The Caldecott Medal is awarded yearly to the book that best represents the highest quality of children's book illustration, whether through innovation or skilled homage to past artistic traditions. Oftentimes, a key factor is the skill at which the illustrator designs their illustrations to further the aims of the text, something for which today's writer/illustrator is well known for. This illustrator has not only won the Caldecott Medal, but has also been a Caldecott Honor recipient an astounding three times. Join us as we take a closer look at Paul O. Zelinsky in this edition of our Caldecott Winning Illustrators Series:
Who is Paul O. Zelinsky
Paul O. Zelinsky was born in Evanston, Illinois, and developed a love of reading early on thanks
to early childhood classics such as The Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown of Goodnight, Moon fame, and Little Golden Book The Tawny Scrawny Lion. He endeavored to create his own stories and illustrations, submitting them to children's magazine Highlights, where his work was featured for the very first time. At Yale, he took a class on the history and art taught by the legendary Maurice Sendak. He decided to pursue children's book illustration as a career, switching gears from his previous interest in natural history. He went on to study art at the graduate level in Philadelphia as well as Rome. He illustrated his first book, Emily Upham's Revenge by Avi, in 1978. Since then he has written and illustrated upwards of thirty books for himself and others. Zelinsky was named a Caldecott Honor winner in 1985, 1987, and 1995 before he eventually won in 1998 for Rapunzel.
Where else have you heard of Zelinsky?
Lovers of children's literature may have noticed his name on some classics known by powerhouse children's book writer Beverly Cleary. In the 1970's, Zelinsky illustrated numerous covers for Cleary's books, including Ralph S. Mouse, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Strider. He also illustrated Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynn Jones, known for Howl's Moving Castle. Like Howl's Moving Castle, Earwig and the Witch was the inspiration for an animated film by Japan's Studio Ghibli. Their Earwig and the Witch adaptation marked the studio's first CG animated feature.
Examining Zelinksy's Artistic Style
Zelinsky famously has expressed a deliberate refusal to nail down any one particular style, instead letting the content of the book he's illustrating be the inspiration for the style he creates. For books like Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, and Rumplestiltzkin, this manifested in a more classic, fairy tale style, whereas his work for the Toys Go Out series by Emily Jenskins has a softer, more whimsical look. Zelinsky also describes attributing flavors to his experience of reading, which is known as synesthesia, which also may have influenced his work.
Collecting Zelinsky
Wheels on the Bus by Paul Zelinksy
Perhaps Zelinsky's most famous book, Wheels on the Bus was created in partnership with paper
engineer Rodger Smith. Inspired by famous children's songs, this book uses moving pieces to help convey the motions in the story, such as rotating tires, doors that open and shut, and little old ladies that stop on and off the bus. A twenty-fifth-anniversary edition was recently released featuring redesigned pages with the edition of hidden twenty-fives as well as images hiding twenty-five depictions of objects as a scavenger hunt. Both editions of the book are sure to delight children and collectors alike.
Rapunzel by Paul Zelinsky
Zelinksy earned the Caldecott medal in 1998 for his illustrations in Rapunzel. This beautiful book features classically rendered illustrations that pay homage to the grand tradition of fairy tale art. The book features many details from the original story often left out my modern interpretations, such as the fact that Rapunzel came to become locked in the tower by the sorceress as a punishment for her father stealing her rapunzel herbs (also known as rampion) to assuage her mother's pregnancy cravings.
