Welcome!

   

   I'm Susan Stockdale, the author and illustrator of children's books about nature:

Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move

Nature's Paintbrush

Some Sleep Standing Up

and my most recent book,

Fabulous Fishes

Here are some reviews of Fabulous Fishes:

"Every turn of the page reveals vivid paintings of exotic as well as common underwater creatures to delight all ages. If the paintings are the feast, Stockdale's words are the dessert."
                                                                                                             The Washington Post 

"Youngsters will tap their toes to the rhythm. An excellent teaching tool and an appealing introduction to the wide world of fish."    Kirkus Reviews

"An exciting way to prepare kids for a visit to the aquarium."  Booklist

"With creativity and accuracy unusual for an early primary book, this volume has earned an NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2009 designation."
                                                                                  National Science Teachers Association

You can read The Washington Post article about how I created this book by clicking here:
Every Story Is a Picture: With 'Fabulous Fishes,' Stockdale Brings Underwater Creatures to Life

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What's New.....

I have been invited to speak about my creative process at the 2010 National Art Education Association's National Convention, to be held in Baltimore this April. Stay tuned for more details.

Check out my 2009 television appearance on Fairfax Network's "Meet the Author" Program! You can view four excerpts from the show below or watch the 30-minute interview in its entirety on my Press page.

My research process  (2 minutes)
Illustrating in my studio (3 minutes)
Kindergarteners bring Fabulous Fishes to life (2 minutes)
Advice to Budding Author/Illustrators (30 seconds)    

Nature's Paintbrush has been published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin and is now available for purchase by teachers. Detailed ordering information is available on my Books page under Nature's Paintbrush.

What I'm working on now....

I'm currently painting the illustrations for my next book, Bring on the Birds. Written in alliterative verse, it features twenty-one amazing birds from around the world.  An addendum provides a little information about each bird and where it lives. 

Experts at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and National Zoo as well as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helped me with my research. I'll be traveling to the Galapagos Islands this winter to see some of the birds, like the blue-footed booby and the frigate bird, that I'm featuring in my book.  Look for Bring on the Birds from Peachtree Publishers in Spring, 2011.

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It's a joy for me to share my passion for writing and illustrating and to celebrate nature in my books and presentations. Please explore my web site and contact me if you have any questions. I'm easy to reach at susan1797@aol.com.