Denise Fleming

Who is Denise Fleming?

Denise K. Fleming is an American creator of children's picture books. She was born in Toledo, Ohio. She graduated in illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Her first book, In the Tall, Tall Grass, was published by Henry Holt and Company in 1991. According to one library summary, "Rhymed text presents a toddler's view of creatures found in the grass from lunchtime till nightfall, such as bees, ants, and moles." It was critically well received and its sequel, In the Small, Small Pond, was a runner-up for the 1994 Caldecott Medal.

Twenty years later, In the Small, Small Pond was runner-up for the inaugural, 2013 Phoenix Picture Book Award. The Phoenix Awards recognize the best children's books published twenty years earlier that did not win major contemporary awards.