Brian Lies in Princeton, New Jersey and now located in eastern Massachusetts is an American author and illustrator of children's books. His works include his 2019 Caldecott Honor-winning picture book The Rough Patch, Got to Get to Bear's!, and his NY Times bestselling bat series, Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library,Bats at the Ballgame, and "Bats in the Band." Lies was interested in art since childhood, and while studying literature and psychology at Brown University he did political cartoons for the student newspaper, but was turned down when he applied for jobs at various publications. He then studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and eventually did political cartoons for major newspapers and magazines. He had, however, long been interested in children's books, and when he was approached by Susan Sherman, who liked the way he portrayed emotions on his animal character's faces, he ended up illustrating the first book in the Flatfoot Fox series, written by Eth Clifford. As of 2006 that series is still in print. He also does illustrations for the children's magazines Spider, Ladybug, and Babybug.
Works
Bats at the Beach was read on NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday" by Daniel Pinkwater, after which the book enjoyed a great deal of success, and leaving Houghton Mifflin to keep up with the sudden demand. It also landed a spot on Publishers Weekly's children's picture book bestseller list and was awarded an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. The story follows a group of bats, young and old, and their comical variations on such activities as sailing, surfing, putting on lotion, and roasting marsmallows. Matt Berman of Common Sense Media praised the book’s "simple and joyous concept" and noted the characters' gently rounded features. Lies stated that he tries to keep the design of his animal characters as naturalistic as possible despite their often human-like behavior. Lies got the idea from his daughter, who described a pattern of frost on the window as "a bat, with sea foam"; as Lies developed the idea, the verses came to him in a sudden inspiration. The acrylic paintings use a lot of blues and browns and are often bathed in moonlight though no moon is ever seen. The sequel, Bats at the Library, made it onto Time.com's Top 10Children's Books of 2008 list, and the ABA announced that the book had been named Best New Picture Book in the 2009 Indies Choice Book Awards. In 2010, the book was awarded the 2010 Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award. Judith Constantinides, in a review for School Library Journal, said his acrylic paintings for Donna M. Bateman’s Deep in the Swamp are reminiscent of an Audubon painting. Constantinides, in an earlier review for School Library Journal, praised Lies’ Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle for its watercolor illustrations and the humorous details. The book is about an optimistic pig named Hamlet and his "pessimistic" porcupine friend Quince as they struggle to defend a giant sandcastle against the waves. Popcorn! by Elaine Landau was nominated for the 2006 Rhode IslandChildren's Book Award. and was also included in the Children's Agriculture Book series of Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom, which tries to select books that "hat accurately portray modern agriculture".
