S.D. Schindler is a popular illustrator of many bestselling children's picture books. He
lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Some of his recent titles include:

We're Going on a Ghost Hunt!   by Susan Pearson

Hornbooks and Inkwells             by Verla Kay

The Unforgettable Season         by Phil Bildner

The Tyrannosaurus Game          by Steven Kroll

His newest book is: Spike and Ike Take a Hike

after starting, click on small box at bottom right-hand corner (above) to view fullscreen

Spike and Ike Take a Hike, Reviews:

Kirkus Review
Wacky wordplay accompanies a hedgehog and a coatimundi as they walk to lunch at Cousin Rosa’s.
A cheerful pair of cartoonlike critters, Spike and Ike (named and identified only in the cataloging summary), improbably travel through a flowery meadow, along an island beach, across a buggy bog and into a savannah in their quest for food. On their way, they meet a busy bumblebee, a pair of birds, frogs, a cat and a giraffe with a calf—a fine lunch bunch. As they pass through the generic landscapes, they converse simply in speech bubbles. Wordplay describing their trip runs on a ribbon along the bottom. In a career that has spanned over 30 years, Schindler has illustrated well over 100 picture and chapter books but almost never written the text himself. Readers will be happy he has taken this path. The tongue-twisting nature of the read-aloud text adds to the humor. Its rhyme and alliteration may help emerging readers, and the animals are shown clearly in the artist’s deft illustrations. Even if readers or listeners have never before encountered a “blue-footed booby baby bird,” they won’t forget this one. Here’s hoping the happy pair have more adventures to come. (Picture book. 3-6)
School Library Journal
While out on a hike, Spike, a hedgehog, and Ike, a coatimundi, get hungry and decide to go to Ike’s cousin’s for lunch. They encounter several creatures as they walk along the shore, across a meadow, and through a bog. Large illustrations, done in watercolor, salt, and colored pencil, cover most of each spread and depict the different landscapes and animals Spike and Ike see, while speech balloons convey their comments. Page turns reveal even more chatter from the pair. Rhyming cumulative text summarizing their observations runs along the bottom of each page. For example, on one spread, Ike says that the bog they must cross is wet. The text underneath reads, “Soggy/bog.” A page turn shows the unhappy pals plagued by bugs, and the text below states, “Soggy/buggy bog.” Many frogs eating the bugs appear in the last spread in this section, and the cumulative text on the bottom summarizes the scene: “Soggy froggy/buggy bog.” This book is a delight on many levels. The illustrations are filled with humorous details. Ike and Spike cry and frown in vexation as they are swarmed by bugs, and the reprise of all the happy animals in a “lunch bunch munch” is charming. The cumulative text bursting with rhyme and alliteration is just perfect for beginning readers learning the sounds of language. After enjoying this story, they may even be stimulated to create their own cumulative text for favorite pictures. Don’t miss this neat treat. – Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Awards and Honors:

Parents' Choice Award for Illustration, Parents' Choice Foundation, 1982, for The First Tulips in Holland; Best Book selection, School Library Journal, 1985, for Every Living Thing, and 1995, for If You Should Hear a Honey Guide; Smithsonian Award for outstanding natural history title, 1995, for If You Should Hear a Honey Guide; California Young Reader Medal, 1996–97, for Don't Fidget a Feather!; Best Children's Book of the Year, Age Five to Eight category, Bank Street College, 1998, for Creepy Riddles; Notable Children's Book designation, American Library Association, 1999, for How Santa Got His Job; Notable Wisconsin Children's Author designation, Wisconsin Library Association, 2005.