Marisabina Russo
Encyclopedia
Marisabina Russo is a children's book
author and illustrator. She has written and illustrated over twenty books for children and young adults. Her most notable books include The Line Up Book (winner of the IRA Children’s Book Award) and Always Remember Me (an ALA Notable Book).
She was born in New York, New York and graduated from Mount Holyoke College
with BA in Studio Art in 1971. She began her career as a freelance illustrator. Her work appeared frequently in The New Yorker
and included several covers. She then went on to illustrate a book of poetry
for children, Vacation Time by Nikki Giovanni
. She started publishing her own stories with Greenwillow Books in 1986.
Russo’s books come from her own childhood memories and her experiences as a mother. Her illustrations, painted in gouache
, are colorful and two-dimensional, reminiscent of folk art
. More recently, Ms. Russo has written young adult novels.
Her books have also been translated into Korean
and Japanese
. She has published with Greenwillow Books, Simon & Schuster
, Random House
and Harcourt, Brace
.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
author and illustrator. She has written and illustrated over twenty books for children and young adults. Her most notable books include The Line Up Book (winner of the IRA Children’s Book Award) and Always Remember Me (an ALA Notable Book).
She was born in New York, New York and graduated from Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
with BA in Studio Art in 1971. She began her career as a freelance illustrator. Her work appeared frequently in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and included several covers. She then went on to illustrate a book of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
for children, Vacation Time by Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni
Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Her primary focus is on the individual and the power one has to make a difference in oneself and in the lives of others. Giovanni’s poetry expresses strong racial pride, respect for family, and her...
. She started publishing her own stories with Greenwillow Books in 1986.
Russo’s books come from her own childhood memories and her experiences as a mother. Her illustrations, painted in gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
, are colorful and two-dimensional, reminiscent of folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
. More recently, Ms. Russo has written young adult novels.
Her books have also been translated into Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. She has published with Greenwillow Books, Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
and Harcourt, Brace
Harcourt Trade Publishers
Harcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
.