Santat, Dan

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Santat, Dan

Personal

Married; wife's name Leah; children: Alek. Education: Art Center College of Design, graduate.

Addresses

Home—Southern CA. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Children's book author and commercial illustrator. Disney Channel, creator of animated cartoon The Replacements.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

The Guild of Geniuses, Arthur A. Levine Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Author of comic strip "The Contender."

ILLUSTRATOR

Rhea Perlman, Born to Drive ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Rhea Perlman, Water Balloon Doom ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Rhea Perlman, Canyon Catastrophe ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Rhea Perlman, Toxic Taffy Takeover ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Rhea Perlman, The Brink of Ex-Stink-tion ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Rhea Perlman, Brain Freeze ("Otto Undercover" series), Katherine Tegan Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Barbara Jean Hicks, The Secret Life of Walter Kitty, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2007.

Phyllis Shalant, The Society of Super Secret Heroes: The Great Cape Rescue, Dutton (New York, NY), 2007.

Anne Isaacs, The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2008.

Sidelights

Based in Southern California, Dan Santat is a commercial illustrator and cartoonist who has become well known for his work in children's books. Some children already know Santat as the creator of The Replacements, an animated series airing on the Disney Channel in which a brother and sister are able to replace any adult in their life with a simple phone call. With his work illustrating actress Rhea Pearlman's five-book "Otto Undercover" series, he made his first mark in children's publishing, and in Publishers Weekly a reviewer remarked of series opener Born to Drive that "Santat's brash cartoons add to the inanity" of Pearlman's high-action story. In his book illustrations, Santat uses a mixture of acrylics, pen and ink, and digital imaging. As a commercial artist, his cartoon-style art has appeared in video games, film, animation, and magazines and galleries throughout the United States.

Santat takes on the role of both author and illustrator in The Guild of Geniuses, a picture book that transports young readers into a futuristic 'fifties-inspired fantasy world. In Santat's story, a monkey named Mr. Pip finds the perfect gift for his best friend, Frederick Lipton. Lipton is a famous actor, however, and is used to the finer things. As Mr. Pip watches lavish gifts heaped upon his friend during the birthday celebration, he goes glum with worry that his own gift does not reflect the depth of his friendship. Meanwhile, Lipton does not understand his monkey friend's down mood, so he takes Mr. Pip to the Guild of Geniuses in order to find out what is wrong. "Inventive is the word here, especially for the artwork," wrote Ilene Cooper in her Booklist re- view of The Guild of Geniuses. While Blair Christolon noted in School Library Journal that Santat's story features an ending that children might anticipate, she nonetheless noted that his artwork, with its "varying perspectives and bold colors, keep the action moving quickly." Praising the "kitschy fifties design and appealingly drawn characters" in The Guild of Geniuses, a contributor to Publishers Weekly dubbed Santat's picture book "a promising debut."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of The Guild of Geniuses, p. 592.

Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2005, review of The Guild of Geniuses, p. 55; December 19, 2005, review of Born to Drive, p. 65; April 23, 2007, review of The Secret Life of Walter Kitty, p. 50.

School Library Journal, December, 2004, Blair Christolon, review of The Guild of Geniuses, p. 120; January, 2007, H.H. Henderson, review of Water Balloon Doom, p. 100; June, 2007, Elaine E. Knight, review of The Society of Super Secret Heroes: The Great Cape Rescue, p. 123; July, 2007, Susan Scheps, review of The Secret Life of Walter Kitty, p. 77.