Stephen Savage is a New York Times bestselling author, illustrator, and educator celebrated for his striking, minimalist visual storytelling. Known for his crisp, graphic shapes and mastery of color, Savage brings an elegant clarity to both children’s literature and major editorial platforms. His next book, Wide Load On The Road, (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan) comes out August 4.

Stephen found his signature voice under the legendary Marshall Arisman in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts (Class of '1996). Today, he shapes the next generation of visual thinkers from that very same SVA faculty post. With that in mind, I asked Stephen to share his thoughts about books and their place in his own library during this email exchange:

Peggy Roalf: I noticed that you participated in the Brooklyn Public Library’s mural project for the Central Library Youth Wing [below]. That must have been a wonderful collaboration. How did you arrive at the idea for the UFO that introduces the red book as the mural’s main character?

Stephen Savage: What an honor it was to be part of that group of immensely talented illustrators. There were seven of us, and we each had our own space in that giant hall. We met with librarian Judy Zuckerman to try and figure out a way to link the work thematically, and we collectively decided on the red book as the “thread” between the works. For my mural, I reached back into my 1970’s spaceship-filled adolescence for inspiration. A UFO landing was an opportunity, too, to bring the Deco-era Grand Army Plaza library building into the picture. I love that building.

PR: With books taking a lion’s share of your working hours—and as an educator—you must have an amazing library. Please tell the readers about how you keep your books.

SS: I couldn’t make kids’ books without my precious library, though it has shrunk a bit as I’ve downsized studio spaces over the years. I’ve been collecting vintage children’s books since my 20’s and have works by my favorite "golden-age” children’s book illustrators including Feodor Rojankovsky, Virginia Lee Burton, Leonard Weisgard, Lois Lenski, and Esphyr Slobodkina. One of my most beloved children’s books is My Visit To The Dinosaurs, illustrated by Aliki in 1969. I spent all of fifth grade learning how to draw T-Rex’s, Triceratops and Allosauruses from that book. Interesting full-circle story: I interviewed the 97-year-old author/illustrator in 2023 in her Upper West Side apartment for an article in Publishers Weekly. The fifth grader in me was totally starstruck!

PR: What does your collection mean to you in this age of screens and digital media?

SS: Firstly, you can’t illustrate your own books without picking up vintage books and leafing through them. Here you notice the scale, how the page turns work, the texture of the paper. Yes… most of my books are digitally created these days, but I use real books, real paper, and real pencils and pens in that process. Book illustrating is about creating beautifully crafted, exquisitely designed, 3-dimensional OBJECTS!

Second, I’m always trying to bring books into my School of Visual Arts courses. But sadly, screens rule in today’s classroom environment, and I must make “physical media” a required part of the assignment. I probably come off as some kind of dinosaur when I do this!

PR: Do you remember the first art book you ever purchased? Why did it catch your attention?

SS: My first, and most treasured art book, is Calder’s Universe— the catalog that accompanied the 1976 show that visited Minneapolis’ Walker Center in 1976. It was given to me as a Christmas gift by my art-loving mother. The less-is-more, modernist artist continues to inspire me today. [Note: See Stephen's American Illustration pages over the years here]

PR: How you organize your art, design and children’s books? 

SS: Art books, of course, get the tallest shelves near the bottom of the unit. Children’s books are on the upper shelves and take up roughly half of all of my shelf space. Many of them are skinny little paperback editions without spines, which means it’s impossible to know where any particular title is! 

PR: If you had planned on building your own but changed your mind in favor of ready-mades, what happened?

SS: If I could, I’d “face-out” a lot of my books (the way they do it at Books of Wonder and other children’s bookstores) so I could see the covers. Picture books are all about the visuals. I keep a lot of faves— my “bibles”— in a small, portable display shelf. 

PR: What went into your choice of bookcases — any research? Any seen/envied among friends/colleagues? Any particular manufacturer.

SS: Some of my books are in storage, but my go-to’s are in a “pre-owned” bright green shelf that once belonged to Dinosaur Hill— the legendary East Village children’s book store that closed its doors in 2020. That’s where I keep the important books (the vintage kids’ books, Calder’s Universe, My Visit to the Dinosaurs, etc.)

PR: How do you maintain your library? For example, do you periodically take it apart and reorganize, or something along those lines? 

SS: A complete re-org usually happens when I move to a new studio (every 7-10 years).

PR: Have you ever had to move your library? What are the best and worst things about moving this kind of collection?

SS: BEST THING: Moving gives me a chance to re-discover those skinny little paperbacks that have gotten buried in the stacks. WORST THING: The terrible back-ache.

PR: What are the best bookcases you have ever seen and what do you envy about them?  

SS: The most amazing artist's library I ever walked through belonged to the great illustrator Steven Guarnaccia while he was living in Montclair, New Jersey. He has since moved to Brooklyn, but I’m sure his library is just as impressive in it’s new brownstone setting.

PR: Do you consider being a bibliophile a form of madness?

SS: Madness? Quite the opposite! Books, movies and art are filled with stories, and stories help us make sense of the world. Books keep us sane!

Stephen Savage is a New York Times bestselling children’s book illustrator and author whose accolades include a New York Times Best Illustrated Book (Polar Bear Night), a Geisel Honor (Supertruck), and a Sendak Fellowship. In addition to books, he illustrates for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, and Entertainment Weekly. He’s taught illustration at the School of Visual Arts since 2001 and lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with his wife, daughter and two dogs.

Books: Rescue Cat, Polar Bear Night, The Fathers Are Coming Home, Where’s Walrus?, Little Tug, Ten Orange Pumpkins, Polar Bear Morning, Supertruck, Where’s Walrus and Penguin, The Mixed-Up Truck, Little Plane Learns To Write, Jack B. Ninja, The Babysitter From Another Planet, Sign Off, And Then Came Hope, Moonlight

Website: https://www.savageillustrator.com

Instagram: @savageillustrator