Ways of Telling: Fourteen Interviews With Masters of the Art of the Pict: Fourteen Interviews With the Masters of the Art of the Picture Book [Hardcover]

Leonard M. Marcus (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Award-winning author, critic, and scholar of children's books Leonard S. Marcus is unmatched in his skill as an interviewer of children's-book makers. In these fourteen encounters with landmark creators of picture books-Mitsumasa Anno, Ashley Bryan, Eric Carle, Tana Hoban, Karla Kuskin, James Marshall, Robert McCloskey, Iona Opie, Helen Oxenbury, Jerry Pinkney, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Rosemary Wells, and Charlotte Zolotow-Marcus's expertise elicits the formative experiences, the insights, the full weight of life lived in and out of art that shape the work of each. Full of humor, candor, and personal voice, this remarkable book delves into the creative process, the nature of childhood, and bookmaking in the culture of our times. It will be cherished by lovers of children's literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

William Steig, Maurice Sendak, Karla Kuskin, Rosemary Wells, Mitsumasa Anno, Jerry Pinkney and others 14 in all discuss their work in Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book by Leonard S. Marcus. This engaging volume offers insight into the creative process of each author and illustrator as well as the social and political contexts from which their work emerged. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

"A picture book is a dialogue between two worlds: the world of images and the world of words," says the author in his introduction to this remarkable glimpse into the work of 14 creative people. The dialogue is also between the adult artist and/or writer and the child audience, and Marcus illuminates the art form through his own dialogues with picture-book creators. In conversations that took place from 1988 to 1999, he draws out stories that will fascinate anyone who appreciates the impact of a successful picture book. Readers learn about early influences on the artists that affected their later work, as well as childhood memories and family interactions. We hear in the words of Maurice Sendak, Robert McCloskey, and James Marshall how they perceived the picture book as a theatrical piece, a stage on which action unfolds. We learn of connections they make to earlier artists, of Eric Carle's homage to the brilliance of Margaret Wise Brown and the help he received from Leo Lionni. It is obvious that Marcus carefully prepared for each conversation and extensively studied each body of work to elicit provocative insights. From Mitsumasa Anno to Charlotte Zolotow, readers will find compelling stories to fascinate anyone who studies, uses, loves, or is puzzled by some of the most compelling picture books of the last half century. Ways of Telling is a highly readable, often humorous, and intensely rewarding book for novices and seasoned professionals alike.
Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1 edition (August 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525464905
• ISBN-13: 978-0525464907
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it., July 5, 2011

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G MAC - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ways of Telling: Fourteen Interviews With Masters of the Art of the Pict: Fourteen Interviews With the Masters of the Art of the Picture Book (Hardcover)

I learned so much about so many different writers and their origin, influences, styles, inspirations from the authors themselves. They all were in the business a long time and have much to share.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Title for the Personal or Professonal Bookshelf, January 17, 2009

By 

Jack Straw (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ways of Telling: Fourteen Interviews With Masters of the Art of the Pict: Fourteen Interviews With the Masters of the Art of the Picture Book (Hardcover)

A title by Leonard Marcus is virtually always a delight for those fortunates involved in the world of children's books. "Ways of Telling" is not an exception.