CAMPBELL, Peter A. 1948-

PERSONAL: Born January 14, 1948, in Providence, RI; son of Roland (a grocer) and Irene (Laliberte) Campbell; married, April 22, 1978; wife's name Karen (a director of office operations); children: Seth, Jeremy, Brendan. Education: Vesper George School of Art, graduated, 1970. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Home—42 Holiday Dr., Lincoln, RI 02865. Agent—Stauch-Vetromile & Mitchell, 55 S. Brow St., East Providence, RI 02914. E-mail— peterc@svmmarcom.com.

CAREER: Artist. Also worked as an art director and creative director for several Rhode Island advertising agencies. Attleboro Museum, Attleboro, MA, member of board of directors.

MEMBER: National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

WRITINGS:

CHILDREN'S BOOKS; AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

Launch Day (juvenile), Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1995.

Alien Encounters (juvenile), Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2000.

Old-Time Baseball and the First Modern World Series, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2002, published as Boston Pilgrims vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: The First Modern World Series, 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Peter A. Campbell once commented to CA: "The completion of my first children's book, Launch Day, was the culmination of a wonderful journey. It began in 1989 when I was accepted as a member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Art Program. Through this program I saw firsthand all the preparations and excitement that surround a space shuttle launch at the Cape Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I also witnessed a day launch and a spectacular night launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.

"How fortunate I was to be able to record with pencil, paper, and paint space history in the making. Very much in the spirit of artists like George Catlin, Winslow Homer, and Frederic Remington, who documented important events in their lifetimes.

"From these experiences came the idea for a book, Launch Day, a book that would show young children this great adventure through the words and paintings of a NASA space artist."

According to Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan, Campbell's paintings distinguish Launch Day from other books taking a close look at a space shuttle as it prepares for take-off. "Unusual, given the almost universal use of NASA photos (often the same ones) in books on the space program, are the attractive paintings that illustrate this volume," Phelan wrote.

Campbell said, "I owe much to Millbrook Press in Connecticut who shared my vision and gave an unpublished author the opportunity to design, write, and illustrate his first book. Launch Day was released to bookstores, libraries, and schools in September of 1995. The book has also given me the opportunity to speak to school children about the importance of NASA, space exploration, and what writing and illustrating a children's book is all about.

"In my lifetime, I have witnessed one of the greatest adventures in the history of mankind: man's first steps into space. I believe through my words and paintings I can help keep the dream of space exploration alive for future generations. So onward to the red sands of Mars and the moons of Jupiter, where wonder and mysteries await!"

More recently, Campbell commented: "As a boy I fell in love with illustrators and nonfiction picture books. I collected books and magazines that featured artwork by such popular illustrators as Isa Barnett, Robert Fawcett, Lynd Ward, Tom Lovell, Rockwell Kent, Robert Weaver, and Nick Eggenhofer. They were a big influence on my decision to write and illustrate nonfiction books for children and young adults.

"I am very fortunate to be able to design, write, and illustrate my children's books. Since I tend to be more of a visual person, I usually start a book idea by sketching and illustrating some of the scenes that might make up the book. Once I have a visual road map of how the book will lay out and have gotten a 'go' from the publisher, I start thinking about words. Before I can start to write and create the final illustrations for the book, though, I must do extensive research on the subject I have chosen. For me, researching a subject for a nonfiction book is very exciting. Discovering little-known information about people, places, and events and presenting it to young readers in a well designed and written book form is very rewarding for me."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 1995, Carolyn Phelan, review of Launch Day, p. 630.

School Library Journal, March, 1996, p. 202; April, 2000, Ann G. Brouse, review of Alien Encounters, p. 146.

Science Books and Films, April, 1996, pp. 86-87.