Doug Cushman (1953-) Biography

Born 1953, in Springfield, OH. Education: Attended Paier School of Art, 1971-75. Hobbies and other interests: Cooking, kayaking, reading.

Agent—c/o HarperCollins Children's Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

Doug Cushman

Apprentice to book illustrator Mercer Mayer, 1975-77; writer and illustrator, 1977—. Instructor at Paier College of Art, 1980, and Southern Connecticut State University, 1981—.

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, National Cartoonists Society, Mystery Writers of America.

Reuben Award for Book Illustration, National Cartoonists Society, 1996; Christopher Award, 2005.

FOR CHILDREN; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

(Compiler) Giants (stories and poems), Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1980.

(Compiler) Trolls (stories), Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1981.

(Compiler) Once upon a Pig, Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1982.

Nasty Kyle the Crocodile, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1983.

Mickey Takes a Bow, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1987.

The Missing Mystery, Checkerboard (New York, NY), 1987.

Uncle Foster's Hat Tree, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

Mouse and Mole, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1989.

Possum Stew, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.

Camp Big Paw, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1990.

Aunt Eater's Mystery Vacation, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1992.

The ABC Mystery, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

Mouse and Mole and the Year-Round Garden, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Mouse and Mole and the Christmas Walk, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Mouse and Mole and the All-Weather Train Ride, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1995.

Aunt Eater's Mystery Christmas, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

The Mystery of King Karfu, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

Aunt Eater's Mystery Halloween, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

The Mystery of the Monkey's Maze, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1999.

Inspector Hopper, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Inspector Hopper's Mystery Year, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Space Cat, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Mystery at the Club Sandwich, Clarion (New York, NY), 2004.

ILLUSTRATOR

H. L. Ross, Not Counting Monsters, Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1978.

Lillie Patterson, Haunted Houses on Halloween, Garrard (Champaign, IL), 1979.

Elizabeth Norine Upham, Little Brown Bear, Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1979.

F. Kaff, Monster for a Day; or, The Monster in Gregory's Pajamas, Gingerbread House (Westhampton Beach, NY), 1979.

Leonard Kessler, The Silly Mother Hubbard, Garrard (Champaign, IL), 1980.

Leonard Kessler, Hickory Dickory Dock, Garrard (Champaign, IL), 1980.

Michaela Muntean, Bicycle Bear, Parents Magazine Press (New York, NY), 1983.

The Pudgy Fingers Counting Book, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1983.

Ida Luttrell, Tillie and Mert, Harper (New York, NY), 1985.

Suzanne Gruber, Chatty Chipmunk's Nutty Day, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1985.

Michael J. Pellowski, Benny's Bad Day, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1986.

Jack Long, The Secret of the Nile, Checkerboard (New York, NY), 1987.

Jack Long, The Sunken Treasure, Checkerboard (New York, NY), 1987.

Jack Long, The Vanishing Professor, Checkerboard (New York, NY), 1987.

Rose Greydanus, Bedtime Story, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1988.

C. S. White, The Monsters' Counting Book, Platt & Munk (New York, NY), 1988.

Sharon Gordon, The Jolly Monsters, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1988.

Terry Webb Harshman, Porcupine's Pajama Party, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1988.

Melanie Martin, Itsy-Bitsy Giant, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1989.

Michael J. Pellowski, Mixed-up Magic, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1989.

Dorothy Corey, A Shot for Baby Bear, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1989.

Thomas P. Lewis, Frida's Offıce Day, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1989.

Michaela Munteen, Bicycle Bear Rides Again, Parents Magazine (New York, NY), 1989.

Marcia Leonard, The Three Little Pigs, Silver Press (Parsippany, NJ), 1990.

Marcia Leonard, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Silver Press (Parsippany, NJ), 1990.

Teresa Noel Celsi, The Fourth Little Pig, Raintree (Milwaukee, WI), 1990.

Michael Berenstain, 1 + 1 Take Away Two!, Western (Racine, WI), 1991.

Lois G. Grambling, An Alligator Named Alligator, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 1991.

Joan Davenport Carris, Aunt Morbelia and the Screaming Skulls, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1992.

William H. Hooks, How Do You Make a Bubble?, Bantam (New York, NY), 1992.

William H. Hooks, Feed Me! An Aesop Fable, Bantam (New York, NY), 1992.

Gary Richmond, The Early Bird, Word Publishing (Dallas, TX), 1992.

Naomi Baltuck, Crazy Gibberish: And Other Story-Hour Stretches from a Storyteller's Bag of Tricks, Linnets Books (Hamden, CT), 1993.

Mary Packard, The Witch Who Couldn't Fly, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1994.

Patricia Lakin, Get Ready to Read, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, A Good Sport, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, A True Partnership, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Bethany Roberts, Halloween Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 1995.

Gail Herman, Teddy Bear for Sale, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, The Mystery Illness, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Trash and Treasure, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Up a Tree, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Where There's Smoke, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Signs of Protest, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Aware and Alert, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, A Summer Job, Raintree Stack-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Information, Please, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Patricia Lakin, Red Letter Day, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1995.

Alice Cary, Nat the Crab, Open Court (Chicago, IL), 1995.

Robin Dexter, Frogs, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1996.

William H. Hooks, reteller, Feed Me! An Aesop Fable, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 1996.

Bethany Roberts, Valentine Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 1997.

Susan Goldman Rubin, The Whiz Kids Plugged In, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Rita Balducci, Halloween Pigs, WhistleStop/Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1997.

Shelagh Canning, The Turkey Saves the Day, Troll (Mahwah, NJ), 1997.

Susan Goldman Rubin The Wiz Kids Take Off!, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Douglas Wood, What Dads Can't Do, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Bethany Roberts, Christmas Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 2000.

Douglas Wood, What Moms Can't Do, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Lilian Moore, Little Raccoon, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2001.

Bethany Roberts, Thanksgiving Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 2001.

Joan M. Lexau, Crocodile and Hen: A Bakongo Folktale, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Jane Yolen, Animal Train, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2002.

Douglas Wood, What Teachers Can't Do, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Kay Winters, But Mom, Everybody Else Does, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Bethany Roberts, Birthday Mice!, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Barbara Williams, Albert's Impossible Toothache, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2003.

Bethany Roberts, Easter Mice!, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2003.

John Schindel, What Did They See?, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2003.

Bethany Roberts, Halloween Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 2003.

Katherine Brown Tegen, Dracula and Frankenstein Are Friends, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Douglas Wood, What Santa Can't Do, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Jacklyn Williams, Happy Valentine's Day, Gus!, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

Jacklyn Williams, Happy Easter, Gus!, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

Judy Sierra, What Time Is It, Mr. Crocodile?, Gulliver Books (Orlando, FL), 2004.

Bethany Roberts, Fourth of July Mice!, Clarion (New York, NY), 2004.

Karma Wilson, Never Ever Shout in a Zoo, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2004.

Jacklyn Williams, Happy Halloween, Gus!, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

Matt Mitter, ABC: Alphabet Rhymes, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 2004.

Matt Mitter, 1, 2, 3, Counting Rhymes, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 2004.

Jacklyn Williams, Merry Christmas Gus!, Picture Window Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

Douglas Wood, What Grandmas Can't Do, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Susan Schafer, Where's My Tail?, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 2005.

Shirley Mozelle, The Bear Upstairs, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2005.

ILLUSTRATOR; "HANDS-ON EARLY-LEARNING SCIENCE ACTIVITIES" SERIES

Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux, Let's Try It out in the Water, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux, Let's Try It out in the Air, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux, Let's Try It out on the Playground, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

In the many well-received picture books that California-based author Doug Cushman has written and illustrated, his emphasis on character is evident in both text and artwork. As he once commented: "A good character will almost write a book by himself with a little nudge or two from the author." Indeed, vivid characters abound in books such as Possum Stew, wherein mischievous Possum ties together Bear and Gator's fishing lines, tricking the friends into believing they've hooked the "Big Catfish." When the two fall into the water trying to pull in their enormous catch, Possum sneaks off with their full baskets of fish. Wanting to even the score, Bear and Gator plan a surprise of their own for Possum. Beth Herbert, writing in Booklist, called Possum Stew a "knee-slapping tale," while a reviewer for Kirkus Reviews noted that the story's humor is enhanced by the "expressive faces" in Cushman's "uncluttered illustrations." School Library Journal contributor Sally R. Dow also commented favorably on the author/illustrator's fictional creations, maintaining that Cushman's "lighthearted" illustrations "capture the mischievous spirit of the animals."

The ABC Mystery, another of Cushman's self-illustrated stories, is an alphabet primer charged with a mystery. The letter "A" states the crime—stolen Art—and the mystery, told in rhyming couplets, continues to unfold as Detective McGroom, a badger, pursues clues attached to successive letters of the alphabet. Calling the book a "fresh approach to the ABC's," School Library Journal contributor Jody McCoy claimed that The ABC Mystery would attract children with its "bright cartoon creatures skillfully rendered." Booklist reviewer Deborah Abbott suggested the book be used as a "kickoff for mystery units in the primary grades," and praised Cushman's illustrations for their "touches of melodrama and humor." A Publishers Weekly commentator stated that repeated readings would give "budding detectives" more chances to "spot new clues," describing the picture book as a "cunning twist on the traditional ABC" primer.

Cushman has followed the success of his ABC Mystery with more tales of intrigue, among them Aunt Eater's Mystery Christmas, The Mystery of King Karfu, and Aunt Eater's Mystery Halloween. Booklist reviewer Linda Perkins offered high praise for The Mystery of King Karfu, declaring that it will "delight mystery aficionados." In this story, wombat detective Seymour Sleuth investigates a stolen stone chicken in Egypt. Seymour and Abbott Muggs, his sidekick, catch the thief after uncovering a critical clue. Cushman designed the book as an actual detective's casebook, with investigative notes, photographs, coffee stains, and business receipts (including a camel rental) all related to the investigation. Perkins noted that the illustrated details add "silliness, suspense, and intrigue." Steven Engelfried, a School Library Journal contributor, described the notebook as a "clear and insightful look at how a detective puts evidence together." Engelfried also noted a "clue-filled plot, plenty of humor, and an innovative presentation" that he predicted will create a demand for more "Seymour Sleuth" mysteries. In Inspector Hopper Cushman introduces two new sleuths, the dapperly dressed grasshopper Inspector Hopper and his sidekick, the bowler hat-wearing beetle McBugg. The book, intended for early elementary students who are just beginning to read independently, features three separate mystery tales. Mr. Ladybug's wife disappears in the first story, and does not return when he calls her: "Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home!" However, with the help of Inspector Hopper and McBugg she is soon found, safe and sound. In the second tale, "A Boat Disappears," a mosquito named Skeet loses his leaf boat. Inspector Hopper interrogates several other insects, including the Eensy Weensy Spider and a snail who jogs, before finding the culprit: Conrad the caterpillar, who ate the small vessel. In the final installment, Inspector Hopper and McBugg track down a rat—literally—with the help of the moon. Reviewers praised the book; Maura Bresnahan, writing in School Library Journal, thought that "the short sentences, catchy dialogue, and repetitive vocabulary are just right for beginning readers." Other critics praised Cushman's "handsome watercolors," as Gillian Engberg described them in Booklist, that "will draw children in with their bug's-eye view of the world."

Inspector Hopper and McBugg return to solve another four conundrums in 2003's Inspector Hopper's Mystery Year. Here Cushman presents one mystery per season. First, in the fall, Emma Worm asks the detectives to help her figure out who is apparently haunting a pumpkin. In the winter a doctor disappears, rather inconveniently for Inspector Hopper as he has a cold that he would like to be treated. A young beetle-child goes missing in the spring, and in the summer, a cricket named Holly loses her sheet music; as it turns out, it was stolen by a wasp who needed materials to help him paper over a hole in his nest. Each of these four stories "is just the right length for sharing aloud or independent reading," wrote School Library Journal contributor Wanda Meyers-Hines, who also called the book "a fun selection for units on insects." Plus, as a Kirkus Reviews contributor noted, "Cushman drops visual clues to let readers participate in the solutions to the mysteries [and] sight gags to keep the stories lively."

An elephant named Nick Trunk is the detective in Mystery at the Club Sandwich. The book openly spoofs classic film noir detective stories such as The Maltese Falcon; it is even dedicated to "Sam, Phil and Dashiell"—as in the famous noir detective Sam Spade, his creator Dashiell Hammett, and Philip Marlowe, the detective created by author Raymond Chandler. As with all good noir tales, Mystery at the Club Sandwich opens with "trouble" walking through the door: Maggie Trouble, a cat who works at the Club Sandwich as an assistant to its star cabaret singer, Lola Gale. Gale's lucky marbles have been stolen, and she wants Nick Trunk's help in recovering them. "Readers will guess the villain early on," commented School Library Journal reviewer Marie Orlando, "but that won't interfere with their enjoyment of the droll story."

Cushman has also received favorable notice for the pictures he has provided for scores of works by many different authors. Among these efforts is Valentine Mice!, written by Bethany Roberts. In this tale, four mice celebrate a wintery Valentine's Day by passing out holiday cards to all the woodland animals. Amid all the excitement, hardly anyone notices that the youngest mouse has disappeared. "Motion-filled, festive watercolors humorously document the rescue of the missing mouse," asserted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Praising the successful union of words and pictures, a Kirkus Reviews critic claimed the "rhythmic text and action-packed line and watercolor illustrations will draw young readers in."