Donald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and spent summers with
his grandparents in Florida. The long train trips south would
eventually provide the inspiration for several of his works,
including the 1979 Caldecott Honor book Freight Train and the
acclaimed Bigmama's. He graduated from The Cooper Union and spent
three years working as a designer, but his career was interrupted
in 1961 when he was drafted into the army. As the end of his term
in the military approached and he began to plan his return to
civilian life, he assigned himself the task of writing and
illustrating a children's book to add to his portfolio.
The result was the striking concept book We Read: A to Z, published
in 1967, quickly followed by the iconic counting book Ten Black
Dots. Crews's hallmark flat, clean colors and bright, unambiguous
shapes are also found in Truck, a 1981 Caldecott Honor selection;
Harbor (1982); School Bus (1984); Flying (1986); and Each Orange
Had 8 Slices, written by Paul Giganti (1992). His books have been
published in numerous languages and are a mainstay of children's
and classroom libraries nationwide. Donald Crews was married to the
late Ann Jonas, who was also a noted and influential author and
illustrator of works for children. He lives in New York State.
"Striking visuals." -- School Library Journal "Bold colors and briskly delineated graphics." -- ALA Booklist "[This] bright, clean-lined counting book features remarkable colors and textures." -- Childhood Education
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