22nd July Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) Kady MacDonald Denton (1941)

Alexander Calder, known as Sandy, is the American sculptor who made mobiles famous. His father and grandfather were also Alexander and sculptors and his mother was a painter so it may have been inevitable that after initially studying engineering, Calder a brilliant mathematician became a sculptor who combined all his loves to make amazingly balanced mobiles and installations. There's not a lot of books around about Calder that are suitable for very young children, but he is one of the sculptors in 13 Sculptures Children Should Know by Angela Wenzel. There is a work of fiction, Sandy's Circus by Tanya Lee Stone. If you have children who like mobiles and want to read about them, see Counting Chickens by Flensted which isn't Calder, but those from Denmark.

Kady MacDonald Denton is the illustrator responsible for those very endearing bears in Bonny Becker's series of books. She is Canadian and writes as well as illustrates books. Another recent book that she has illustrated is Tim Wadham's The Queen of France. These authors are fortunate to have Kady heighten their profile.