Lynn Sweat (1934–) Biography

Born 1934, in Alexandria, LA; Education: Lamar University, B.S., 1956. Religion: Protestant.

Career

Writer and illustrator. Beaumont Enterprise and Journal, Beamont, TX, staff artist, 1956–59; KFDM-TV, Beaumont, artist and cameraman, 1959; Continental Can Company, Beaumont, artist, 1959–60; Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY, assistant art director, 1960–64; Altman, Stoller Advertising, New York, NY, staff artist; freelance illustrator, beginning 1964. Exhibitions: Roko Gallery, New York, NY, 1973; Fairfield Library, Fairfield, CT, 1986; and Rose Farm Gallery, CT, 1988.

Honors Awards

Award of Excellence, Society of Illustrators, 1970, for promotional project Birds without Words; Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year, 1968, for The Rub Book, 1972, for Granny, the Baby, and the Big Gray Thing, 1975, for The Garden Is Doing Fine, and 1976, for Let's Celebrate: Holiday Decorations You Can Make and Good Work, Amelia Bedelia; Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers, 1975, for The Garden Is Doing Fine; Garden State Children's Book Award, New Jersey Library Association, 1980, for Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia; Children's Choice designation, International Reading Association/Children's Book Council, 1982, and Garden State Children's Book Award, 1988, both for Amelia Bedelia and the Baby.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Cluck, the Captain's Chicken, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1966.

The Wonderful Hunting Dog, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1973.

Vacation and Holiday Fun, Children's Press (New York, NY), 1987.

(With Louis Phillips) The Smallest Stegosaurus, Viking (New York, NY), 1993.

ILLUSTRATOR

James E. Seidelman and Grace Mintoyne, The Rub Book, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1968.

James E. Seidelman and Grace Mintoyne, Creating with Wool, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1969.

Peggy Parish, Costumes to Make, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1970.

Hal Hellman, Energy and Inertia, Evans, 1970.

John S. Marr, The Good Drug and the Bad Drug, Evans, 1970.

John S. Marr, A Breath of Air and a Breath of Smoke, Evans, 1971.

Hal Hellman, The Lever and the Pulley, Evans, 1971.

Peggy Parish, Sheet Magic: Games, Toys, and Gifts from Old Sheets, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1971.

Peggy Parish, Granny, the Baby, and the Big Gray Thing, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1972.

Seymour Simon, Science Projects in Ecology, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1972.

John S. Marr, The Food You Eat, Evans, 1973.

Seymour Simon, Projects with Plants, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1973.

Kay Nation and Bob Nation, Meters, Liters, and Kilos: Understanding the Metric System, Hawthorn, 1974.

Carol Farley, The Garden Is Doing Fine, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1975.

Norma Johnston, Of Time and of Seasons, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1975.

Peggy Parish, Let's Celebrate: Holiday Decorations You Can Make, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1976.

Peggy Parish, Beginning Mobiles, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1976.

Wesley Porter, Dragons of Peking, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1979.

Wesley Porter, First Summer, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1979.

Wesley Porter, The Magic Kettle, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1979.

David Eastman, What Is a Fish?, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1982.

Peggy Parish, The Cat's Burglar, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1983.

Caroline Arnold, Maps and Globes: Fun, Facts, and Activities, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1984.

Seth McEvoy and Laurie Smith, The Electronic Hurricane, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Seth McEvoy and Laurie Smith, The Magnetic Ghost of Shadow Island, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Seth McEvoy and Laurie Smith, Revenge of the Raster Gang, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Seth McEvoy and Laurie Smith, Save the Venturians!, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Caroline Arnold, Bodies of Water: Fun, Facts, and Activities, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1985.

Caroline Arnold, Land Masses: Fun, Facts, and Activities, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1985.

Laurence Santrey, Rivers, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1985.

Keith Brandt, Sound, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1985.

Keith Brandt, Sun, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1985.

Rose Greydanus, Let's Get a Pet, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1985.

Elin McCoy, Secret Spaces, Imaginary Places: Creating Your Own Worlds for Play, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986.

Ginny O'Donnell, Hide-and-Seek Birthday, Bantam (New York, NY), 1987.

Ann Herman Scott, One Good Horse: A Cowpuncher's Counting Book, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1990.

Joanne Oppenheim, Wake up, Baby!, Bantam (New York, NY), 1990.

Morgan Matthews, What's It Like to Be a … Railroad Worker, Troll Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1990.

Carla F. Berry, Planning a Theme-Based Curriculum: Goals, Themes, Activities, and Planning Guides for 4's and 5's, Good Year Books (Glenview, IL), 1993.

ILLUSTRATOR; "AMELIA BEDELIA" SERIES

Peggy Parish, Good Work, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1976.

Peggy Parish, Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1977.

Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia Helps Out, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1979.

Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia and the Baby, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1981.

Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1985, reprinted, 2003.

Peggy Parish, Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1986.

Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia's Family Album, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1988.

Herman Parish, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1995.

Herman Parish, Bravo, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1997.

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1999.

Herman Parish, Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2002.

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2003.

Herman Parish, Happy Haunting, Amelia Bedelia, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2004.

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2004.

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist?, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2005.

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia under Construction, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Lynn Sweat is an artist and writer who is best known to young readers as the man who creates the illustrations to the "Amelia Bedelia" books. Begun by author Peggy Parish in the mid-1970s, the "Amelia Bedelia" series centers on a good-natured housekeeper whose lively literal-mindedness results in consistently humorous results. Although Parish ended the series after a decade, Amelia's adventures were restarted by Parish's nephew, Herman Parish, for a new generation of readers. Sweat has illustrated the entire series, much to the approval of both critics and readers. As Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan wrote of the artist's work for Calling Doctor Sweat began his illustration career creating art for a variety of books, including John S. Marr's A Breath of Air and a Breath of Smoke, a warning to potential cigarette users that was published in 1971.Amelia Bedelia, "Sweat's cheerful ink-and-watercolor illustrations heighten the fun," while Abby Nolan commented in the same publication that in Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm the artist's "cartoony" renderings "are in toon with the zaniness" of the madcap maid's adventures.

In addition to the "Amelia Bedelia" books, Sweat has worked on numerous other children's books, most frequently as illustrator. Cluck, the Captain's Chicken and The Wonderful Hunting Dog are among the picture books he has both written and illustrated, while his self-illustrated The Little Stegosaurus was coauthored with Louis Phillips. A story that introduces toddlers to the world of prehistoric beasts, the book was praised by a Publishers Weekly contributor as a "friendly and informative introduction to the dinosaur age" in which Sweat's pencil illustrations "boast an unusual clarity and dimension."

Sweat once told SATA: "My childhood was spent on the coast of Texas. My first memories are those of being close to nature, dragonflies, turtles, frogs, ducks, wild geese, birds, and clouds. I always had a love for pencils, crayons, and libraries. Afer I graduated from high school, my interest in art led me to study commercial illustration in college.

"I have worked as a commercial illustrator in addition to devoting much of my time to painting. As time has gone on I have gone into fine arts more and more, so that illustration has become a secondary part of my life as an artist."