Introduction

Illustrators of children’s literature have the unique opportunity of utilizing their young readers’ unjaded sense of imagination and keen sense of observation to help convey the story through visual arts. The pacing, the colors, the mood, the materials and the technique as a whole must be perfectly balanced in order to bring the story to life for just the right age, for just the right reader. This is an incredible challenge, one that deserves the utmost respect. Yet it took several decades after the commencement of mass marketing for children’s picture books, their illustrators and their authors to begin receiving the respect they deserved. Most adult readers, be they in the publishing industry, the education sector or even parents, saw such stories and illustrations as menial and undeserving of attention. In 1980, Dilys Evans, an expert in the fields of publishing and art, sought to “create an awareness that children’s book illustration was a unique form of fine art that was worthy of celebration and recognition” (2008, p. 1). This movement took on a life of its own, eventually helping the public at large to see children’s book illustrations as fine art. 

Left: Image from Ranpunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky; Right: Image created by Richard Scarry

            Richard Scarry and Paul O. Zelinsky are just two of thousands of talented illustrators who have created such fine art and poured their souls into bringing stories off the page and into the imaginations of readers. As they each grew into their professions, using their backgrounds and experiences to build a foundation from which to create, they developed artistic philosophies that were on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. Despite their difference in philosophies and style, they both believed whole-heartedly in the power of illustration to educate, to entertain and to cultivate an unending love of literature.

The Busy, Busy World of Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry, Photo retrieved from Famousauthors.org

Richard Scarry was an artist from the start. Born in 1919 to a middle-class family, he didn’t have the financial struggles that many others faced. He was able to attend school, enjoy free time, and buy art supplies. But having financial comfort did not eliminate challenges from his life. Scarry hated school. He became a troublemaker, forged absence notes and earned dismal grades. He was active all the time, pausing only when his art absorbed his mind and body.   

His father, a successful business man, hoped that Scarry would attend an Ivy League college and eventually follow in his footsteps. Without the scholastic strength or intrinsic desire to go a school of such intensity, Scarry spent a year at a Boston business school. No happier there than he had been in primary and high school, he transferred to the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. Finally able to focus on developing his artistic talents, Scarry found joy. In 1942, one year shy of graduation, however, he was drafted into the American forces, effectively ending his formal art education.

When the army asked his profession, Scarry professed himself an artist. It seemed to make no difference, though, as he was sent to radio repair school. His dismay was evident. “He failed the exam miserably… earning the unheard-of lowest score in the history of the class: minus thirteen” (Richard Scarry, n.d.). His commanding officer realized that allowing Scarry to repair radios would be a disaster in the making, so he reassigned him to a much more palatable position: artist. His position quickly grew and he became the “military’s ‘art director’” (Richard Scarry, n.d.), in charge of designing propaganda and support messages, as well as disseminating news updates.

Scarry loved the position and his ensuing role as “editor and writer of Publications for the Information and Morale Services Section of the Allied Force Headquarters” (Richard Scarry, n.d.). He was not only able to utilize his creativity, but was given the opportunity to travel around the world. Professional circumstances could not have been better for a man who thrived on movement and activity. 

With such experience under his belt, Scarry had no problem finding illustration jobs after the war—with Little Golden Books. Scarry’s portfolio, filled with “cartoonish human characters” capture the imaginations of executives at Little Golden Books and in 1948, they offered him a very lucrative, one year contract for $4800 (Richard Scarry, n.d.). Over the next decade, his characters evolved into the zany, hard-working, madcap, often accident-prone residents of the halcyon town of Busytown that would catapult him into children’s literature history. 

Photo retrieved from https://thephoenixremix.wordpress.com

But Scarry’s characters were only part of his grand success. Because of a possible learning disorder that made standard learning practices unmanageable, Scarry developed an insight into how children might better learn. The rigidity of teaching practices in the 1930’s prevented Scarry from learning in the manner best suited to his needs and as result, his entire early education was nothing but torturous. Despite this, Scarry recognized the extreme importance of education and as an illustrator, wanted to present information to children in a world of humor, pathos, color, brevity, and movement (Richard Scarry, n.d.). He wanted to meet young children where they are at, make education fun and approachable and entertaining. His goal was to “be funny without being stupid. Don’t do it in a way they’ve seen a million times before. And whatever the cost, don’t be boring” (Richard Scarry, n.d.).

Photo credit: Alan Taylor

            Scarry didn’t allow standard publishing formats to curtail his creativity. Standardization (both in education and the military) hadn’t worked for him in the past, so he looked to create his illustrations with innovative and inventive techniques. In fact, his brother, Jack Scarry, said, “[Scarry] didn’t care that he didn’t conform” (Scarry Good, 1994). He dreamed of creating “a new kind of dictionary which arranged words by categories instead of the alphabet” (Richard Scarry, n.d.) and wrote many of his narratives without plots so that readers could use their imaginations, making up their own plots, creating their own scenes for dramatic play, starting conversations with family and feel comfortable imagining the ridiculous. Because he didn’t tie himself to a single plot in each book, he could extend the illustrated narrative into as much detail as he desired. Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever, the first of his themed dictionaries, included over 1400 “solo panels of slapstick anthropomorphic behavior [and] lots of new characters” (Richard Scarry, n.d.). Each panel is filled with movement, zany adventures and slapstick humor. Scarry meticulously designed each character and scene to capture imagination, filling pages with countless details. He wanted his young readers to find something new to learn, something different to enjoy each and every time they looked at a page. “Children learn from a story and they grow attached to it,” said Scarry. “That’s why the usually want it read to them night after night” (Richard Scarry, 2012).

            While young children continued to adore his books and illustrations, a simmering backlash erupted around 1970. Society started pinpointing Scarry’s illustrations as sexist and racially stereotyped. “Feminists accused him of being a misogynist because his female characters wore dresses and were mainly housewives” (Avignon, 2012).  Given the society in which he was raised, in which women’s roles were very much relegated to the home, the fact Scarry put dresses on the animal cooking dinner was culturally accurate. He stated on several occasions that all his characters are animals with no particular gender, so a truck driver wearing trousers and a shirt could very well be female (Lynch, 1998). “Most of the women characters dressed just like men anyway”, he maintained. (Richard Scarry, n.d.) The irony wasn’t lost on him, as he also “pointed out that the feminist movement itself thought men and women should dress in the same manner” (Avignon, 2012). 

Photo credit: Alan Taylor

            Scarry’s frustration heightened when Busy, Busy World was called out by critics called insisting that Scarry’s “caricatures of different ethnicities across the world were racist” (Avignon, 2012). A feather-sporting “Indian” in a canoe and a head-dress wearing “Indian” representing the letter “I” were deemed stereotypical because not all Indians wear feathers or sail canoes. Likewise, “Ah-Choo the near-sighted panda bear from Hong Kong… and Angus the Scottish bagpiper” were targeted for perpetuating stereotypes (Richard Scarry, n.d.).

Photo retrieved from: Mrs. Little.com

            Scarry was incensed by these accusations. He created these characters with no intention of being chauvinist or racially insensitive, but was merely illustrating prevailing American culture. He didn’t mean to imply to children that women could not work outside the home or to demoralize the female gender. He worked with countless women in the publishing profession, including collaborating with his wife, Patsy, on several occasions. Patsy even supported the two of them for a while, so Scarry was well aware of the significance of women in the workplace (Little, 2013). According to Dallas DiLeo, head librarian of the Children’s Department at Carnegie Library in 2002 when he spoke about Richard Scarry at the Carnegie Science Center, “[Scarry] was showing a very 50’s type of life. The moms were in dresses, and the construction workers were always men. In the early 70’s people were stomping their feet and making a big to-do over this. Parents were saying, ‘How will we change the world if the lady cats are always in dresses?’” (Matthews, 2015). 

         Scarry’s goal had been to educate children with images of a society they could relate to and this backlash helped him recognized that in order to sell books, in order to reach his audience, in order to give children new and innovative ways in which to learn, he would have update his characters, their dress, their professions and their Busy World society. Women, ironically, were the primary caretakers of his intended audience and in order to keep them buying his books for their children, he would have to bend to their pressure. It wasn’t about the profit for Scarry; it was about the children. He once said that it is “‘a precious thing to be communicating to children, helping them discover the gift of language and thought. I’m happy to be doing it’” (Richard Scarry, 2010).

The Enduring Techniques of Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry developed a brand around his artwork and spent forty years expanding, detailing, exploring and developing adventures for the citizens of Busytown. Because the anthropomorphic characters resonated so deeply with young readers, Scarry did not vary much in his style, remaining instead constant, identifiable and relatable. 

Picture retrieved from: Thephoenixremix.wordpress.com

Picture retrieved from: Brwnpaperbag.com

Scarry was very methodical in his illustrative processes. The illustrations were not born out of text, but his minimal text evolved out of the pictures. To construct his illustrations, he used the “blue board” method. “Blue boards were layered artwork, not unlike animation cells, where the painting of colors was done on a background of illustration board with the line art on its own acetate layer on top of the background. The type was actually glued in place on another layer of acetate” (Mathieu, n.d.). Scarry would draw his pictures in pencil onto blue boards, then paint each color for each type of animal individually on separate sheets of acetate. All the reds for all the hippos, for example, were done before he would move onto to filling all the foxes with red. Since each color was on its own sheet of acetate, it makes sense that he would complete one color in its entirety, let it dry, then lay down another sheet of acetate to start the process for the next color. Given the amount of material on each spread and in each book, this orderly method of categorization likely helped Scarry ensure that not a single detail was overlooked.

Scarry was particular about the colors he used, preferring the “bright, simple palette of Winsor & Newton Designer Colors” (Richard Scarry, n.d). Because his intended audience was comprised of very young children developing foundational awareness, he had to carefully balance color and line. The colors, keep pure to help teach children color identification added detail and another method of association with each item depicted. The lines had to be definitive, providing high contrast, so that each item could be easily contextualized by readers. They can pick out items that are in their own homes, like a piggy bank or a tractor or a colander, and build a framework of the world around them.

Picture retrieved from: Brwnpaperbag.com

It is completely appropriate that Scarry used the word “busy” in many of his titles and even in the name of the town where his characters lived—“Busytown”. Each page is bursting with activity, animals, movement and text, “as crowded and inviting as someone else’s playroom” (Kastor, 1994). Scarry himself declared his dislike of white space in his illustrations (quite possibly a sign of the fast-paced nature of his mind), implying that every inch was a new opportunity for imagination. But almost of all his spreads do have white space and in fact, use it to help convey perspective, contrast, and change of scenery.

Scary’s illustrations of the characters and their adventures tell the stories that he wished to share—the stories that are hidden in his readers’ imaginations. A young bookstore clerk described the allure of Scarry’s books and illustrations in perfect succinctness. “What I liked about them was that there was so much going on, and there wasn’t a story I had to follow. I could look at the pictures and enjoy them” (Kastor, 1994).

Richard Scarry (Photo retrieved from Earlymoments.com)

Annotated Bibliography of Richard Scarry

For a full list of the 300+ books that Richard Scarry illustrated,

please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Scarry

I Am a Bunny

Risom, O. (2015). Richard Scarry's I am a bunny. New York, NY: A Golden Book.

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17.

Nicholas, a bunny clad in red overalls. In the spring, he picks flowers, and in the summer, watches the frogs in the pond. In the fall, he sees the animals getting ready for winter. And when winter comes, he watches the snow falling from the sky...then curls up in his hollow tree to dream about Spring. 

Richard Scarry’s Best Counting Book Ever

Scarry, R. (2012). Best counting book ever. New York, NY: Sterling Children's Books. 

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17.

When Willy's father suggests that he practice counting all the things he sees, he begins with ONE BUNNY (himself) and soon finds more numbers everywhere: TWO eggs on his daddy's plate, THREE wheels on a tricycle, a FOUR-wheeled wagon with apples for Willy and his friends to share. By the end of the day, Willy's gone all the way up to 100! Action-packed and featuring Scarry's always-appealing art, this really is the best counting book ever!

Richard Scarry’s Best Lowly Worm Book Ever!

Scarry, R. (2013). Richard Scarry’s Best Lowly Worm book ever! New York: Golden Book.

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17.

It's quite the busy day for Lowly Worm. Whether he is at school, on the farm, helping his friends, or zooming about in his apple car, Lowly always gives young readers plenty to see and discover. Learning new words, counting along, and finding their favorite characters in the illustrations, children will repeatedly pore over this newly discovered Richard Scarry gem, lovingly completed by his son, Huck Scarry.

Richard Scarry's Best Word Book    

Scarry, R. (1963). Richard Scarry's best word book ever. New York: Little Golden Books.

Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17.

Welcome to Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever! Featuring everything from an airport to a grocery store, this fun-filled book has hundreds of objects clearly labeled so that little readers can expand their vocabularies. In print for fifty years, this classic book has sold over 5 million copies around the world and brought billions of new words to little ones across the globe. Learning has never been more fun!

Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever

Scarry, R. (2014). Richard Scarry's best Mother Goose ever. New York: Golden Books, an imprint of Random House. 

Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17.

Richard Scarry introduces toddlers to the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose! Featuring his unmistakable art (now restored to its original glory) and fifty of Mother Goose's most beloved rhymes, Scarry's timeless collection, now celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, is a must-have for readers of all ages.

Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever

Scarry, R. (1968). Richard Scarry's best storybook ever. New York, NY: Golden Press. 

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17.

From the cheery sun on the first page, to the sleepy moon on the last, and throughout all 290 pages in between, there are stories, rhymes and fun with the one-and-only Richard Scarry. Classic tales, alphabet and counting stories, lots of new words and concepts, and visits around town, to the airport, and across the world make this essential book that will captivate even the most restless child.

Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go

Scarry, R. (1974). Richard Scarry’s cars and trucks and things that go. New York, NY: A Golden Book. 

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17. 

The station wagon, the tow truck, the garbage truck and the bulldozer. Every manner of machinery that moves is riotously depicted in this classic favorite. As the pig family head to the beach for a picnic, they encounter every vehicle known, from the forklift to the locomotive, and many vehicles that are not as common, from the pumpkin car to the broom-o-cycle. Each detailed spread provides tremendous opportunity to make up stories and describe situations. Will Officer Flossy catch Dingo? Will Rollo Rabbit catch his runaway steamroller? And with literally hundreds of things to look at, youngsters will spend hours trying to find Goldbug on every page. 

 

Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day?

Scarry, R. (1968). Richard Scarry’s what do people do all day? New York, NY: Random House. 

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17.  

An illustrated panorama of the animals of Busytown at work, describing the occupations and activities of many of her citizens through detailed drawings with labels indicating processes and equipment used as they perform their jobs.

Paul O. Zelinsky: Boy Artist to Professional Illustrator

Paul O. Zelinsky (Photo retreieved from Amazon.com)

Zelinsky was born into a progressive household in 1953. His father, a math professor at Northwestern University, and his mother, a medical illustrator, were avid proponents of education, art, and literacy. His upbringing was, in many ways, ideal. Their two incomes allowed them to purchase ample art supplies and books, enjoy a membership to the Art Institute of Chicago, and even travel internationally. They were able to send Paul to an Ivy League college and then support him as he earned his Master’s in Fine Arts. 

But financial comfort was secondary to the on-going cognitive and emotional developmental support he received from his mother. She read to him often, his favorites becoming Little Golden Books and Margaret Wise Brown. She encouraged him to sit with her as she worked, giving him his own art supplies. Despite the scientific nature of both his parents’ professions, creativity was critical in their household and Zelinsky had ample opportunity to bring his imagination to paper.

As members of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Zelinsky family made regular visits to explore the world of art “where [Paul]… bonded with the collections” (Peck, p. 571). In 1956, the family’s perspectives, both in life and in art, broadened when the family spent a year in Japan. They adored the culture, bringing home new traditions, new clothing and new artwork to display. This cultural experience, with its distinctive methods, themes and styles, all so different from American standards, may well have presented young Paul with a new foundation from which to view the world.

The value of art never diminished to Paul and upon graduation from high school, he attended the art program at Yale College. He adored not only the art classes, but science courses as well. Zelinsky said in a 1999 interview, “I’ve always been interested in how things work and curious, too, about why things look the way they do. That may be related to my style veering around so much” (Peck, 1999, p. 571). The pivotal class that convinced Zelinsky to major in art, however, was History of the Picture Book taught by the famed Maurice Sendak. It provided “an enlarged understanding about what children’s books could be” (Evans, 2008, p. 45) and Zelinsky was hooked. He chose art over science, but continued to explore scientific means in creation of art as well as thoroughly researching his subjects in order to build solid foundations of realism and context. 

His format art education gave Zelinsky the opportunity to travel internationally once again, this time to Italy. He spent a year studying the masters, the light and the culture, all of which would, 25 years later, inspire him during his creation of his award-winning artwork in Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Gretel.

Image retrieved from Amazon.com

After graduation and a brief stint as an art teacher, Zelinsky launched his career as an illustrator with the powerful images he created for How I Hunted the Little Fellows by Boris Zhitkov in 1979. This story “showcase[d] his ability to create a sense of time, place, and character”, thereby giving Zelinsky the credibility in the world of children’s book publishing (Evans, 2008, p. 47). He went on to illustrate 36 books, always giving them distinctive style, always allowing the book to speak to him instead of his demanding his way with it. His passion, his verve, his dedication and his undeniable talent allowed him to eventually start writing his own books, a process that requires so much of the creator, but gives so much back in return. 

In countless interviews, Zelinsky has identified two specific items that spurred his artistic imagination. As an older child, it was John Tenniel’s illustrations in Alice in Wonderland that opened Zelinsky’s eyes to new ideas. “The mystery, fantasy, and magical use of scale all stirred his imagination and left their marks on his mind’s eye” (Evans, 2008, p. 45). But even before he discovered Alice in Wonderland, Zelinsky was captivated by a picture of Hansel and Gretel that his great-grandmother had painted. It was from that picture that Zelinsky first recognized the feelings that emanate from art and he grew up hoping “to tap into the feelings his great-grandmother’s picture had stirred in him” (Evans, 2008, p. 50). It was this painting that led him to one of his strongest artistic philosophies: that “childhood feelings are a powerful impetus to create work” (Peck, 1999, p. 573).

Photo retrieved from Zelinsky's Facebook page

Zelinsky's Artistic Techniques

           Zelinsky not only had the opportunity to see art in its countless forms at the Art Institute of Chicago, but to also develop a personal understanding through his experiences in Japan and Italy, he had an innate sense of the unending possibilities of art. Combined with his interest in how things are engineered, he is able to see new possibilities in everything he creates. His supportive family gave him the confidence to explore, to test, to experiment both in art and in life, and as a result, he is not afraid to branch out into the unexpected. He truly believes that his art should reflect the story it illustrates, providing depth and humor and pathos. If that means finding an innovative method or recreating old-world methods, he is more than willing to jump in and learn how to make it happen. “His great technical skill enables him to experiment with a wide range of styles and media” (Evans, 2008, p. 48). Swamp Angel, for example, was painted on wood veneer, so thin that it was more paper than wood. Even the kind of wood used was significant to Zelinsky. It had to be wood that could be found in the Tennessee mountains, since the Swamp Angel is a Tennessee woodswoman. He ultimately ended up using cherry, maple, and birth veneers. The sequel, Dust Devil, was similarly painted on wood veneer, but this time on cedar and aspen, trees found in the northwest, the story’s setting (Children’s, n.d.).

From top left: Rumpelstiltskin, The Wheels on the Bus, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Z is for Moose, The Shivers in the Fridge

He “likes the challenge of trying a different technique for each book and works with a variety of media, including pastels, watercolors, pen and ink, colored pencils and oil paints” (Schroder, 2008, p. 14). Ever a fluid artist, though, Zelinsky has also embraced digital illustration. “Z is for Moose”, for example, was drawn in pencil, but he used “digital stuff” for the background and to add decorations on flat things” (KidLitTV, 2015). 

Two Minute Take

Paul Zelinsky at the Skokie Public Library

Video retrieved from Youtube.com on 5/8/17

Moveable books, those with interactive elements like pull tabs, wheels and flaps, have also made their way into Zelinsky’s repertoire of artistic creation. His first moveable book, Wheels on the Bus, met with undeniable success when it came to market in 1999. Its creation was just as much as success as its sale, though. It required an entirely different technique than Zelinsky generally used, requiring him to paint the artwork “in many pieces, small and large, so that they could be printed and cut out for assembly.” With typical Zelinsky dedication, finalization of the art did not signal the end of the project. He followed the book to China to oversee production and “ensure that the colors on each part were correct and fit together” (Shroder, 2008, p. 17).

Zelinsky doesn’t just accept a story to illustrate, he adopts it. He gets to know it intimately, absorbing the text to make sure it “is absolutely right for him” (Evans, 2008, p. 49). “When I read a story to illustrate it, I want to capture the feelings… and figure out how to make pictures that support and intensify them,” Zelinsky said. (Silvey, 2002, p. 493). He considers taste and smell and light and textures and sound, looking for a blend that will resonate with his viewers, evoke memories, form a holistic sense of not just looking at an illustration, but becoming a part of it. Bringing that sense of inclusion to graphic form is a lengthy process. Zelinsky starts the process by sketching rough thumbnails, loosely determining how he can support the story’s “pacing, rhythm, and emotional impact” (Schroder, 2008, p. 15). He recognizes that those first images are often a very long way off from final illustrations. Personal satisfaction with his work requires copious research, searching for the style that fits exactly right. With books like Rapunzel or Wheels on the Bus or How I Hunted the Little Fellows, although created via different techniques, all use line, composition, and texture to convey a sense of realism, to create a world the reader can easily imagine themselves a part of. Shivers in the Fridge, on the other hand, is described by Zelinsky as “round, smooth, loose and crazy and nuts” (KidLitTV, 2015). This style conveys humor, fantasy and imagination instead of carefully planned realism. 

Zelinsky’s artwork isn’t just a profession. It is his passion. He is, in his own words, “emotionally, pathologically attached to his books” (KidLitTV, 2015). His awards confirm his talents. His readers confirm his passion. 

 Video retrieved from YouTube

Annotated Bibliography of Paul O. Zelinsky

For a full list of the 36 books that Paul Zelinsky

has illustrated and/or authored,

please visit http://www.paulozelinsky.com/list.html

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: Harper Trophy.

 Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17

After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever.

“Newbery Medal, Christopher Medal, et al. Illustrations in pen and ink” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Hansel and Gretel

Lesser, R., & Zelinsky, P. O. (1999). Hansel and Gretel. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Image credit: Amazon.com

Hansel and Gretel’s parents could not afford to feed them, so they abandoned the children deep inside the forest. After wandering for days, the children came upon a shack made of bread and sugar and treats. Its kindly owner invited them in for a meal and a bed, but the next morning, she showed her true colors. She caged Hansel and forced Gretel into hard labor. She spent weeks trying to fatten Hansel so that she could eat him up, but on the morning she planned to cook him, Gretel tricked the old woman and pushed her into the oven to perish. The house turned into jewels and the children filled their pockets before running home and living happily ever after.

“A 1985 Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, SLJ Best Book, Bratislava Biennale selection. Illustrations in oil and watercolor on paper” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Rumpelstiltskin

Zelinsky, P. O. (1996). Rumpelstiltskin: From the German of the Brothers Grimm. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

A scared young woman agrees to give up her firstborn in exchange for help from a tricky goblin-like creature. But when he comes to collect the baby, she begs for mercy. He obliges, giving her three days to guess his name. If she guesses correctly, she can keep her child. As time dwindles and she doesn’t guess correctly, she sends her maid into the woods to find the goblin and discover his name. She stumbles upon him, hears him say his name, and runs back to share the news. When the goblin returns to hear the woman’s final guess, he is horrified that she guesses correctly that his name is Rumpelstiltskin! He flies away in fury and the woman, now a Queen, and her child, live happily ever after. 

“A 1987 Caldecott Honor Book, Redbook Award, Society of Illustrators and AIGA Certificates of Merit, Bratislava Biennale Selection, ALA Notable Book, SLJ Best Book, Parents' Choice Award, Book-of-the-Month Club selection, White Raven Book selection of the International Youth Library. One of the New York Public Library's "100 Great Children's Books/100 Years" (2013). SRA iconographic video. Illustrations in oil on paper” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Rapunzel

Zelinsky, P. O. (2002). Rapunzel. New York: Dutton.

Image credit: Amazon.com

When a man is caught stealing some rapunzel weed for his pregnant wife, he is forced to give his newborn child to the rapunzel’s owner—a wicked witch. The witch hides the girl in a tower and after many years pass, a prince discovers the lonely young woman, using her hair to climb up to her. Secretly, they fall in love, marry and become pregnant. When the witch find discovers their secret, she sends the young woman far away, where the prince can never find her. True love triumphs over evil, however. The prince finds his beautiful bride and infant twins and they live happily ever after.

“1998 Caldecott Medal winner, 1998 Carl Sandburg Award, Texas Bluebonnet Award et al. Weston Woods iconographic video. Illustrations in oil on paper” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Swamp Angel

Isaacs, A., & Zelinsky, P. O. (2000). Swamp Angel. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17. 

Swamp Angel can lasso a tornado, and drink an entire lake dry. She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky's stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor of this original tall tale set on the American frontier.

“A 1995 Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, SLJ Best Book, Book-of-the-Month-Club selection, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award, CLA's Phoenix Picture Book honor, 2014. Weston Woods iconographic video. Illustrations in oil on wood veneer” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

The Shivers in the Fridge

Manushkin, F., & Zelinsky, P. O. (2006). The Shivers in the fridge. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

 Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17. 

Little, flat Sonny Shivers and his family only know it's cold and dark where they live, and whenever the earth quakes, a monstrous hand, reaching forth in a great flash of light, snatches away part of their landscape —Buttery Cliffs, towering Mt. Ketchup . . . and with the landscape goes his family, one by one, until only Sonny is left to face the monsters. Who are they? What and where is the Shivers family? Children will delight in puzzling it all out before the Shivers do.

“A Junior Library Guild selection, Booklist Editors' Choice for 2006, Kirkus "Best Books of 2006," New York Public Library's 100 titles for 2006. Illustrations in watercolor and inkjet printout” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

The Wheels on the Bus

Zelinsky, P. O. (1990). The wheels on the bus. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Image credit: Amazon.com

The Wheels on the Bus is adapted from the much beloved children’s song of the same title. As a mechanical book, it includes flaps, wheels and tabs to activate the wheels, the bus, the babies, the wipers, and so many more engaging details throughout the song. 

“A Book-of-the-Month Club selection, Bratislava Biennale selection, Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award, ALA Notable Book, Redbook Award. Weston Woods animated video. Illustrations in oil on paper” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Z is for Moose 

Bingham, K. L., & Zelinsky, P. O. (2012). Z is for Moose. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.  

Annotation and image retrieved from Amazon.com on 5/7/17.

Zebra thinks the alphabet should be simple. A is for Apple. B is for Ball. Easy! But his friend Moose is too excited to wait his turn, and when M isn't for Moose (Mouse gets the honor), the rest of the letters better run for cover.

“Illustrations in watercolor and inkjet printout 2013 E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book. A Best Children's Book of the Year from Bank Street. Six starred reviews” (Zelinsky, n.d.).

Zoo Doings

Prelutsky, J., & Zelinsky, P. O. (2000). Zoo doings: Animal poems. New York, NY: Trumpet Club.

Annotation and image retrieved from Goodreads.com on 5/7/17

 

Make way for a zany zoo-full of wonderful poems saluting the animal kingdom, composed by a reigning children's poet, Jack Prelutsky. Readers familiar with Prelutsky's staggeringly vast body of work know that he can always be counted on for clever nonsense poems that are guaranteed to elicit giggles. His track record remains unbeatable with this wacky collection of animal odes… These playfully preposterous rhymes are illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, winner of the 1998 Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel. The delightful line drawings that scamper across the pages bring creatures such as the huge hippopotamus, the gallivanting gecko, and the speedy cheetah to rib-tickling life. Kids will love parading through these poems, and adults will get a kick out of playing along too.