Summary
Author Notes
Lane Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 25, 1959. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from Art Center, College of Design in Pasadena, California. He moved to New York City and was hired to do illustrations for various publications including Time, Mother Jones, and Ms..
He is a children's book author and an illustrator. His titles with Jon Scieszka have included the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Math Curse, and Science Verse. He wrote and illustrated Madam President, John, Paul, George and Ben, The Happy Hocky Family, The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country, It's a Book, and Grandpa Green.
His other high profile titles include Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders, Big Plans by Bob Shea, and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. He also served as conceptual designer on the Disney film version of James and the Giant Peach, Monsters, Inc. and the film adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! In 2017, he was awarded the Kate Greenway Medal for children¿s book illustration for There is a Tribe of Kids.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Lane Smith's unique take on the presidency (Hyperion, 2008) will have children giggling and adults grinning. Told in the first person in a child's voice, the story follows a young girl through a typical day, viewed through presidential lenses. The pony-tailed, pant-suited heroine goes to a state funeral (a pet burial), selects her cabinet from her toy cabinet (Mr. Potato Head is Secretary of Agriculture), kisses babies, and hands out small flags with zeal. She uses her veto power on the tuna casserole at the school cafeteria, and re-images her oral report as a news conference. She also exercises tact and diplomacy, works for world peace on a very local scale, and eventually has to deal with a disaster zone (her bedroom). This humorous look at presidential duties, reduced to kid-size, features Smith's illustrations which have been cleverly animated, with lots of white space. Bouncy patriotic music abounds. Our candidate even has her own words to "Hail to the Chief," and viewers can sing along. Following the story is an interview with the author who explains the story's evolution, gives insight into story details, provides some personal background information, and generally displays the sense of humor that radiates through his books. This high-quality production will be particularly useful as we head toward the presidential election in November.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Smith, who slyly recast U.S. history in John, Paul, George and Ben, introduces a zealous, freckled girl with presidential aspirations. Refreshingly, Katy skips the hand-wringing and never questions whether a girl could become commander-in-chief--instead, she behaves as if she is president already, fulfilling official duties at home and in school. Attired in a dark pantsuit, she brashly inserts herself in a Boy Scout photo op, attends a pet frog's state funeral and treats an oral report as a press conference: No comment. I'll get back to you on that. In mixed-media sequences with emphatic type, Smith mingles earnest words with visual jokes, such as the trail of small American flags Katy leaves in her wake. He depicts the heroine wielding the veto (the cafeteria's tuna casserole gets a nay) and, in florid script, crafts unofficial Hail to the Chief lyrics praising the most awesome one of all and her rad administration. At one point, Katy crows in capital letters, Why, the president is the most important person in the whole wide world! (Tiny lowercase letters add, And the most humble.) Smith gazes into the national future and just as ably skewers the pitfalls of political office. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Whether the U.S. gets a woman president is still in doubt, but here a female narrator has already taken the role. In this sly, witty recitation of a president's responsibilities, a ponytailed girl has the list down pat: give executive orders (to her cat); negotiate treaties (between said cat and dog); kiss babies; and veto, veto, veto. There's no story, and the list of responsibilities does grow rather long. But the stretch can be forgiven because it provides more opportunity to enjoy Smith's amazing artwork. Madam President, with her boxy head and triangular body appears against a variety of backgrounds some plain white, others packed with interesting things with disparate uses of materials and images that often give the look of collage. Particularly amusing is the two-page spread showing rows of cabinet secretaries inside a cabinet (e.g., a piggy-bank Secretary of the Treasury, a Mr. Potato Head Secretary of the Agriculture). Kudos to Molly Leach, whose design makes everything from the lettering to end pages look fabulous. Although there's some winking at adults, this book is very much for kids, who might even come away having learned a bit about presidential duties.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist