David Small, who celebrates his birthday on February 12th, grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He credits his industrial, urban surroundings with inspiring his appreciation for art. Encouraged by his mother, David took lessons at the Detroit Institute of Arts at an early age. He received an MFA from Yale and taught drawing and printmaking at the college level until his career in children's book illustration became a full-time endeavor. Small's style is most often characterized by his mastery of a combination of pen and ink and watercolor. His first book, Eulalie and the Hopping Head, was published in 1972. David Small lives in Michigan with his wife, Sarah Stewart, a children's book author. They have collaborated on several books, including The Gardener, a Caldecott Honor Book. So You Want to be President, an unusual historical glimpse into the presidency in text and illustration, resembles political cartoon satire. It was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2001.
