Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | 741.642 SHO | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In compelling interviews by the acclaimed Leonard S. Marcus, twenty-one top authors and illustrators reveal their inside stories on the art of creating picture books.
Max and Mickey; Miss Nelson; Pack, Quack, and Mrs. Mallard; Pigeon; Sylvester; John Henry; and a very hungry caterpillar -- these are just a few of the beloved picture book characters discussed in Show Me a Story . Renowned children's literature authority Leonard S. Marcus speaks with their creators and others -- twenty-one of the world's most celebrated authors and illustrators
-- and asks about their childhood, their inspiration, their determination, their mentors, their creative choices, and more. Amplifying these richly entertaining and thought-provoking conversations are eighty-eight full-color plates revealing each illustrator's artistic process from sketch to near
-final artwork in fascinating, behind-the-scenes detail. Why do children love and need picture books so much? Recasting and greatly expanding on a volume published in 2002 as Ways of Telling , Leonard S. Marcus confirms that picture books matter because they make a difference in our children's lives.
Author Notes
Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading writers about children's books and their illustrations. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy ; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy ; Dear Genius ; and others. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review, among other publications. About Show Me a Story! , he says, "Our favorite picture books speak to us at the start of life and continue to speak to us for the rest of our lives. I find that an amazing achievement." Leonard S. Marcus lives in Brooklyn.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Marcus set out "on a kind of mad quest to find the vital thread that links an artist's life story to the stories and images for which he or she is known." To accomplish this, he has provided profiles and conversations with 21 of the most celebrated illustrators of contemporary picture books. Most of the interviews occurred in 2009 or prior, with some dating as far back as 1988, which is when Maurice Sendak's Dear Mili was published. Eleven of them were published in Ways of Telling (Dutton, 2002). Of those originals, three include follow-up Q & A's. Also, an abridged version of part three of the interview with Sendak appeared in the Horn Book. Still, this volume provides inspiration and insight into the creative process. It starts with a brief but informative overview of the history of the modern-day picture book. Interesting tidbits about the creators' early years and their careers are captivating and enlightening. New to this volume is a section that reproduces a sample of each artist's dummy spreads, sketches, or other preliminary drawings to show the process of creating art and the hard work required to get it right. The book also discusses why picture books matter. Combined with Ways of Telling, this book profiles the best children's illustrators of our time. Share it with budding artists and art students who are struggling to find a style of their own.-Renee McGrath, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
"For a storys text to work, it needs to be incomprehensible. Otherwise you wouldnt need the pictures," avers Mo Willems, neatly explicating the title for these "Conversations with 21 of the Worlds Most Celebrated Illustrators." This subtitle may sound familiar: eleven of these interviews appeared in Marcuss Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book (rev. 9/02). Whats added is grand to have, however: ten new interviews; a revised introduction; updates for such luminaries as Maurice Sendak and Eric Carle; and a succinct foreword by David Wiesner explaining why picture books really do matter. Along with the artists eloquent musings on their sources of inspiration, Marcuss disarming queries elicit a fine array of revealing experiences, methods of working, and motivations for illustrating for children. The book teems with quotable insights: "If someone is asleepyou dont necessarily want to see [the] bed, but you might want to look at the dreams" (Quentin Blake); "M. B. Goffsteins Me and My Captainconveys such a beautiful sense of longing" (Kevin Henkes); "My doodle habit became my art" (Yumi Heo); "A good ending is inevitable, but its also a surprise" (James Marshall, in a brilliant 1989 interview peppered with memorable lines). Marcus captures the artists as well as their art: Peter Ss, shaped by powerful memories of his father; Vera Williams, who even as a child "was irrepressible, extremely talkative, and quite cute[and] also had quite a developed sense of the tragic." A thirty-two-page color insert includes "dummy spreads, sketches, and other preliminaries," an excellent decision given that the books themselves are so widely known. New entries here also include John Burningham, Lois Ehlert, and Lisbeth Zwerger. Bibliography of picture books cited; illustration credits; source notes; index. Adults may be the primary audience for this fine resource, but it will inspire, inform, and delight those of any age who are engaged in -- or by -- the arts. joanna rudge long (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Selecting 11 illustrators popular in the past decade, among them Chris Raschka, Lois Ehlert and Mo Willems, and adding postscripts to 10 he had interviewed for Ways of Telling (2002), Marcus mines the A-list, producing fascinating insights into the lives of picture-book creators and the format itself. Organized alphabetically, each interview is preceded by a photograph and brief introduction. In contrast to the representative reproductions in the earlier title, the accompanying color insert presents process. Studies, sketches and scenes that didn't make it are accompanied by instructive captions. The historian's command of publishing trends, personalities, formal elements and psychology leads to customized questions, although common themes emerge. These include the power of teachers to enable artists to recognize their potential or doubt it, the role of encouraging relatives, the ways sensitive people grapple with family issues and economic or political realities and the impact of Charles Schulz and Maurice Sendak. The inclusion of Quentin Blake, Yumi Heo, Peter Ss, and Lisbeth Zwerger adds an international perspective. It is curious, though, that Marcus recycles so much from his previous book; except for Sendak's seven-page commentary on Bumble-Ardy (2011), not much value is added. Why not a full-fledged second volume? That said, these discussions of the relationship between artists' lives and the stories they produce, preferences regarding medium or style, and the unique confluences of circumstance, market and passion are indubitably worthwhile. A welcome illumination of a historically under-appreciated art form. (bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In his introduction to this collection of 21 interviews with renowned children's illustrators, Marcus reveals his impetus for embarking on the project: a mad quest for the vital thread that links an artist's life story to the stories and images for which he or she is known. To do this, he often starts where all things start in childhood. Kevin Henkes copied Charles Schulz's Peanuts drawings; young Ashley Bryan made books as gifts; and Peter Sis' parents not only encouraged his early artistic endeavors, they also gave him deadlines. Marcus continues on to ask questions that address who or what influenced the illustrators' work; the mediums they prefer and why; and their most famous titles. Eighty-eight plates round out the engaging portraits and take readers through the creative process from early sketch to finished piece. Artistically inclined teens will find much to inspire them here, but they are not the obvious audience. Rather, these compelling interviews and foreword by David Wiesner will reinforce what teachers, librarians, and parents already know: picture books matter.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. vii |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Mitsumasa Anno | p. 7 |
| Quentin Blake | p. 18 |
| Ashley Bryan | p. 28 |
| John Burningham | p. 42 |
| Eric Carle | p. 52 |
| Lois Ehlert | p. 80 |
| Kevin Henkes | p. 88 |
| Yumi Heo | p. 97 |
| Tana Hoban | p. 105 |
| James Marshall | p. 116 |
| Robert McCloskey | p. 141 |
| Helen Oxenbury | p. 153 |
| Jerry Pinkney | p. 164 |
| Chris Raschka | p. 180 |
| Maurice Sendak | p. 191 |
| Peter Sis | p. 216 |
| William Steig | p. 228 |
| Rosemary Wells | p. 246 |
| Mo Willems | p. 263 |
| Vera B. Williams | p. 273 |
| Lisbeth Zwerger | p. 286 |
| Bibliography | p. 295 |
| Illustration and Photography Credits | p. 303 |
| Source Notes | p. 305 |
| Index | p. 306 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 310 |
