Show Me a Story!: Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations with 21 of the World's Most Celebrated Illustrators

by Leonard S. Marcus (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763635060
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/08/2012
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	508,931
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Introduction 1

Mitsumasa Anno 7

Quentin Blake 18

Ashley Bryan 28

John Burningham 42

Eric Carle 52

Lois Ehlert 80

Kevin Henkes 88

Yumi Heo 97

Tana Hoban 105

James Marshall 116

Robert McCloskey 141

Helen Oxenbury 153

Jerry Pinkney 164

Chris Raschka 180

Maurice Sendak 191

Peter Sis 216

William Steig 228

Rosemary Wells 246

Mo Willems 263

Vera B. Williams 273

Lisbeth Zwerger 286

Bibliography 295

Illustration and Photography Credits 303

Source Notes 305

Index 306

Acknowledgments 310

Editorial Reviews

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.
—Kirkus Reviews

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 Weisner—will reinforce what teachers, librarians, and parents already know: picture books matter.
—Booklist

Along with the artists’ eloquent musings on their sources of inspiration, Marcus’s disarming queries elicit a fine array of revealing experiences, methods of working, and motivations for illustrating for children.
—The Horn Book

Marcus is the master of asking questions, most often dealing with childhood and the discovery of artistic talent, that invite deep and detailed responses. Thus, information and insights shared by the interviewed artists are revealing and sometimes unexpected.Who knew that in her youth Vera Williams was truly a free spirit, that Sir Quentin Blake is now a Knight of the Realm, or that Maurice Sendak is such a fragile and tortured soul?
—VOYA

This volume provides inspiration and insight into the creative process.
—School Library Journal

Could be considered like chatting with your favorite American children's book authors while gathered around the kitchen table. And oh, the stories they'll tell.
—ForeWord Reviews

Along with Sendak, 20 other artists discuss in these pages their work, their childhoods and their years of creative development. In the process, we get some endearing insights into the origins of certain much-beloved books.
—The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

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

School Library Journal

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 Sís, 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)

Kirkus Reviews