Derek Jon Anderson
March 21, 1969 – April 26, 2024
Edina, MN, USA
life story
Author and Illustrator
“It’s important to give kids a glimpse into creating stories and pictures. It takes both patience and hard work to create anything. I want students to come away from my presentations knowing that if they’re willing to work hard and believe, they can do absolutely anything in this world.”
Derek Jon Anderson
Derek Jon Anderson age 55 of Edina, MN passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024 at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul, MN.
Derek was born March 21, 1969 in Ames Iowa to Marvin and Carol Anderson. As soon as he could hold a pencil he started drawing. He graduated from Ames High and went on to Iowa State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1991.
He met Cheryl Meyer, the love of his life, during his college years while they were both working at Village Inn. They immediately become inseparable best friends. They married on August 17, 1996 and had a truly special love story with so much fun, adventure, and laughter. Cheryl was the first reader of all of his books and his biggest fan.
Derek was the first employee at what would eventually become Copyworks and worked there during and after college until moving to Minnesota with Cheryl to pursue a career in art. In Minnesota he was determined to find a job in art and found a position as a sculptor at Tivoli.
Derek’s drive for success in art was a theme throughout his life. In college, his mom Carol brought home a stack of children’s books from an elementary education conference. Once Derek saw the books and the beautiful writing and art in them, he knew what his career focus would be.
Derek spent his nights and weekends tirelessly writing stories and developing and refining his artwork. He published his first book himself, Barnaby and the Sea, teaching himself the ins and outs of the publishing business, which helped him later become a savvy publishing businessman. He never gave up on publishing with a New York publisher. He obtained his first contract for Ready?Set.Raymond! by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, and then he received a contract for his first Little Quack book, written by Lauren Thompson.
Since these first two books, Derek has published over 30 books for kids, writing and illustrating them. Other notable books include the Hot Rod Hamster Series by Cynthia Lord and Derek’s own Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure. He was thankful to partner with many talented authors, editors, designers, publishers, and since 2016 with his agent Tracey Adams. Besides being named to Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year lists, many of Derek’s books have been published internationally and garnered awards including the National Parenting Publication Gold Award, the CBC Children’s Choice Award and many state awards. Little Quack was on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2003.
Just before his recent declining health, Derek had finished and delivered a book that he wrote and illustrated that will be coming out at a later time. He pursued his joy and passion for art and books his entire life.
Aside from creating stories and pictures for his books, Derek’s other passion was inspiring kids of all ages to reach for their dreams. He traveled all over the country visiting schools, libraries, conferences, book fairs, and other events to teach listeners about creativity, how to create books, and especially about how he worked hard to become published and to never give up. Adults and kids alike loved the drawings of his characters he always did at the end of the presentation.
Derek was also passionate about fitness and his CrossFit community. He loved to work out often, doing the hardest upper body work he could. He enjoyed talking to people about what they did for workouts and was always encouraging others at the gym. He would give advice and follow it up by an inspirational quote that he had memorized.
He was a homebody who liked to be with Cheryl, his beloved dog Ollie, a good cup of coffee, and work on his art. Cheryl encouraged his adventurous side, and they enjoyed taking trips all over the U.S. and abroad. Derek’s favorites were SCUBA diving in the Caribbean (despite his fear of sharks), seeing the art in Paris, and experiencing the intrigue of India. He would skillfully weave the travel adventures they had into his presentations and into his stories to regale to his friends.
Derek was an all-around intelligent person who could master anything he put his mind to. He was a beautiful person inside and out and he was always thinking of others. He was an extraordinarily kind, considerate, and thankful person with a big infectious smile that won the hearts of many up until the very end. He made it a point to learn everyone’s names and remember them forever. He had a way of making everyone feel special. How he loved Cheryl, his family, friends, fans, and followers, and his dogs, Friday, Louie, and Ollie.
A light has truly left our world and his legacy will live on in his books and in kids of all ages that he inspired with his words of encouragement, persistence, and working hard.
Derek is survived by his wife Cheryl Meyer of Edina, MN, his mom Carol Anderson of Ames, IA, his brother Dave (Regina) Anderson of Ames, IA, his brother Greg (Linda Jerng) Anderson of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, mother-in-law Jane Meyer of Alta, IA, brother-in-law Bruce (Kelsey) Meyer of Stanton, NE, nieces and nephews Sara Anderson, Mackenzie Anderson, Jack Anderson, Julian Anderson, Kaden Meyer, and Brody Meyer, many other extended family, friends, and his toy poodle, Ollie.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Brent Anderson, his father, Marvin Anderson and his father-in-law Ronovan Meyer.
Derek Anderson Quote:
“It’s important to give kids a glimpse into creating stories and pictures. It takes both patience and hard work to create anything. I want students to come away from my presentations knowing that if they’re willing to work hard and believe, they can do absolutely anything in this world.”
The family would like to thank the medical professionals who have helped Derek over the last three years, most recently the teams at Methodist Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and Our Lady of Peace Hospice.
In lieu of flowers please consider one of the following for memorials in honor of Derek:
Our Lady of Peace Hospice (Derek’s kind, compassionate hospice)
2076 St. Anthony Ave
St. Paul, MN 55104
www.SupportOLP.org
Brains Together for a Cure (Raises funds for brain tumor research at Mayo Clinic)
P.O. Box 8353
Rochester, MN 55903
Brainstogetherforacure.org
Services:
Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Ave, Ames, Iowa 50010
Visitation May 17, 2024, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Celebration of Life May 18, 2024 at 1:00. Live Stream Link: https://vimeo.com/event/998800/b1cc9c0a1a
A private interment will be held at a later time.
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Appendix: Derek’s Books, Awards, and Accolades
Books:
Ready?Set.Raymond!
Random House, June 2002
Little Quack
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 2003
Little Quack's Hide and Seek
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 2004
Little Quack's Bedtime
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 2005
Gladys Goes Out to Lunch
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 2005
Over the River: A Turkey's Tale
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 2005
Little Quack's New Friend
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 2006
Blue Burt and Wiggles
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2006
How the Easter Bunny Saved Christmas
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 2006
Romeo and Lou Blast Off
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 2007
The Potty Train
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, January 2008
Ballyhoo Bay
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, February 2009
Hot Rod Hamster
Scholastic Press, February 2010
Story County: Here We Come!
Scholastic/Orchard Books, January 2011
Happy Birthday, Hamster
Scholastic Press, August 2011
Waking Dragons
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 2012
Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania!
Scholastic Press, March 2014
Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure
Scholastic/Orchard Books, May 2015
Ten Hungry Pigs
Scholastic/Orchard Books, May 2016
Croc and Ally: Friends Forever
Penguin Workshop, September 2018
Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun!
Penguin Workshop, September 2018
What About Harry?
HarperCollins, February 2019
Benny McGee and the Shark: The Shark Report
Penguin Workshop, February 2020
Benny McGee and the Shark: We Are Famous!
Penguin Workshop, August 2020
Croc and Ally: A Lot to Like!
Penguin Workshop, July 2022
Croc and Ally: The Best in the World
Penguin Workshop, July 2022
Ready? Set. Birthday!
~A Raymond and Roxy Book~
Penguin Random House, September 2022
Ready? Set. Rides!
~A Raymond and Roxy Book~
Penguin Random House, September 2023
Ready? Set. Puppies!
~A Raymond and Roxy Book~
Penguin Random House, September 2024
Original board books:
Little Quack Counts
Simon & Schuster/Little Simon, June 2009
Little Quack Loves Colors
Simon & Schuster/Little Simon, June 2009
Little Quack’s ABC’s
Simon & Schuster/Little Simon, June 2010
Little Quack’s Opposites
Simon & Schuster/Little Simon, June 2010
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Awards and Accolades:
• Named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start in 2003.
• Little Quack was on the New York Times Bestseller List in 2003.
• Little Quack and Little Quack's Bedtime both won the National Parenting Publication Gold Award.
• Little Quack and Little Quack's New Friend both won the IRA/CBC (International Reading Association/Children's Book Council) Children's Choice Award.
• Blue Burt and Wiggles was chosen as a standout by the editors at Barnes & Noble dot com.
• Romeo and Lou Blast Off was named one of the "Best Books of 2007" by Parent & Child Magazine.
• Ballyhoo Bay was selected as one of Bank Street College’s “Best Children’s Books of the Year” in spring 2010.
• Little Quack, Little Quack's Bedtime, Romeo and Lou Blast Off and Ballyhoo Bay have all been distributed in boxes of Cheerios (1.1 million boxes each) in a program called Spoonfuls of Stories. Spoonfuls of Stories is a collaborative effort between General Mills and First Book, an organization dedicated to getting books into the hands of children from low-income families.
Illustrated "Go Bananas at Your Library" which included a poster and accompanying reading materials (featuring Gladys from the book Gladys Goes Out to Lunch) for the 2007 Minnesota Library Summer Reading Program. The program was used in more than 200 public libraries across the state of Minnesota to encourage kids to read during the summer.
• The Little Quack books have been translated into many languages and sell in a number of countries around the world including: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, South Korea, Netherlands, and Japan.
• Hot Rod Hamster was on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List in 2010.
• Hot Rod Hamster was chosen by Education.com as a 2010 Summer Reading Pick for Kindergartners.
• Hot Rod Hamster was one of five finalists in the picture book category for the Children’s Book Council’s 2011 Children’s Choice Award. The finalists were selected by more than 12,000 school children.
• Hot Rod Hamster was selected as one of Bank Street College’s “Best Children’s Books of the Year” in spring 2011.
• Hot Rod Hamster appeared on award master lists in six states- Colorado, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and Wyoming.
• Hot Rod Hamster won the 2012 South Carolina Picture Book Award.
• Hot Rod Hamster won the 2013 Magnolia Award in the K-2 category (a Children’s Choice Award voted on by the children of Mississippi).
• Hot Rod Hamster won the 2013 Buckaroo Award in the K-3 category (a Children’s Choice Award voted on by the children of Wyoming).
• Happy Birthday, Hamster was selected as one of Bank Street College’s “Best Children’s Books of the Year” in spring 2012.
• He was one of the featured illustrators in the Spring 2011 Scholastic Book Fairs video, distributed in schools and seen by 55 million grade school students nationwide. He spoke about what inspired the illustrations for his book, Hot Rod Hamster.
• His bibliography and highlights of his career as an author and illustrator were included in Volume 241 and again in Volume 306 of Something About the Author, a reference series published by Gale/Cengage Learning. The series is widely used in Language-arts programs in both elementary and secondary schools across the country.
• He redesigned Scholastic Book Clubs’ Firefly logo for the 2012-2013 season.
• He was a judge for Scholastic Book Fairs’ “Kids Are Authors” contest. The two winning entries were published by Scholastic Book Fairs in fall 2012.
• Waking Dragons was one of four finalists in the Children’s Literature category for the 25th Annual Minnesota Book Awards (2013). All finalists were selected by judges from around the state of Minnesota that included writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers and others from the literary community.
• Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania! was featured in the American Booksellers Association’s “2014 ABC Best Books for Children” Catalog in the picture books category.
• He designed and rendered the artwork for Ames Public Library’s Bookmobile (Ames, Iowa) in 2014. The Bookmobile measures nine feet tall and thirty feet in length. He created the artwork with pen and ink and then scanned the artwork and painted every detail digitally.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was translated to Mandarin and sold in China in 2019 to celebrate the Year of the Pig.
• He was commissioned by Scholastic Book Clubs in 2015 to create an illustration of my favorite teacher for various print and social media campaigns. His illustration was included in the 2015-2016 Scholastic Book Clubs calendar which is distributed to more than 250,000 teachers across the United States.
• Scholastic Book Fairs held a Ten Pigs Sweepstakes in Fall 2015 as promotion for Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure in which students could complete a draw-by-numbers picture of Pig One and his Ducky from the book and submit it for a chance to win a box of 64 Crayons.
• He was the featured creator in 2015 for Books to Treasure, an annual celebration of children’s literature in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Copies of my book Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania! were distributed to every second grader in Tulsa County (numbering 12,000 in all). Hot Rod Hamster was printed on a special edition library card and distributed to second graders. And he traveled to Tulsa in November 2015 to speak at several elementary schools and at an evening library event open to the public.
• He created an image to promote the 20th Anniversary of Hats & Mittens, a nonprofit charity that works to supply hats and mittens to underprivileged children in Minnesota. The image was used on their invitation and in other media to help promote their annual winter ball on December 30th, 2015.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was translated into Spanish and published by Scholastic en Español in Spring 2016.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was chosen by Once Upon a Reader, a Minnesota statewide one-book program designed for Pre-K children to promote early literacy skills. As a part of the program, He designed a trunk show and traveled around the state delivering programs at 61 libraries about creating, reading and my book.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was a finalist for the 2016 Minnesota Book Awards. It was one of only four books in the Children’s Literature Category.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was on the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Choices 2016 Reading List. The list, a project of a joint committee supported by ILA and The Children’s Book Council is selected by school children ages 5-12 who read newly published children’s books and vote for the ones they like best.
• The Potty Train reached the #1 sales rank in Children’s Train Books for more than a month on Amazon.com in June/July 2017. On July 16th the book moved into the top 100 books sold on Amazon.com.
• How the Easter Bunny Saved Christmas appeared as a prop in a holiday episode of the television show Hawaii Five-O in December 2017.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was selected by Scholastic Book Clubs to be given away for free to teachers whose classroom orders reached $100. More than 500,000 copies were printed for this free book campaign.
• Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure was selected by Kansas Reads to Preschoolers as their title for 2018. Kansas Reads to Preschoolers is an annual state-wide reading initiative that takes places each November to promote reading to Kansas children from birth through age five.
• Benny McGee and the Shark: The Shark Report landed on Amazon’s Best Books of the Month list for ages 6-8 (February 2020).
• Benny McGee and the Shark: The Shark Report was a featured title in Amazon’s Summer Reading store in the Grades 1-2 category (2020).
• English audio rights in Korea were bought by Two Ponds for Croc and Ally: Friends Forever and Croc and Ally: Fun, Fun, Fun! in Fall 2020
* Hot Rod Hamster was mentioned in a “Favorite Books” segment on NBC’s Today Show in April 2021. A five-year-old boy named Ezra enthusiastically explained why it was his favorite book (Because it taught him how to build a hot rod).
• Benny McGee and the Shark: The Shark Report was announced as a finalist for the Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. in April 2021. Chosen for their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres and curriculum connections, students are encouraged to read the chosen titles and then vote on a winner.
• Ready? Set. Birthday! was recognized by the Chicago Public Library and selected for their Best Fiction for Younger Readers list in 2022.
• Little Quack was presented as a live show in The Woodlands Children’s Museum’s Shadow Puppet Theatre in Woodlands, Texas in April 2023.
You can read much more about Derek and his books by visiting www.DerekAnderson.net.
memorial service
Services
Bethesda Lutheran Church (ELCA) 1517 Northwestern Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
Visitation May 17, 2024, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Celebration of Life May 18, 2024 at 1:00. Live Stream Link: https://vimeo.com/event/998800/b1cc9c0a1a
A private interment will be held at a later time.