Lane Smith (illustrator)

Lane Smith (born August 25, 1959) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books created with other writers.

Two works created by Jon Scieszka and Smith were ranked among the 100 best all-time picture books in a 2012 survey published by School Library Journal: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, number 35, and The Stinky Cheese Man, 91.

Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but moved to Corona, California at a young age. He spent summers in Tulsa, and cites experiences traveling there via Route 66 as inspirations for his work, saying that "[o]nce you've seen a 100-foot cement buffalo on top of a donut-stand in the middle of nowhere, you're never the same."

He studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, at the encouragement of his high-school art teacher, Dan Baughman, helping to pay for it by working as a janitor at Disneyland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration, and moved to New York City, where he was hired to do illustrations for various publications including TIME, Mother Jones and Ms.

Smith is married to Molly Leach, who has designed many award-winning books, including nearly all of Smith's.

Smith is most noted for his work on children's books. He has illustrated works by Florence Parry Heide, Judith Viorst, Bob Shea, Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, Eve Merriam, Roald Dahl and George Saunders. He has both written and illustrated several books, most notably It's a Book (2010), which was a New York Times bestseller for over six months and has been translated into over twenty-five languages; Madam President (2008); and John, Paul, George, and Ben (2006). He received his second Caldecott Medal honor for Grandpa Green (2012).

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