Over the course of the last 12 weeks, we've highlighted the work of some of our favorite children's book author/illustrators who showed us what "Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life." means to them. We call it our "Art of Read Every Day campaign," and Erin Stead's piece is the last we're featuring here on the blog and on social media. We so hope you've enjoyed the collection and this "Meet the artist" series on the blog (and don't worry, we'll continue to share these fantastic resources in the New Year!)
Erin E. Stead is the Caldecott Medal-winning, New York Times bestselling artist of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, and the illustrator of both New York Times bestsellers Bear Has a Story to Tell (written by husband and collaborator Philip C. Stead) and And Then It’s Spring, by Julie Fogliano. Her artwork for this campaign is one of my favorites—an enormous blue whale reads over the shoulder of a penguin, who grips a book the size of his little body. I love the color pallet in this piece and the sense of calm it evokes. And in keeping with the theme of this collection, it's all about togetherness—the whale and penguin sharing a quiet moment over a book.
Visit Stead's section on our the Art of Read Every Day website to download the artwork for free, discover a video with Erin Stead, and Common Core-ready discussion guides for grades K-2 and 3-5.
Enjoy!
Original artwork by Erin Stead
