In a recent online interview, Drawn.ca suggested that "to say Bob Staake is just an illustrator is like saying 'The Beatles' were just a bunch of musicians; the title doesn't do the artist justice."

One of the nation's most prolific illustrators, his clients have included The New Yorker, TIME, McDonald's, Vanity Fair, Amtrak, Young & Rubicam, American Express, Sony, United Airlines, Nickelodeon, Sports Illustrated For Kids, Ralston Purina, Hallmark Cards, Kenner Toys, US News and World Report, Fortune, The Washington Post, AT&T, Sega, TWA, Dr.Pepper, The Chicago Tribune, Good Humor, Warner Books, Kellogg's, Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting, The Wall Street Journal, AOL/Time Warner, Forbes, Simon and Schuster, The Ren and Stimpy Show, MAD, USA Today, Children's Television Workshop, Blockbuster Video, The Walt Disney Company, Anheuser-Busch, Doubleday, Klutz Press, Hershey's, Target Stores, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Fleishman-Hillard, DMBB, and countless others.

Staake's November 17, 2008 cover of The New Yorker entitled Reflection commemorating Barack Obama's election as the nation's first African- American president was named by TIME as #1 in their list of 10 Top Magazine Covers of 2008 dubbing the image "beautifully rendered" and "simply spectacular" -- in fact, it is the most popular New Yorker cover of all-time according to The New Yorker Store.

He has authored and/or illustrated over 75 books, including The Donut Chef, Bluebird, Bugs Galore, Hello Robots, Look A Book, This Is Not A Pumpkin, Pets Go Pop, and others. The New York Times named his book 'The Red Lemon' one of the 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2006.

Staake's children's books have been translated into over 12 languages around the world

In 2014, Staake starred in a national TV commercial and ad campaign for Intel. The commercial also featured animated characters from Staake's My Pet Book that seemed to fly off the pages.

He lives and works in Chatham, Massachusetts in a 200-year-old house on the elbow of Cape Cod.