This is the original cover art for a book by Bette Greene, published by Bantam. The Drowning of Stephan Jones is an exploration of prejudice. The lead character is Carla Wayland. Her dream of being part of the "in" crowd comes true when she starts dating popular Andy Harris. Drawn as a silent partner into his hate campaign against a gay couple who have recently moved to the next town, Carla must decide what she stands for, when Andy's harassment leads to the death of one of the men. The publisher chose to crop the image so that when it appeared in print only a portion of the bridge, the water, and a ring of bubbles on the surface, are visible.

Bette Jean Greene (1934-2020) was an American author of children’s and young adult books. Her books often examined controversial subjects. “Summer of My German Soldier” takes place in Arkansas during World War II, following a young Jewish girl as she develops a relationship with a German POW and hides him in her garage. Greene later said that the story was autobiographical. Beloved by readers, “Summer of My German Soldier” has also been targeted by book-banning campaigns. Greene’s “The Drowning of Stephan Jones” (1991) was another frequently challenged book, taking inspiration from a real-life case of three young men who killed a gay man by throwing him off a bridge. Greene won the Newbery Honor for her 1974 book “Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe.” Her other books include “Morning Is a Long Time Coming” (1978) and “Them That Glitter and Them That Don’t” (1983). In the face of such opposition, the author responded, “You don’t have to feel sorry for me, because I’m in the company of Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Twain and even [Maurice] Sendak’s classic picture book, ‘In the Night Kitchen.’”

Ben F. Stahl (1932 - 2024) was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lived for extended periods of time on both U.S. coasts, Europe and Canada. He was the eldest son of American illustrator and artist Ben A. Stahl (1910 - 1987).
Ben F. Stahl grew up with illustration, but never took a formal art training. He moved in 1949 to San Francisco where he finished high school. In 1953, he was drafted into the US Army and assigned to the 21st Topographical Battalion at the Presidio of San Francisco to be trained as a mapmaker. Leaving the Army in 1955, he was employed by Famous Artist School, a correspondence art school located in Westport, Connecticut, as an instructor where, using drawn and painted demonstrations, he critiqued students' work assigned to them in their course.
In 1965, he was appointed "Director of Art Education", in Amsterdam, Holland, supervising a staff of 30 artists of several nationalities. In 1968, he returned to Westport, CT, to act as "Head of Art Instruction", leaving in 1972 to develop his career as a freelance illustrator. He became particularly well known for his illustrations of young people.
During his career, Stahl’s art was commissioned by most publishers in North America including Bantam Books, Reader's Digest Condensed Books, The Franklin Library, The Limited Edition Book Club, Putnam Publishing Group, Golden Books, Holt-Rinehart, Winston, Warner Books, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Troll Publishing Co., Scholastic Publishing Co., Albert Whitman Publishing Co., the Bradford Exchange, NBC and CBS television.
He received several national awards for his work in the publishing field including, among others, the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award for "Illustrated Teaching Materials, 1977" and an award for the "Outstanding Science Books for Children, 1976".
Stahl was a member of the New York Society of Illustrators and included in Who's Who in American Art. In addition, he was included, along with his father, in the reference book, The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000 by Walt Reed, published by the N.Y. Society of Illustrators.
In 1987, he was commissioned by Bantam-Seal to create more than 36 historical paintings for all the covers of the novels written by Canadian author L.M. Montgomery including the immensely popular Anne of Green Gables. The project led to Stahl’s decision in 1990 to move to Prince Edward Island. In 2008, one of his best-known images of Anne Shirley was featured on a Canadian postage stamp.
In the early 2000s, faced with a slowdown commercial in illustration work, Stahl decided to devote most of his time to fine art. With the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, however, he shifted his attention to the creation of abstract art.
Stahl remained creative until his final months. He died on June 15, 2024, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.