Each year, the Caldecott Medal is awarded to an illustrator whose work represents the best in children's book illustration. 1989 winner Stephen Gammell earned this award for his charming illustrations in Katherine Ackerman's Song and Dance Man. But Gammell is interesting that while he won his award for a very particular and lovely style, he is best known for a work that evokes an entirely different feeling than the art for which he won the Caldecott Medal. Join us today in our Caldecott Medal Winning Illustrators Series as we take a closer look at the career of Stephen Gammell:
Who is Stephen Gammell?
Stephen Gammell is an American illustrator originally from Iowa. He had an interest in art from an early age, which was greatly supported by his parents, who always provided ample supplies and interest. His father, an art editor for a magazine, often brought home editions for him, allowing to explore his interests further. Gammell is entirely self-taught. He began his career as a freelance illustrator before developing an interest in children's books. He successfully made the transition from commercial artist to children's book illustrator in 1973 when he illustrated A Nutty Business by Ida Chittum about the ongoing battle between a farmer and some destructive squirrels. Throughout his career, he has illustrated over seventy children's books and also as a writer for many. He has received the Caldecott Medal for Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman, and two Caldecott Honors for Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant.
Examining Gammell's Artistic Style
Gammel utilizes a surreal style in his art, often working with inks and charcoals. Though he works in color, he also frequently works in black and white, using fine line work to communicate emotion.
He works with bright watercolors, like in Song and Dance Man. He is best known for his surreal, terrifying drawings for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, which often are blurry or feature frightening monsters and ghosts in motion.
However, he sometimes turns this surrealism toward the humorous, such as in 2001's The Burger and the Hotdog, which features drawings of anthropomorphized foods and their interpersonal relations. He continues his interest in mixed media here, using coffee as a paint.
Where else have you heard of Gammell?
Gammell has illustrated over seventy books throughout his career. He has won the Caldecott Medal and received the Caldecott Honor twice. However, Gammell is best known for his work on the Scary Stories We Tell in the Dark trilogy, which has made him much loved by horror fans. Even those unfamiliar with his other works have likely seen his illustrations in these classic books or the 2019 film inspired by them.
Collecting Stephen Gammell
Song and Dance Man
Gammel earned the Caldecott medal in 1989 for his work on Katherine Ackerman's Song and Dance Man. Song and Dance Man tells the story of a group of siblings visiting their grandfather. During the visit, he tells them about how he used to be a performer on the vaudeville stage back before television was popularized.
The children are delighted by his story, and together, they go into the attic to find his old costume, after which the grandfather puts on a show for the children. This charming and nostalgic book features beautiful watercolor illustrations from Gammell.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Gammell is perhaps best known for his illustrations for Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones. These books, published throughout the 1980s and 90s, were a collection of folk tales and urban legends paired with Gammell's surreal charcoal and ink drawings to startling effect.
The combination of Schwartz's stories with Gammell's terrifying illustrations caused the books to be banned by numerous schools and institutions. Some educators and parents believed that the books were inappropriate for children.
However, for people who were children in the 80s and 90s, these books were often the first introduction to the horror genre and are now greatly beloved. Gammell's illustrations are so well-loved that in a recent reprinting, when his illustrations were replaced, the uproar was so great that the publishers reinstated his illustrations in subsequent editions. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was adapted into a horror film in 2019, with Gammell's illustrations as the primary inspiration for monster design.
The Burger and the Hotdog
For those seeking out more humorous examples of Gammell's work, try The Burger and the Hotdog. This 2001 book of food poetry Jim Aylesworth features stylized drawings of anthropomorphized food and drink. The illustrations looked splashed with ketchup and mustard and are accented with bright blocks of color. Gammel took a mixed-media approach, using coffee to create shades of brown throughout the illustrations.
A Nutty Business
Published in 1973 and written by Ida Chittum, A Nutty Business is the first of Gammell's professional works for children. This charming book about the war between a farmer and local squirrels over nuts is a great example of Gammell's black-and-white sketchy style.
