Franson, Scott E. 1966-

Personal

Born February 14, 1966; married; children: three daughters, one son. Education: Ricks College, A.A.; Art Center College of Design, B.F.A.; Utah State University, M.F.A. Hobbies and other interests: Doodling, reading, movies, creating artwork on the computer.

Addresses

Home and office—P.O. Box 52, Rexburg, ID 83440-0052. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author and illustrator of children's books. Brigham Young University, Idaho, Rexburg, currently instructor in design and illustration. Freelance graphic designer in Minneapolis, MN, and Los Angeles, CA.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Un-Brella, Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT), 2007.

Sidelights

Scott E. Franson told SATA: "I am blessed with two birthdays. My first birthday is February 14, 1966. I weighed 8 lb. 14 oz. and was twenty-one inches long. My second birthday or my re-birthday is May 26, 2008. On this birthday I weighed 185 lb. and was 75 inches long. This is a very special day for me because I received a liver transplant. Previous to the transplant I was very sick with liver disease and cancer. I waited for over a year before a compatible liver became available. I am grateful to an organ donor that I will never know who has given me a new life.

"Writing and illustrating books has been a dream of mine for a long time. I create the artwork for my books using the computer. It doesn't make the creation process faster, but it greatly increases the options.

"Images are the beginning of my creative process. An example of this is Un-Brella. I dreamed an image of a girl in rain clothes with an umbrella on a sunny day. From the umbrella there was a rain shower making puddles for her to splash in. I created the image and hung it on my wall where I could see it every day. The illustration didn't make it into the book, but it did spark the idea that led to my first published book."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2007, Julie Cummins, review of Un-Brella, p. 86.

Horn Book, March-April, 2007, Vicky Smith, review of Un-Brella, p. 180.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007, review of Un-Brella, p. 221.

School Library Journal, April, 2007, Catherine Callegari, review of Un-Brella, p. 105.

ONLINE

Scott E. Franson Home Page,http://www.scottefranson.com (August 4, 2008).