Breen, Steve 1970–

Personal

Born 1970, in Los Angeles, CA; married; wife's name Cathy; children: two sons. Education: University of California at Riverside, B.S. (political science), 1992. Hobbies and other interests: Playing guitar, reading, running, old movies.

Addresses

Home and office—San Diego, CA. E-mail—steve.breen@uniontrib.com.

Career

Author and editorial cartoonist. Asbury Park Press, Neptune, NJ, editorial cartoonist, 1994-2001; San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA, editorial cartoonist, 2001—.

Awards, Honors

Charles M. Schulz Award for Best College Cartoonist, Scripps Howard Foundation, 1991; John Locher Award for Outstanding College Editorial Cartoonist, Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, 1991; Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, 1998; Wilbur Award, Religion Communicator's Council, 1999, for Grand Avenue.

Writings

Your Grandma Rocks, Mine Rolls: A Grand Avenue Collection, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2001.

Stick, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2007.

Violet the Pilot, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2008.

Sidelights

Steve Breen's career as an editorial cartoonist had an auspicious start. While attending the University of California, Riverside, Breen got a job creating editorial cartoons for the university newspaper. Readers responded positively, and soon the student cartoonist began receiving recognition from outside the university campus, including from the Scripps Howard News Service, which awarded Breen the Charles M. Schulz Award for top college cartoonist. In 1998, while working for the Asbury Park Press, Breen received a Pulitzer prize for editorial cartooning. Breen, who now creates cartoons for the San Diego Union-Tribune, has also ventured into the world of children's literature. In 2007 his self-illustrated children's book debut, Stick, was published, introducing younger readers to his detailed cartoon art.

With a minimal amount of words, Stick follows the adventures of an independent-minded frog. A curious amphibian, Stick wants to experience everything on his own and he does so, even when his mother disapproves. It seems that Mother Frog may have known best when Stick is carried aloft after attempting to eat a dragonfly. Returning to earth, he moves from one form of transportation to another—from a horse's nose to a balloon floating by—while making his way back home. Breen's story is conveyed in a "frenetic pace and [with] loads of humor," according to School Library Journal reviewer Ieva Bates, the critic adding that the cartoonist's "art perfectly conveys the frog's childlike exuberance" in a "lighthearted mood." A Publishers Weekly reviewer also commented on Breen's lively illustrations, noting that his "detailed artwork … supplies the heft to this tale with few words."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklinks, September-October, 2007, Denise B. Geier, review of Stick, p. 60.

Booklist, March 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Stick, p. 50.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2007, review of Stick, p. 120.

Mediaweek, April 10, 2000, Joanna Wlper, "Life after the Pulitzer," p. 60.

Publishers Weekly, March 12, 2007, review of Stick, p. 57.

School Library Journal, May, 2007, Ieva Bates, review of Stick, p. 86.

ONLINE

Comics.Com,http://www.comics.com/ (December 15, 2007), profile of Breen.

Penguin Group Web site,http://us.penguingroup.com/ (December 15, 2007), "Steve Breen."

San Diego-Union Tribune Online,http://www.signonsandiego.com/ (December 15, 2007), "Steve Breen."