CSLF Recognizes Children’s Book Illustrators

This month CSLF is recognizing the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books Brian Selznick. Brian grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and is the oldest of three children. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1988 he got his start in children’s books at Eeyore’s Books for Children an independent bookseller on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. This is where he learned all about books and put his artistic talents to use painting and designing window displays for the holidays and book events. He currently divides his time between San Diego, California, and Brooklyn, New York.

Selznick is the author and illustrator of genre-defying books such as The Caldecott Medal Winner The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, The Marvels, and Kaleidoscope. Hugo was the first Caldecott Medal awarded for a long book at 533 pages with 284 pictures. His books are a marriage of words and images, a combination of novel, and picture book, with elements of graphic novels mixed in, where the illustrations tell as much of the story as the text. Among his illustrations of many books for children, including Frindle and Lunch Money by Andrew Clements, the Doll People Trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Goodwin, Caldecott Honor Book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, and when Marian Sang and Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan. See Teaching Books for more information on Brian’s books, including videos and resources.

You can find Brian Selznick’s Banner illustration on several different products at the Library Advocacy Store. A percentage of the cost is donated to the California School Library Foundation. His latest book Big Tree comes out in early April and is inspired by an idea from Steven Spielberg.

Renée Ousley-Swank
School Library Technology Consultant
California Department of Education
California School Library Foundation Board Member