Jerry Pinkney

DeShea Jones

LSIS 5505-OL1

Dr. Edna Cogdell

Biography

• Native of Philadelphia

• Studied at the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts)

• Illustrating children’s books since 1964

• Illustrated over one hundred titles and has been the recipient of a Caldecott Medal, five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards and has four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards.

Biography Continued

• In 2001 Jerry was invited by Laura Bush to illustrate and design the White House Christmas Program. 

• He has held professorships teaching art at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY; the University of Delaware, Newark, DE; and the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. 

• In 2003, Jerry was appointed to the National Council of the Arts – NEA (2003-2009).

• His art can be found in the permanent

collections at the Library of Congress,

the New York Public Library, the

Delaware Art Museum and the

Brandywine River Art Museum.

Biography Cont.• His works have been featured

in The New York Times, Arts Section, American Artists Magazine, The Horn Book Magazine, The CBS Sunday Morning Show and PBS Reading Rainbow Room. 

• Pinkney is also a past trustee for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Katonah Museum of Art. 

• He lives with his wife, author Gloria Jean, in Westchester County, NY.

Awards

• Caldecott Medal Winner- 2010 (The Lion and the Mouse)

• Caldecott Honor- 1989 (Mirandy and Brother Wind), 1995 (John Henry), 2000 (The Ugly Duckling), 2003 (Noah’s Ark)

• Coretta Scott King Honor Award- 2009,2002, 1997, 1987, 1986, 1981,

• Numerous other awards for his work

• To see more awards Pinkney has received visit http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html

Words from Pinkney• "I am a storyteller at heart.  So each project begins with the

question, 'Is this story worth telling? Is the manuscript an interesting read? Is it surprising and challenging? Will I, in the process of making pictures, learn something new?’ When these questions are answered, I then open up to letting the text speak to me.  My work is text inspired. 

• "I have illustrated over a hundred children’s books. The most favorite is always the work in progress on the drawing board, because my strongest feelings about a particular book are tied to the experience of creating it. 

Children’s Books

• Pinkney has been illustrating children’s books since 1964.

• He has illustrated over 100 children’s books

• Also illustrates novels and has independent and commissioned artwork

• For a complete list please see http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html

The Lion and the Mouse• 2010 Caldecott Medal Winner

-”The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney’s textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two very unlikely friends” (ala.org).

• Retelling of Aesop’s Fable of the Lion and the Mouse

• No text in the book other than the sounds the animals make- the pictures tell the story

Front Cover

Back Cover

The Lion and the Mouse

• Plot: The mouse accidentally wakes the sleeping lion. The lion lets its prey go. Then the lion gets trapped in a poacher’s net. The mouse comes to the rescue by chewing the rope and letting the lion free

Artwork for The Lion and the Mouse

• Watercolors, lots of oranges and yellows used because of the natural animals and landscape

• Looks very natural and organic, smooth lines

• Has depth and movement

• Artwork is beautiful and rich

• The art on each page truly tells the story to the reader

• Landscape is accurate and uses a variety of landscapes in this book

Aesop’s Fables

• Retelling of Aesop’s Fables

• Includes 60 tales• Some stories are

accompanied by full size artwork, while others have only a small painting at the bottom of the page

Artwork for Aesop’s Fables

• Used Watercolors

• Very lush and detailed paintings

• Large variety of vivid colors

• Landscapes are very meticulous

Noah’s Ark• Retelling of the famous

biblical story• Caldecott Honor Book in

2003- “In his strikingly beautiful rendition of Noah and the Great Flood, Pinkney has integrated the well-known story from Genesis with masterful pencil and watercolor illustration to create a stunning whole” (ala.org).

• The entire book is illustrated, including the inside covers and copyright page

Artwork for Noah’s Ark

• Water colors are used

• Lines are soft• Most of the artwork

had muted colors with a few pops of brighter colors

• Animals are very realistic

The Ugly Duckling• Retelling of Hans

Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling

• Caldecott Honor Book in 2000 because “each full-page spread is lush with color that befits the beauty of the naturalistic setting. Pinkney imbues the animals with personality without anthropomorphizing them” (ala.org).

Artwork for The Ugly Duckling• Watercolors are

used• Entire book is

illustrated, unique touches like the “i” in Duckling being a ladybug

• Lines are soft• Colors are earthy

and soothing

Rikki Tikki Tavi• Retelling of the story by

Rudyard Kipling• Awards: ALA Booklist Edito

r’s Choice and Publisher’s Weekly Best Book

• ALA Review: “Children who are not familiar with the story will be captivated; those who have had the story read to them before will find new things to shiver over. A beautiful edition for reading aloud.”

Artwork for Rikki Tikki Tavi

• Watercolors is the style used for this artwork

• Pinkney uses darker colors in this book

• He also alternates between having text on the page opposite from the main artwork and text and artwork on the same page

• Teddy, the boy in the story, is always shown with red until he goes to bed at the end of the story

John Henry• Retelling of the American tall tale• 1995 Caldecott Honor book-

“Pinkney's earthy, craggy pencil and watercolor illustrations capture both the power and the humanity of the African-American folk hero. Masterful use of light and shadow portray the strength and mass of the Allegheny Mountains, which match the magnitude of John Henry, while delicate shading and mottled color suggest the detail of a realistic natural setting enlivened with touches of whimsy” (ala.org)

Artwork for John Henry• Watercolors are used• Artwork is earthy with

pops of color• John Henry always

shown with an article of red clothing

• Pictures show movement as John Henry complete his tasks

• Alternates the combination of text and pictures

Resources• http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/

bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm

• http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html

• Pinkney, J. (2000). Aesop’s fables. New York: SeaStar Books.

• Lester, J. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial Books.

• Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion and the mouse. New York: Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.

• Pinkney, J. (2002). Noah’s ark. New York: SeaStar Books.

• Pinkney, J. (1997). Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. New York: Morrow Junior Books.

• Pinkney, J. (1999). The ugly duckling. New York: Morrow Junior Books.