United States
Connections
Susan Stockdale married the president of a health care company Todd S. Mann. They have two children: Chelsea and Justin. She lives with her husband in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Father:
Grant Stockdale
Mother:
Alice Boyd Magruder Proudfoot
husband:
Todd S. Mann
Daughter:
Chelsea Mann
Son:
Justin Mann
teacher:
Luis de Horna
teacher:
Ansei Uchima
References
Contemporary Authors, Vol. 166
This volume of Contemporary Authors contains biographical information on approximately 300 modern writers.