Side by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go to Work

Gr 3 Up-In this fascinating look at the collaborative process involved in creating picture books, Marcus examines how and why five different teams work together. In each case, he focuses on one book but shares plenty of information about the careers of the writers and artists. These collaborative experiences vary a great deal. For example, Jerry Pinkney and Julius Lester produced several books together before Sam and the Tigers, but that title truly joined them as collaborators, while Alice and the late Martin Provensen worked so closely that it is hard to tell who contributed what. Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen were brought together by an editor who thought they would be perfect for The Magic School Bus. The chapter on Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith devotes equal time to Molly Leach, the designer of The Stinky Cheese Man and several of their other books. Illustrations include thumbnail sketches, manuscript notes, dummy pages, and finished pages. Humorous anecdotes and personal comments make the figures come alive. Richard Egielski, who teams with Arthur Yorinks, vividly relates how he was unable to find a picture of a salmon for Louis the Fish and wound up peeling a label from a grocery-store can. Many of the titles described will be familiar to readers. However, even those who have not seen some of the featured books will be engaged by the creativity and cooperation exhibited here.

Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Marcus (A Caldecott Celebration; Author Talk) describes the creative collaborations of five author-artist teams whose processes prove as varied as their books. Though, for most projects, author and illustrator never meet, Marcus focuses on collaborators who "prefer or need to be in the thick of a freewheeling give-and-take with their partners." For each collaboration, he zooms in on one book in particular, and the pairs range from Arthur Yorinks and Richard Egielski, who struggled early on to get the attention of a publisher and broke through with their second book, Louis the Fish, to the fluid work style of husband-and-wife team Alice and Martin Provensen (using the Caldecott Medal-winning The Glorious Flight as the central example) who for 40 years shared both the writing and illustrating; in Alice Provensen's words, "Martin and I really were one artist." Although Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney had worked together for years, a more complicated, intensive discussion was required for Sam and the Tigers, a retelling of the racially stereotyped Little Black Sambo. Early thumbnail sketches, snapshots of dummies and finished artwork help capture the evolving process. Readers snared by their interest in the teams behind favorites such as the Magic School Bus series and The Stinky Cheese Man will appreciate the insights into the inner workings of bookmaking, and may well end up appreciating the books more for the energy and ingenuity it takes to create them. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

*Starred Review* Gr. 4-7. This inviting volume introduces five sets of collaborators in the field of picture books: Arthur Yorinks and Richard Egielski, Alice and Martin Provensen, Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney, Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, and Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, and Molly Leach. Each chapter discusses how the writer and artist (and in Leach's case, designer) got together, and highlights their collaboration during various projects, as well as providing a wealth of interesting details about these creative individuals and their books. The clearly reproduced illustrations, many in color, include photographs, sketches for book illustrations, and finished art. Each chapter ends with a bibliography of books created by the team. A glossary includes entries such as "coming-of-age story," "Kafka, Franz," and "parody [also, spoof]." Clearly, Marcus isn't talking down to his audience. He's just telling interesting stories and making them accessible to young people. Teachers and librarians who want to promote collaboration in the classroom or just share their enthusiasm for the creative process and those who practice it will find plenty of good material in this well-written and beautifully designed book. Carolyn Phelan
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