Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Families Make Their Mark [Hardcover]

Leonard S. Marcus (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Our families help shape who we are--what we look like, what we like to eat, even what our strengths and abilities are. So when a parent is a renowned children's book author or illustrator, creative ability may be part of an amazing legacy. 
           
Leonard S. Marcus introduces readers to five best-selling and award-winning families with talent that spans the generations. By opening up these family albums--sharing personal memories, scrapbooks, book dummies, model shots, and final art, Marcus chronicles the way books come into being, the way artists are nurtured and grown, and the way where we come from influences who and what we become. 
  
Includes in depth interviews and extensive histories of five famous multi-generational families of children's book creators:
Jerry Pinkney and his son Brian Pinkney

Anne and Harlow Rockwell and their daughter Lizzy

Donald Crews and Ann Jonas, and their daughter Nina Crews

Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher Myers

Edith and Clement Hurd and their son Thacher Hurd

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up—Marcus presents the events and circumstances that have resulted in five picture-book dynasties. Each chapter includes biographical information about the subjects that zeroes in on the salient pieces that nurtured artistic growth and includes numerous quotes from the authors/illustrators themselves. The featured families are Donald Crews, Ann Jonas, and Nina Crews; Clement and Edith Hurd and Thacher Hurd; Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers; Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney; and Harlow and Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell. Marcus carefully makes the point that, although perhaps blessed with some inherited talent and encouraged by their parents, all of the children pursued their art with diligence and have emerged with their own unique styles. Marcus's writing is, as usual, tight but lively, and each chapter is liberally laced with photographs, preliminary sketches, and final art. The book will be of interest to those readers who enjoy getting behind the scenes of the books they love.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Similar in format to Marcus' previous books on picture-book creators, includingSide by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go to Work (2001), this handsome book looks at five picture-book dynasties. Each chapter spotlights creators in a multigenerational family: Donald Crews, Ann Jonas, and Nina Crews; Clement Hurd, Edith Thacher Hurd, and Thacher Hurd; Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers; Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney; Harlow Rockwell, Anne Rockwell, and Lizzy Rockwell. Marcus quotes extensively from interviews with each living subject and weaves the personal statements into a coherent presentation to show how each person developed creatively. Illustrations include family photos and artwork, beautifully reproduced in color on heavy, glossy pages. This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens; First Edition edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802796001
• ISBN-13: 978-0802796004
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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