Children's Book Illustration and Design. This item is unavailable.Children's Book Illustration and Design

Examines the works of over fifty artists, looking at the styles and techniques of art used in children's literature, and provides a biographical sketch of each artist

This visual feast follows the successful pattern established in the first volume: a sidebar with a photo and biographical sketch of the illustrator introduces carefully labeled, high-quality reproductions of children's book art with quotations from the artist. There are, however, many improvements over the earlier title. Because of the sophisticated new page design, the organization is better and more visually appealing. In volume one, entries ran to three pages, frequently leaving different artists on facing pages. This book usually employs two double-page spreads, providing more generous coverage. Cummins has selected more than 50 artists that go beyond the first volume's "notables" and introduces many up-and-coming illustrators (e.g., Mark Buehner, Yumi Heo, Dan Yaccarino) along with established artists not previously included (e.g., Victoria Chess, Leo and Diane Dillon, Ted Lewin). In addition to author/illustrator and title indexes, a segment for publishers has been added. Because of increased interest in children's book illustration and visual literacy, most public libraries should consider adding these volumes to their collections. Academic collections will find them essential because they document the contemporary scene and anticipate the future.ASue Burgess, Framingham State College, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The sumptuous color reproductions, boldly colored sidebars, and attractive design combine to invite readers to browse this lovely book. A follow-up to volume 1, published in 1992, it introduces a sampling of the work of 56 additional picture-book artists. As in the previous volume, each of the alphabetically arranged entries includes a thumbnail biography, a black-and-white photo, a quote from the artist, and an illustration from a picture book (sometimes work from several books is used), which is briefly described and identified by title, author, publisher, and medium. Cummins' introduction gives some sense of her criteria for selection of the artists ("chosen for their unique style, level of creativity, and recognition by professionals in the children's book field") but is not clear about how or why individual works were selected. Still, as a sweeping pictorial introduction to art in contemporary children's publishing, this is a pleasure. Stephanie Zvirin