GULBIS, Stephen 1959-

PERSONAL: Born January 7, 1959, in Radstock, England; son of Reinis and Gillian Gulbis; married, 1992; wife's name, Judith (a musician); children: Laura, Rosie. Education: Bath Academy of Art, B.A. (graphic design; with honors), 1981.

ADDRESSES: Home—2 Church Furlong, Tadmarton, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5SG, England.

CAREER: Freelance illustrator, 1981-99; writer and illustrator, 1999—.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) Cowgirl Rosie and Her Five BabyBison, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2001.

(Illustrator) I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed aFly, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

(And illustrator) Lily and the Magical Moonbeam, Orchard Books (London, England), 2003.

(And illustrator) Old Macdonald Had a Barn, David Bennett Books (London, England), 2003.

(And illustrator) The Wheels on the Bus, David Bennett Books (London, England), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Tiger Tom, for Orchard Books (London, England), completion expected in 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Stephen Gulbis told CA: "Writing and illustrating children's books involves me in creating something new—which is the best fun you can have. I love picture books because usually the words and pictures have equal weight. However, I think the best picture books demand repeated readings, and the key to this is a good story. Not even the most brilliant artwork can disguise a poor text. I must admit I find writing harder than illustrating—those bright shiny new ideas are so elusive!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, May 15, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Cowgirl Rosie and Her Five Baby Bison, p. 1757.

Publishers Weekly, February 12, 2001, review of Cowgirl Rosie and Her Five Baby Bison, p. 211.

School Library Journal, May, 2001, Piper L. Nyman, review of Cowgirl Rosie and Her Five Baby Bison, p. 122.