Steven Kellogg

As a young boy, one of Steven Kellogg's favorite activities was called Telling Stories on Paper. Steven Kellogg would sit between younger sisters with a stack of paper on his lap and a pencil in his hand, rattling off tales and scribbling illustrations to accompany them, and passing the pictures first to one of the girls and then to the other. Many years and more than one hundred books later, Steven Kellogg has created some of our favorite children's books, including his own re-tellings of Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and the latest in paperback books, "A Hunting We Will Go!" Some of his most recent books include "Big Bear Ball" and "The Song Behind the Story."

Steven Kellogg grew up drawing animals and birds, with all of his spare time devoted to drawing from real life or illustrations in books. His natural talent and desire to draw led him to the Rhode Island School of Design. During his time there, he received a special fellowship to study in Italy for a year, which he credits as one of the major influences on his development as an artist.

Steven Kellogg published his first book, "Gwot! Horribly Funny Hair Ticklers", in 1967. Now he has more than one hundred to his credit, of which more than thirty were written by him. When he illustrates books by other authors, Steven Kellogg listens very hard to the voice of the writer. His goal is to have a duet between the illustrator and author not a duel. "In a good picture book the art and text combine to present a whole, neither stands alone," Steven Kellogg says. He has received many awards for his larger-than-life characters and bright illustrations, including the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal.

For three decades, Steven Kellogg has lived with his wife, Helen, in a colonial-era farmhouse in rural Connecticut. Over the years, this has been home for his six stepchildren, many Great Danes, and a wide array of inspirational cats.