Steve Jenkins (author) explained

Stephen Wilkins Jenkins
Birth Date:March 31, 1952
Birth Place:Hickory, North Carolina
Alma Mater:North Carolina State University
Death Place:Boulder, Colorado
Spouse:Robin Page

Stephen Wilkins Jenkins (March 31, 1952 December 26, 2021)[1] was an American children's book author. He illustrated, wrote, and art-directed over 80 books.[2]

Biography

Jenkins was born March 31, 1952, in Hickory, North Carolina, to Alvin and Margaret Jenkins. His father, who was a physics professor and astronomer, did research and taught at various universities, so he spent much of his childhood moving from one city to the next.

He received a bachelor's and master's from the School of Design at North Carolina State University (NCSU). During his time at NCSU, he met his wife, Robin Page. After graduating, the couple moved to New York City, and in 1982, founded their own graphic design firm, Jenkins & Page. In 1994, they moved to Boulder, Colorado.

Jenkins's debut book, Duck’s Breath and Mouse Pie, was published in 1994.

Jenkins died on December 26, 2021, of a splenic artery aneurysm, in Boulder, Colorado.

Awards and honors

Forty-four of Jenkins's books are Junior Library Guild selections.[3]

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books included the following books in their lists of the best books of the year: How to Swallow a Pig (2015)[4] and Animals by the Numbers (2016).[5] The Horn Book Magazine has included the following books in their lists of the best children's nonfiction books of the year: The Top of the World (1999), Life on Earth (2002), Invisible Allies (2005), and The Animal Book (2013).[6]

Awards for Jenkins's books!Year!Title!Award!Result!Ref.
1998Animal Dads (as illus.)NCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended[7]
1999Hottest, Coldest, Highest, DeepestNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardHonor
2000NCTE Orbis Pictus AwardHonor[8]
2002Animals In FlightNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended
2004What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? (as illus.)Caldecott MedalHonor[9] [10]
2005Actual SizeNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardHonor
2006Top of the World: Climbing Mount EverestQuick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersSelection[11]
2007Animal Poems (as illus.)Cybils Award for PoetryFinalist[12]
Living ColorCybils Award for Nonfiction Picture BooksFinalist
2008Living Color. Animals: tomato frog, scarlet percher dragonfly,deep-sea jellyfish, scarlet ibis, fire shrimp, Giant Vietnamese centipede, stonefish, hooded seal, flame scallop, ʻIʻiwi, white uakari, Red salamander, harvest mite, shield bug, crow, hyacinth macaw, poison dart frog, cleaner wrasse, american robin, blue morpho butterfly, Cobalt blue tarantula, Oedipoda caerulescens, Portuguese man-of-war, blue bird of paradise, blue-tongued skink, Plestiodon elegans, crab spider, Madagascan moon moth, yellow mongoose, trumpetfish, great hornbill, eyelash viper, yellow crazy ant, yellow shore crab, ladybird beetle, American goldfinch, common cuttlefish, leaf insect, green moray eel, three-toed sloth, lesser green broadbill, green anole green tiger beetle, luna moth (caterpillar), giant green anemone, leafy sea dragon, kelp isopod, African chameleon, GaribaldiNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended
Vulture View (as illus.)ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[13]
Geisel AwardHonor[14] [15]
2009Down, Down, Down- Animals: Portuguese man o' war, albatross, great white shark, flying fish, flying squid, bottlenose dolphin, mackerel, krill, bluefin tuna, sailfish, shearwater, green sea turtle, mola mola, whale shark, manta ray, compass jellyfish, venus girdle, nautilus, oarfish, goblin shark, snipe eel, vampire squid, siphonophore, marine hatchetfish pram bug, pelican eel, deep sea jellyfish, arrow worm, deep-sea shrimp, deepsea lizardfish, hairy angler, stoplight loosejaw, black swallower, fangtooth, sperm whale, giant squid, deep-sea comb jelly, swimming sea cucumber, sea lily, tripod spiderfish, hagfish, vent crab, mussel, giant tube worm, vent octopus, and eelpout.Cybils Award for Nonfiction Picture BooksFinalist[16]
Sisters and Brothers - Animals: African elephant, Gould's long-eared bat, nine-banded armadillo, New Mexico whiptail lizard, naked mole rat, termite, grizzly bear, spotted hyena, black widow spider, cheetah, peregrine falcon, wild turkey, beaver, nile crocodile, European shrew, great crested grebe, cichlid, cuckoo catfish, common myna, Asian koel, and giant anteater.NCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended
BonesCybils Award for Nonfiction Picture BooksFinalist[17]
2011How to Clean a HippopotamusALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[18]
2012Billions of Years, Amazing ChangesALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[19]
NCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended[20]
2013ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[21]
2014Eat Like a Bear (as illus.)ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[22]
2015Boston Globe–Horn Book AwardHonor[23]
Mama Built a Little Nest (as illus.)ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[24]
2016Woodpecker Wham! (as illus.)ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[25]
2017Animals by the NumbersALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection[26] [27]
Animals by the NumbersNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardHonor[28] [29]
Eye to Eye - Animals: red-crowned Amazon, stick insect (called jumping stick insect), nudibranch, garden snail, nautilus, Atlantic bay scallop, colossal squid, bullfrog, stalk-eyed fly, blue mountain swallowtail butterfly, green pit viper, jumping spider, brownsnout spookfish, tuatara, halibut, panther chameleon, ghost crab, gharial, housecat, hippopotamus, leopard gecko, tarsier, mantis shrimp Eurasian buzzardNCTE Orbis Pictus AwardRecommended

Selected works

As author and illustrator

As illustrator only

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Maughan . Shannon . 2022-01-11 . Obituary: Steve Jenkins . 2023-04-11 . . en . 2022-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221209002403/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/88266-obituary-steve-jenkins.html . live .
  2. News: Steve Jenkins, 69, Dies; His Children's Books Brought Science to Life. Penelope. Green. January 16, 2022. The New York Times. January 20, 2022. January 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220120045854/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/books/steve-jenkins-dead.html. live.
  3. Web site: Steve Jenkins . 2023-04-11 . Junior Library Guild.
  4. Web site: Stevenson . Deborah . 2015 Blue Ribbons . 2023-04-11 . . en-US . 2022-09-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220925232312/https://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu/blueribbons/2015-blue-ribbons/ . live .
  5. Web site: Stevenson . Deborah . 2016 Blue Ribbons . 2023-04-11 . . en-US . 2021-12-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211222202519/https://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu/blueribbons/2016-blue-ribbons/ . live .
  6. Web site: 2012-12-05 . Horn Book Fanfare 1938 to present . 2023-04-11 . . 2021-10-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211030013103/https://www.hbook.com/story/horn-book-fanfare-1938-to-present . live .
  7. Web site: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 1990-2000 . 2023-04-11 . National Council of Teachers of English.
  8. Web site: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 2000-2010 . 2023-04-11 . . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316165708/http://ncte.org/app/uploads/2017/06/OP_Winners_2000-2010.pdf . live .
  9. Web site: What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? . 2023-04-11 . ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf . . 2023-04-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230411101348/https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/book/1489/what-do-you-do-with-a-tail-like-this . live .
  10. Web site: 2004 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books . 2023-04-11 . . 2022-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206114455/https://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/2004CaldecottMedalHonors.htm . live .
  11. Web site: 2006-09-29 . Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers . 2023-04-11 . Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) . en . 2023-01-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127083100/https://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklists/quickpicks/2000quickpicks . live .
  12. Web site: 2007 Cybils Finalists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230321211228/https://www.cybils.com/cybils-books/2007-cybils-finalists . 2023-03-21 . 2023-03-21 . en-US.
  13. Web site: Schulte-Cooper . Laura . 2008-01-29 . ALSC announces 2008 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . . 2021-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019121422/https://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/january2008/ncb2008.htm . live .
  14. Web site: Vulture View . 2023-04-11 . ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf . . 2022-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220810060208/https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/book/1843/vulture-view . live .
  15. Web site: Morales . Macey . Petersen . Jennifer . 2008-01-14 . Mo Willems wins Geisel Award for There Is a Bird on Your Head! . 2023-04-11 . . 2023-04-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230411101340/https://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/january2008/geisel08.htm . live .
  16. Web site: 2009 Cybils Finalists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322033459/https://www.cybils.com/cybils-books/2009-cybils-finalists . 2023-03-22 . 2023-03-22 . en-US.
  17. Web site: 2010 Cybils Finalists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322153827/https://www.cybils.com/cybils-books/2010-cybils-finalists . 2023-03-22 . 2023-03-22 . en-US.
  18. Web site: Schulte-Cooper . Laura . 2011-01-18 . ALSC announces 2011 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . . en . 2020-06-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200619124219/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2011/01/alsc-announces-2011-notable-childrens-books . live .
  19. Web site: Schulte-Cooper . Laura . 2012-03-13 . ALSC announces 2012 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . News and Press Center . en . 2016-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160316200101/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2012/03/alsc-announces-2012-notable-childrens-books . live .
  20. Web site: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 2010-Present . 2023-04-11 . . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316165707/http://ncte.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OP_Winners_2010-Present.pdf . live .
  21. Web site: Jewell . Caroline . 2013-02-28 . ALSC announces 2013 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . News and Press Center . en . 2016-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160317045454/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/02/alsc-announces-2013-notable-children%E2%80%99s-books . live .
  22. Web site: Schulte-Cooper . Laura . 2014-02-05 . ALSC names 2014 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . News and Press Center . en . 2022-10-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221006031146/https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/alsc-names-2014-notable-children-s-books . live .
  23. Web site: 2015-05-28 . Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards . 2023-04-11 . . 2022-12-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221226050336/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2516 . live .
  24. Web site: Laura Schulte-Cooper . 2015-03-03 . ALSC names 2015 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . News and Press Center . en . 2022-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221208034306/https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/03/alsc-names-2015-notable-childrens-books . live .
  25. Web site: Woodpecker Wham! . 2023-04-11 . ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf . . 2021-10-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211022183032/https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/book/1159/woodpecker-wham . live .
  26. Web site: Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Infographics. . 2023-04-11 . ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf . . 2022-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220930233556/https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/book/969/animals-by-the-numbers-a-book-of-infogra . live .
  27. Web site: Schulte-Cooper . Laura . 2017-02-03 . ALSC names 2017 Notable Children's Books . 2023-04-11 . News and Press Center . en . 2017-07-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170729095826/http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/02/alsc-names-2017-notable-childrens-books . live .
  28. Web site: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 2015-Present . 2023-04-11 . . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316165706/https://ncte.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/OP_Winners_2015-Present.pdf . live .
  29. Web site: 2017 Awards for Youth Literature . 2023-04-11 . . en-US . 2022-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207041142/https://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu/featured/2017-ala-awards/ . live .

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