Caldecott Award to Jerry Pinkney

Congratulations to author Jerry Pinkney for receiving the Randolph Caldecott award for The Lion and The Mouse! In an Associated Press article today by Hellel Italie she provides quotes from him and notes other authors who won the top prizes in children's literature. I fell in love with The Lion and The Mouse when I received it for review in September 09. The wordless adaptation of the famous Aesop's Fable has beautiful watercolor illustrations and is sure to become a classic. While Pinkney has won many national awards for his 75 books during his 40 year career, this is his first Caldecott award. He has been a runner-up five times.

Congratulations to all the authors who received prizes today in children's and young adult literature! A complete list of all the winners can be found on the American Library Association web page.

Review: The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Sometimes
even the king
needs help...
and little friends
may prove to
be great friends.

This is a wordless adaptation of a famous Aesop's Fable by the award winning artist Jerry Pinkney. Although it's a children's book the amazing watercolor illustrations will be appreciated by everyone. I was entranced by the detail and the beauty of each painting. Every page is entirely covered with artwork that represent this story of an unlikely pair who share acts of kindness.

I loved this book and will be sharing it with the little (and not so little) members of my family. I haven't had my own paintbrushes out in a long time but this has inspired me to dust them off and get back to work. I've included a few pages below so you can taste a morsel of this delicous and decadent dessert!


Although Jerry Pinkney suffered from undiagnosed Dyslexia he coped very well, graduating with honors and receiving a complete scholarship to Philadelphia Museum College of Art. His artwork allowed him to focus and bolstered his self-esteem from an early age. He is an award winning artist and had illustrated more than 75 books over 40 years. Since first winning a Gold Medal from The Art Director's Club in Boston in 1964, through The Coretta Scott King Honor Award from the American Library Association in 2009, he has won approximately 103 national awards.

"My dyslexia always made me envious of people as they talked about a book being a great read, while it was difficult for me just to finish a novel. I decided to look for projects that put a fine point on the importance of staying focused. If the goal was to illustrate the book, then visually interpreting the author’s words was my carrot. Though I read slowly, I can hold on to great amounts of detail and this made me quite suitable for illustrating full novels, like James Michener’s The Covenant, a whopping 1000 pages!"

"For the young person who is struggling in school, never forget there are many different ways to learn. Be curious. Do not be afraid to try. Do not be disappointed when making mistakes. You will discover your own unique way of understanding the things being taught. Learn from mistakes. Everything that happens to you will frame who you are, and who you will become. Your path to success will follow." - Jerry Pinkster from website

Thank you to Hatchette Books for a copy to review!
author's website
publisher's website

Publisher: Little Brown
Release date: 9/1/09
Pages: 40
Price/format: $16.99/hardcover
Type: Juvenile fiction, picture book