James Stevenson

James Stevenson was a famed American illustrator and author of over 100 children's books and novels. As an artist, Stevenson published around two thousand cartoons, dozens of covers, and numerous spot drawings. His books, like What's Under My Bed (1983), have been featured on the Reading Rainbow television series.

James Stevenson was born in Manhattan in 1929 to Harvey Stevenson, an architect, and the former Winifred Worcester, a homemaker. He grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, and, while on his summer vacation from high school, was an office boy at The New Yorker.

From that moment, Stevenson began sending gags to The New Yorker through the rest of high school, from Yale University, from the Marine base in North Carolina, where he served for about 18 months, and from Life magazine, where he was a reporter.

In 1956 The New Yorker hired him. Subsequently, James became one of The New Yorker’s most prolific cartoonists over the next 40-plus years.

In addition to creating cartoons for The New Yorker, Stevenson produced children's books.

James Stevenson wrote and illustrated his first book Walker, the Witch, and the Striped Flying Saucer, in 1969. He had previously drawn illustrations for the book If I Owned a Candy Factory (1968), written by his then-eight-year-old son, James Walker Stevenson.

His Could Be Worse! (1977) was awarded the New York Times' "Outstanding Children's Book of the Year" and School Library Journal's "Best Books for Spring".

Howard (1980) became New York Times "Best Illustrated Book" and "Outstanding Book". What's Under My Bed? (1983) entered the Boston Globe/Horn Book's honor list, ALA's Notable Book designation, and the School Library Journal's Best Books of 1983. And this is just a small part of his awards.

After leaving The New Yorker in 1993, he wrote a musical Rolling In Dough, in collaboration with Dick Roberts (music) and Stevenson on book and lyrics. The show was work-shopped in 1995 at the Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Center in Waterford, Conn., and subsequently produced in Granbury, Texas, at the Granbury Opera House.

When he died at age 87, he ranked among The New Yorker’s most prolific artists, having drawn 1,988 cartoons. His wife, Josie Merck, said that Stevenson died of pneumonia and he also had dementia.

Photo by Malcolm Greenaway.