Erin E. Stead
Stead (born December 27, 1982) is an American illustrator of children's books. She won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book, recognizing her first publication, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
Erin E. Stead

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- Born
- 27 December 1982
- Birthplace
- Farmington Hills, Michigan
- Occupation
- Illustrator
- Awards
- Caldecott Medal
- Spouse
- Philip C.
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- children's and young adult literature
- Education
- Divine Child High School
- Known for
- A Sick Day for Amos McGee
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Stead (born December 27, 1982) is an American illustrator of children's books. She won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book, recognizing her first publication, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q5389139 · wikipedia · Erin E. Stead
In this article
Biography
Biography
Stead studied at Divine Child High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is children's and young adult literature. Works named in the authority record are A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Distinctions recorded are Caldecott Medal.

Erin E. Stead and husband Philip Stead at the 2012 Mazza Fall Conference in Findlay, OH.
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Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 December 1982 • Birthplace — Farmington Hills, Michigan • Occupation — Illustrator • Period — 2010–present • Genre — Children's picture books • Notable Works — A Sick Day for Amos McGee • Awards — Caldecott Medal • Spouse — Philip C. Stead
Biography
Biography
Stead was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and met her husband, Philip Christian Stead in art class at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan. They married in September 2005 and moved to New York City, where he worked at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. She worked at Books of Wonder bookstore and as an assistant to the creative director at HarperCollins Children's Books. After moving back to Ann Arbor they collaborated on A Sick Day for Amos McGee, about the day a zookeeper stays home because he is sick. It was his second book and her first. Philip wrote characters he felt would work for Erin to illustrate. She used wood blocks for color work and pencil lines for detailing. Amos McGee was edited by Neal Porter at Roaring Brooks Press and named one of the "10 Best Illustrated Children's Books" for 2010 by The New York Times. Stead's second book, And Then It's Spring, written by Julie Fogliano (Neal Porter, 2012), 2012 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Picture Book Honor winner. The Steads live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he teaches at Washtenaw Community College.
Works
Works
Erin E. Stead has illustrated books by other writers. Most of her works are picture books published by Roaring Brook Press of New York City under the imprint Neal Porter Books. Porter had previously handled Philip Stead's debut book. • A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2010) • And Then It's Spring, Julie Fogliano (2012) • Bear Has a Story to Tell, Philip Stead (2012) • If You Want to See a Whale, Julie Fogliano (2013) • Lenny & Lucy, by Philip C. Stead (2015) • The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles, by Michelle Cuevas (Rocky Pond Books, 2016) • The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, by Mark Twain and Philip Stead (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2017) • Tony by Ed Galing (Roaring Brook Press, 2017) • Music for Mr. Moon by Philip Stead (Holiday House, 2019) • Amos McGee Misses the Bus (2021) • The Sun Is Late and So Is The Farmer by Philip C. Stead (Neal Porter Books, 2022) • The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2022) • Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing by Amy Hest (Neal Porter Books, 2024) • A Snow Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2025)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1982
Erin E. Stead born at Farmington Hills.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q5389139: Erin E. SteadWikimedia Foundation
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Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
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People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Distinctions
1- Caldecott MedalTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Stead is recorded as having received Caldecott Medal. The identifiers under which Erin E. Stead may be traced in institutional catalogues.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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