Cece Bell

Last updated

Cece Bell
Cece Bell (2024).jpg
Bell in 2024
Born (1970-12-26) December 26, 1970 (age 53)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationWriter, cartoonist, illustrator
Education Paier College of Art
Genre Children's literature
Years active1991–present
Spouse Tom Angleberger
Children2
Website
cecebell.com

Cecelia Carolina Bell [1] (born December 26, 1970, in Richmond, Virginia) is an American author, cartoonist, and illustrator. Most well known for her graphic novel El Deafo , Bell's work has appeared in The Atlantic , Vegetarian Times , Newsweek , the Los Angeles Times , Working Woman , Esquire and many other publications.

Contents

Biography

Bell suffered hearing loss as a child due to a case of meningitis. As a result, she had to get used to using bulky and prominent hearing devices around her school-age peers.

Bell attended the Paier College of Art as an art major and went on to get a graduate degree in illustration and design at Kent State University in 1991. She became a freelance commercial artist, illustrator, and designer for an array of projects before beginning her career as a full-time author-illustrator.

Career

El Deafo

El Deafo is based on Bell's own childhood. She wanted there to be a handbook for hearing people so they knew how to understand and communicate with deaf people without being disrespectful. The project eventually evolved into a graphic novel where children who were deaf could see themselves positively represented in a book.

Bell uses the imagery of everyone illustrated as rabbits as a visual metaphor. When she was growing up, she felt like she was the only "rabbit" whose ears didn't work, in doing so she shows being deaf as a power. She also shows and talks about how being deaf isn't something negative. [2]

The title of the graphic novel comes from the idea that Cece feels powerful like a superhero with the assistance of her Phonic Ear, the hearing aid she uses in order to hear her teachers at school. [3]

Personal life

Bell is married to children's author Tom Angleberger. [4]

Bell at the 2019 National Book Festival Cece Bell (48684844286) (cropped).jpg
Bell at the 2019 National Book Festival

Awards and honors

Bell won the Newbery Medal Honor [5] and Eisner Award [6] for El Deafo .

Five of Bell's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Sock Monkey Rides Again (2007), [7] El Deafo (2014), [8] Rabbit & Robot and Ribbit (2016), [9] Smell My Foot!: Chick and Brain (2019), [10] and Egg or Eyeball? (2020), [11]

In 2014, El Deafo was named one of the best books of the year by The Horn Book Magazine , [12] Kirkus Reviews , [13] the Los Angeles Public Library, [8] Publishers Weekly , and School Library Journal . [8] It was also a New York Times Notable Children’s Book. [8]

In 2019, Smell My Foot! was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library and School Library Journal . [10]

Awards for Bell's writing
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2012Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover Cybils Award for Early Chapter BooksFinalist [14]
2013The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee (as illus.)NAIBA Book of the Year for Middle ReadersWinner [15]
Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor [16]
2014 El Deafo Cybils Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic NovelWinner [17]
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade and Children'sNominee [18]
Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' LiteratureFinalist [13] [19]
2015 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Longlist [20] [21]
Charlotte Huck Award Honor [22]
Children's Choice Book Award for Debut AuthorFinalist [23]
Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids Winner [6]
Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work Finalist [24]
Judy Lopez Memorial AwardWinner [25]
Newbery Medal Honor [26] [5]
2016Rabbit and Robot and Ribbit Cybils Award for Early Chapter BooksFinalist [27]
2020Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor [16]

Publications

As author and illustrator

Standalone books

  • Busy Buddies: Silly Stuff That Goes Together (2006, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-2776-8)
  • Food Friends: Fun Foods That Go Together (2006, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-2777-5)
  • Bee-Wigged (2008, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-3614-2)
  • Itty Bitty (2009, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-3616-6)
  • El Deafo (2014, Harry N. Abrams, ISBN   978-1-4197-1020-9)
  • I Yam a Donkey! (2015, Clarion Books, ISBN   978-0-5440-8720-0)
  • Chuck and Woodchuck (2016, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-7524-0)
  • You Loves Ewe! (2019, Clarion Books, ISBN   978-1-3285-2611-3)

Sock Monkey trilogy (2003-2006)

  1. Sock Monkey Goes To Hollywood: A Star Is Bathed (2003, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7445-9850-6)
  2. Sock Monkey Boogie Woogie: A Friend Is Made (2004, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-2392-0)
  3. Sock Monkey Rides Again (2006, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-3089-8)

Rabbit & Robot duo (2012-2016)

  1. The Sleepover (2012, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-7935-4)
  2. Rabbit and Robot and Ribbit (2016, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-7935-4)

Inspector Flytrap trilogy (2016-2017)

  1. Inspector Flytrap with Tom Angleberger (2016, Amulet Books, ISBN   978-1-4197-0948-7)
  2. Inspector Flytrap in The President’s Mane Is Missing with Tom Angleberger (2016, Harry N. Abrams, ISBN   978-1-4197-0955-5)
  3. Inspector Flytrap in The Goat Who Chewed Too Much with Tom Angleberger (2017, Harry N. Abrams, ISBN   978-1-4197-0956-2)

Chick and Brain duo (2019-2020)

  1. Smell My Foot! (2019, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-0-7636-7936-1)
  2. Egg or Eyeball? (2020, Candlewick Press, ISBN   978-1-5362-0439-1)

As contributor

As illustrator

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References

  1. ↑ "Cece Bell: How I made 'El Deafo' in pictures". The Guardian. August 4, 2015. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Cece Bell: I wanted to show what it felt like to be the only deaf kid at my school". The Guardian . April 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017.
  3. ↑ NPR Staf "'El Deafo': How A Girl Turned Her Deafness Into A Superpower" Archived March 10, 2018, at the Wayback Machine "All Things Considered", December 14, 2014
  4. ↑ Hilboldt Allport, Brandy (March 21, 2013). "Read All About It: Author in orbit again with winsome activity book". The Florida Times-Union . Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Communications and Marketing Office (February 6, 2015). "American Library Association announces 2015 youth media award winners". American Library Association . Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "2010-Present". Comic-Con International: San Diego. December 2, 2012. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sock Monkey Rides Again by Cece Bell". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "El Deafo by Cece Bell". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Rabbit & Robot and Ribbit by Cece Bell". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Smell My Foot!: Chick and Brain by Cece Bell". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Egg or Eyeball?: Chick and Brain by Cece Bell". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Horn Book Fanfare 1938 to present". The Horn Book . Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "El Deafo". Kirkus Reviews . July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ "2012 Cybils Finalists". Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Awards: NAIBA Books of the Year". Shelf Awareness . August 5, 2015. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  16. 1 2 "(Theodore Seuss) Geisel Award Winners & Honor Books, 2006 – present" (PDF). Association for Library Service to Children . Archived (PDF) from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "2014 Cybils Winners". Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  18. ↑ "El Deafo". Goodreads . Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Awards: Thurber; Maine Readers' Choice; Kirkus Prize". Shelf Awareness . October 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Awards: Hellenic Winners; Guardian Children's Fiction". Shelf Awareness . July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  21. ↑ "David Almond Wins Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2015". Publishers Weekly . November 19, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  22. ↑ "NCTE Charlotte Huck Award® Outstanding Fiction for Children Winner List" (PDF). National Council of Teachers of English . Archived (PDF) from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Children's Choice Book Award Finalists Announced". Publishers Weekly . February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  24. ↑ Asselin, Janelle (May 22, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Meet Our Previous Winners". The Judy Lopez Memorial Award. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  26. ↑ "El Deafo | Awards & Grants". American Library Association . April 12, 2015. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ "2016 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
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