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If you love children’s books or know children that do, then you’ve probably encountered a few authors or illustrators along the way. Learning firsthand about a book creator’s process is certainly ideal. When that isn’t possible, a great resource may help fill the gap. Just such a resource exists.
In 1934, H.W.Wilson’s publication of The Junior Book of Authors provided a personal look at the creators of children’s books. Through the years, the format of that first publication has been enhanced to include profiles of illustrators, black and white pictures of the creators, a selected rather than comprehensive list of works, recommendations for further reading, and even reproductions of signatures, and so provide yet another dimension of the unique style of authors and illustrators.
In the Ninth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators, editor Connie C. Rockman continues the refreshing transformation of this established work that she began in her editing of the eighth book in the series. This time, the book cover is even more colorful, with literary characters portrayed as constellations swirling above a young reader. The back of the book offers a key to the identity of these characters. Copies of book jackets continue to decorate the pages and serve as a visual connection between familiar works and their creators. The expanded use of quotes, in the otherwise bare margins of the page, lures the reader into the text. Pronunciation tips for author’s names are especially useful as the cultural diversity of children’s book authors broadens. The included Web sites and email addresses for authors offer another extension. A descriptive list of honors and awards cited in this book and a comprehensive index of all the volumes in the series follows the individual profiles. And, for the first time, an electronic edition of all nine volumes in a single, searchable database is available.
The process of updating continues with 18 of the 173 profiles in this volume representing authors whose long and accomplished careers warrant a more current treatment. The list includes Ursula Le Guin, Sid Fleischman, Arnold Lobel, Betsy Byars, Ed Young, Marc Simont and others. The profiles of recently deceased authors and illustrators — Barbara Cooney, Virginia Hamilton, Robert McCloskey, and William Steig — are updated with the works and accomplishments of their later years. The table of contents clearly denotes these updated profiles. Newcomers of special interest are the 2004 Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo, Coretta Scott King honor book artist Kadir Nelson, Pura Belpré winner Julia Alvarez, Sibert Award winner Susan Bartoletti and Boston Globe-Horn Book winner Elizabeth Partridge.
This series’ emphasis on autobiographical content provides the source of its charm, with the ninth book being no exception. The reader feels engaged in a conversation with a favorite author. The intimacy of the profiles draws the reader in, to continue reading. Elizabeth Partridge provides a window into her highly unique and quirky childhood as the granddaughter of famous photographer, Imogen Cunningham. “When my father, Rondal Partridge, was a teenager, he decided he wanted to be a photographer, and Imogen sent him to work with her friend Dorothea Lange... Artists don’t usually make much money and my parents were no exception. We were dressed in hand-me-downs, which I hated, especially because my next older sibling was a brother. His black and white high top shoes weren’t very feminine.” (425-426)
The biographical elements in each profile, rounding out the autobiographical sketches, offer additional understanding of the writers’ and artists’ skills and processes. We learn that author Shelley Tanaka’s knowledge of different languages enabled the research for her work. “She was able to read, in the original German, Werner Franz’s account of his experiences as a cabin boy on the Hindenburg, and claims that if she had not read the Franz account, she could never have written The Disaster of the Hindenburg, ... a tale of the last hours on the dirigible from the perspectives of two teenagers, one a passenger and the other a cabin boy.” (520-521)
The Ninth Book of Authors & Illustrators could serve as a source of inspiration for aspiring writers and artists of all ages. Eloise Jarvis McGraw reflects about her first efforts at age eight: a story about two animated cedarwood pencils. “I had just acquired such a pencil, the first I had ever seen, and it struck me as fascinatingly exotic — so different from the ordinary yellow affairs with red erasers.” (357) James Rumford tells a delightful story about how he came to write children’s books late in life. “When I was 46, after years of being a university teacher and a maker of handmade books, I met a retired librarian and storyteller named Harriet Oberhaus, who took a deep look inside me and simply asked, ‘Aren’t you ever going to write a children’s book?’ ”(461) With Harriet’s ongoing encouragement, Rumford would write his first book, The Cloudmakers. Many others, including Sequoyah: The Man Who Gave His People Writing, named a School Library Journal Best Book, followed. This story about a very special librarian’s ability to inspire and nurture hidden talent reminds us of the creative potential in all of us.
Rockman served on the selection committees for the 1986 Newbery Award (Sarah, Plain and Tall) and the 2001 Caldecott Award (So, You Want to Be President?). Her extensive knowledge as a librarian, storyteller and educator is evident in the useable and captivating qualities of this book. She began its construction with the creation of an advisory committee of recognized professionals that selected the authors and illustrators. Autobiographical information was requested from their publishers. Rockman, with a team of contributing editors, wrote the biographical segments, submitting them to the authors and illustrators for final verification and review.
The limited listing of selected works represents only one of two possible shortcomings in this otherwise exceptional resource. The listing expanded to include both out of print and current titles, is not comprehensive. This limitation is an important point to remember if using Ninth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators for ready reference. Despite the growth in children’s books, this volume includes fewer entries than ever before. This second shortcoming is explained, in part, by the shorter publication interval between volumes. Electronic edition, with subscription prices at approximately $300-400 per year based on student enrollment or the population served, allows addition of new profiles annually, provides daily updates, and links to full-text articles and book review excerpts. This format may be a more logical choice for frequent and multiple users of this resource. For now, the print Ninth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators adds depth of information about collection.
Links to H.W. Wilson information:
H.W. Wilson’s Web page for this work:
Links to sample author profiles:
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