Gerald McDermott
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Professor Gerald McDermott (born January 31, 1941 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American author, illustrator, graphic designer, and filmmaker. He graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1964. Between 1960 and the mid-1970s, McDermott produced several short animated films, including The Stonecutter (1960), Sunflight (1966), Anansi the Spider (1969), The Magic Tree (1970) and Arrow to the Sun (1973). He also produced several short animated pieces for the PBS television show The Electric Company in the early 1970s.
McDermott has adapted several of his animated films into award-winning children's books. His first book, a retelling of the African folktale Anansi the Spider, won him a Caldecott Honor medal in 1972. His greatest achievement to date has been winning the Caldecott Medal for another folktale, Arrow to the Sun, in 1975.