Jerry Pinkney
By: Lindsey Petersen and Jessica Gravert
Biography:
Jerry Pinkney is an American illustrator and writer of
children’s books. Jerry was born December 22, 1939. He has been illustrating
books since 1964. He began drawing at the age of four. Pinkney met cartoonist
John Liney who encouraged him to draw and exposed him to making a living from
drawing. Pinkney focused on commercial art at the Dobbins Vocational School as
a teen, and was given a full-ride scholarship to the Philadelphia College of
Art. He later moved to Boston where he worked at a greeting card company and
went on to open Kaleidoscope Studio with two other artists, and then later
opened his own studio (Jerry Pinkney Studio). Pinkney has always been
interested in diversity and celebrating multicultural and African-American
themes. He currently lives in New York and has been an art professor at the
University of Delaware, Pratt Institute, and State University of New York. He
has continued to give workshops and be a guest speaker at universities and art
schools across the country.
Books he's written and illustrated:
Books he has written:
- Puss in Boots
- The Three Little Kittens
- Noah's Ark
- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Little Red Hen
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Jane Taylor
- The Moon Over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston
- Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi
- The Old African by Julius Lester
- The Lion and the Mouse
Quotes from the author:
Jerry Pinkney really enjoys writing and illustrating children's books. He said:
"I wanted to show that an African-American artist could make it in this country on a national level in the graphic arts. I want to be a strong role model for my family and for other African Americans."
Awards:
- Pinkney was a 2010 Caldecott Medal award winner in the United States for his picture book illustration, The Lion and the Mouse.
- He has five Caldecott honors.
- Jerry Pinkney has five Coretta Scott King Awards.
- He has earned four New York Times Best Illustrated Awards.
- Pinkney has four gold and four silver medals from the Society of Illustrators.
- He was given the Boston Globe-Horn Book award which began with John Henry in 1994.
- He earned the Virginia Hamilton Literacy award from Kent State University.
- In 2004, Jerry Pinkney won the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for outstanding contributions in the field of children's literature.
- Pinkney has also won the Regina Medal
Book Summaries:
Three Little Kittens (2010)
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Summary: Jerry Pinkney took this English language nursery rhyme, probably
with roots in the British folk tradition, and recreated it with his energy driven
illustrations. The rhyme tells of three kittens who first lose, then find and soil, their
mittens that their mother made for them. When all their mittens are finally found,
fixed and cleaned, the kittens receive their mother's approval and some pie.
Personal Response: I have always enjoyed this nursery rhyme when I was a young
girl. I believe that his illustrations really capture the rhyme and bring it to life.
His illustrations considering the kittens really show their facial expressions and
movement which causes the rhyme to be more stirring and moving.
Little Red Riding Hood (2007)
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Summary: Jerry Pinkney reintroduced the sly and scary wolf and the sweet little
girl. The story revolves around a girl called Little Red Riding Hood. The girl walks
through the woods to deliver food to her sickly grandmother when she meets a
scary wolf on the way that taunts her. After getting rid of the wolf, she finally arrives
to her grandmother’s home, he met her in her bedroom. When she met her in the
bedroom, she noticed that it was not her grandmother. She was threatened to be
eaten, and then the wolf sprang up and ate her whole. After eating her, the wolf
takes a nap and wakes up to a woodcutter. The woodcutter cuts the wolf in order
for Red Riding Hood to come out safely and on her way home. This story has been
recreated by many others.
Personal Response: This version of the popular story was exciting because the
illustrations really helped perceive the story. This version also has an African
American young girl as Red Riding Hood, which brings out multiculturalism using
illustrations. It was a simple twist to the popular story that made it more interesting,
and could be a good choice to use in a classroom to show diversity.
Noah's Ark (2002)
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Summary: Like many authors, Jerry Pinkney wanted to make his own version of Noah's Ark that he could write and illustrate. He was drawn to the biblical story and the universal flood because of its epic scope. The beauty and power of nature inspired him to write this book. He was also fascinated by second chances that humans get. In the beginning of the story, God is unhappy with all of the evil in the world so he decides that he is going to wipe out all of human kind and start over, except for Noah and his family. God loved Noah so much that he told him to build an ark and gather his family as well as two of every kind of animal and put them on the ark where they would be safe. Noah did as he was told and prepared to stay on the ark for forty days and forty nights. After the storm Noah releases a dove to find new land. The dove comes back with an olive branch so Noah knew there was dry land to begin life again.
Personal response: I have always loved the story of Noah's Ark and Jerry Pinkney's version is not one I had read yet so I was very excited to. It was very similar to other versions I had read which was nice because it is keeping such this wonderful story true to it's roots. I enjoyed looking at Pinkney's illustrations because they were so detailed and the colors made them appear to be set back in time. This book would be difficult to use in a classroom because religion is such a touchy topic, but it is definitely one I would use in a Sunday school classroom.
The Little Red Hen (2006)
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Summary: This book demonstrates the importance of helping others if you want something in return. The little red hen asked the other farm animals for help planting the wheat seeds, threshing the wheat, taking the grain to the miller, and baking the bread. None of the animals wanted to help her, even though they were able to contribute in many different ways. After the little red hen baked the bread, she kind of teased the other farm animals and asked them who wanted to help her eat the bread with the jam. Of course all of the animals wanted to help with that. However, the little red hen wasn't going to let them have any because they didn't help with any of the preparations. In the end, she shared the freshly baked bread and the jam with the other chicks who did help.
Personal response: After reading this book, I decided that it would be a great one to incorporate in the classroom. I liked the lesson behind it. Especially for elementary students, I think that it is important for them to realize how important it is to help others. Student's should understand that it's important to help even if they aren't getting a materialistic reward. This book will help students realize that if they want help in the future, it is important to show others that they care.
Jerry Pinkney discusses The Lion and The Mouse
Resources:
http://syossetkids.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pinkney
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