My seven-year-old daughter and I love sitting at the kitchen table with crayons, paper, and our stack of Ed Emberly how-to-draw books. The creatures he composes from simple shapes are so happy and delightful, and they serve as a great reminder for me to keep things as simple as possible when I do an illustration.
I can't find any information about him on Google. I don't even know if he's still alive. But I did find this Japanese site that sells products with Emberly's drawings on them. I wonder if these are available in the US? Leave it to the Japanese to recognize this American (?) artist's genius. Link
UPDATE: He lives! Here's his site: Link (Thanks, Robin the librarian!)