Paul O. Zelinsky
Encyclopedia
Paul O. Zelinsky is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal
in 1998 for his Rapunzel
. The best-selling movable book
The Wheels on the Bus is his most popular work.
. During his childhood years, he spent much of his time drawing. Often with his friends he would make up imaginary worlds and draw them. When he was only four, he submitted work to Highlights magazine, and his artwork was first showcased. Some of his influential childhood book favorites included The Color Kittens and The Tawny Scrawny Lion. Zelinsky said in reference to memories of what he had read, "Feelings come to me as a sort of flavor. I know that when I call up my earliest memories, what I remember seeing and hearing is accompanied by a flavor-like sense of what it felt like to be there and see that.” In later years of his youth, his favorite authors were William Pène du Bois
and Robert Lawson
. He especially loved the books The Twenty-One Balloons and The Fantastic Flight.
, Paul Zelinsky was interested in natural history as well as architecture and saw himself following one of those paths for a career. However, he went to study at Yale
. He took a class taught by Maurice Sendak
on the history and art of children's books, and it inspired him to a career in the area. Zelinsky went to graduate school at the Tyler School of Art
in Philadelphia and Rome. The Renaissance and Italian art always fascinated him, and this time in his life influenced this love as well. His career in children's books began in 1978 with the illustrations for Avi
's Emily Upham's Revenge. Since then he has continued to illustrate others' work as well as creating his own books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal
for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel
and three Caldecott honors (for Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995)). His most popular book is The Wheels on the Bus, which has sold millions. Zelinsky enjoys a quiet life in New York City
with his wife and two daughters.
profile of the artist that "what has raised Zelinsky into the first rank of children's book illustrators is not just the pictures but the way they integrate with text." Zelinsky claims his desire to be, "I want the pictures to speak in the same voice as the words. This desire has led me to try various kinds of drawings in different books. I have used quite a wide stretch of styles, and I'm fortunate to have been asked to illustrate such a range of stories.” The Wheels on the Bus and Knick-Knack Paddywhack! are engineered books
with moving parts.
As illustrator
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
in 1998 for his Rapunzel
Rapunzel (book)
Rapunzel is a book by Paul O. Zelinsky retelling the Brothers Grimm "Rapunzel" story. Released by Dutton Press, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1998....
. The best-selling movable book
Pop-up book
The term pop-up book is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
The Wheels on the Bus is his most popular work.
Early life
Paul O. Zelinsky was born in 1953 in Evanston, IL. He grew up in Wilmette, IllinoisWilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
. During his childhood years, he spent much of his time drawing. Often with his friends he would make up imaginary worlds and draw them. When he was only four, he submitted work to Highlights magazine, and his artwork was first showcased. Some of his influential childhood book favorites included The Color Kittens and The Tawny Scrawny Lion. Zelinsky said in reference to memories of what he had read, "Feelings come to me as a sort of flavor. I know that when I call up my earliest memories, what I remember seeing and hearing is accompanied by a flavor-like sense of what it felt like to be there and see that.” In later years of his youth, his favorite authors were William Pène du Bois
William Pène du Bois
William Pène du Bois , was a French American author and illustrator. He was best known for The Twenty-One Balloons, published in April 1947 by The Viking Press...
and Robert Lawson
Robert Lawson (author)
Robert Lawson was an American author and illustrator of children's books. During World War I, he also served as a camouflage artist.-Background:Born in New York City, Lawson spent his early life in Montclair, New Jersey...
. He especially loved the books The Twenty-One Balloons and The Fantastic Flight.
Beginning as an author and illustrator
At New Trier High SchoolNew Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
, Paul Zelinsky was interested in natural history as well as architecture and saw himself following one of those paths for a career. However, he went to study at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. He took a class taught by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
on the history and art of children's books, and it inspired him to a career in the area. Zelinsky went to graduate school at the Tyler School of Art
Tyler School of Art
The Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art, usually just referred to as Tyler School of Art is Temple University's school of art, which confers BFA and MFA degrees. The school was originally founded by sculptors Stella Elkins Tyler and Boris Blai on a separate 14-acre estate in Elkins Park...
in Philadelphia and Rome. The Renaissance and Italian art always fascinated him, and this time in his life influenced this love as well. His career in children's books began in 1978 with the illustrations for Avi
Edward Irving Wortis
Edward Irving Wortis , better known by the pen name Avi, is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He is a winner of both the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.- Biography :...
's Emily Upham's Revenge. Since then he has continued to illustrate others' work as well as creating his own books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel
Rapunzel
"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
and three Caldecott honors (for Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995)). His most popular book is The Wheels on the Bus, which has sold millions. Zelinsky enjoys a quiet life in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his wife and two daughters.
Artistic style
Paul O. Zelinsky does not have a recognizable style, suiting his artwork and techniques to the particular nature of the book to be illustrated. Linnea Lannon noted in a Detroit Free PressDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
profile of the artist that "what has raised Zelinsky into the first rank of children's book illustrators is not just the pictures but the way they integrate with text." Zelinsky claims his desire to be, "I want the pictures to speak in the same voice as the words. This desire has led me to try various kinds of drawings in different books. I have used quite a wide stretch of styles, and I'm fortunate to have been asked to illustrate such a range of stories.” The Wheels on the Bus and Knick-Knack Paddywhack! are engineered books
Pop-up book
The term pop-up book is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
with moving parts.
Paul O. Zelinsky's books
As author and illustrator- The Lion and the Stoat
- Knick-Knack Paddywhack! (adapted from the traditional song)
- The Wheels on the Bus (adapted from the popular children's song)
- The Maid and the Mouse and the Odd-Shaped House (adapted from a school exercise)
- RapunzelRapunzel"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
(retold) - RumpelstiltskinRumpelstiltskinRumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and protagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany . The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales...
(retold)
As illustrator
- Emily Upham's Revenge by AviEdward Irving WortisEdward Irving Wortis , better known by the pen name Avi, is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He is a winner of both the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.- Biography :...
- The History of Helpless Harry by Avi
- Dear Mr. HenshawDear Mr. HenshawDear Mr. Henshaw is a juvenile epistolary novel by Beverly Cleary which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1984.-Plot summary:Dear Mr. Henshaw begins with the book's main character, Leigh Botts, writing a letter, as part of a second grade classroom assignment, to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. Mr...
by Beverly ClearyBeverly ClearyBeverly Cleary is an American author. Educated at colleges in California and Washington, she worked as a librarian before writing children's books. Cleary has written more than 30 books for young adults and children. Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice Quimby, her... - Ralph S. MouseRalph S. MouseRalph S. Mouse is a children's novel by Beverly Cleary. It features Ralph, a mouse with the ability to speak, but only with certain people who tend to be loners....
by Beverly Cleary - StriderStrider (novel)Strider is a novel by children's author Beverly Cleary; it is the sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw.-Plot summary:Strider takes place a couple of years after the end of Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Leigh Botts has grown a lot. One day, while walking on the beach, he and his friend, Barry, find a stray dog they...
by Beverly Cleary - Doodler Doodling by Rita Golden Gelman
- The Sun's Asleep Behind the Hill by Mirra Ginsburg
- Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
- Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs
- Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins
- Toy Dance Party by Emily Jenkins
- The Song in the Walnut Grove by David Kherdian
- What Amanda Saw by Naomi Lazard
- Hansel and GretelHansel and Gretel"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
retold by Rika LesserRika LesserRika Lesser is a U.S. poet, and is a translator of Swedish and German literary works.-Life:Lesser has produced three collections of her own poetry, including Etruscan Things , and her prose translations include A Living Soul by P. C... - The Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin
- The Enchanted CastleThe Enchanted CastleThe Enchanted Castle is a children's fantasy novel by Edith Nesbit first published in 1907.-Plot summary:The enchanted castle of the title is a country estate in the West Country seen through the eyes of three children, Gerald, James and Kathleen, who discover it while exploring during the school...
by E. NesbitE. NesbitEdith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television... - Five Children and ItFive Children and ItFive Children and It is a children's novel by English author Edith Nesbit, first published in 1902; it was expanded from a series of stories published in the Strand Magazine in 1900 under the general title The Psammead, or the Gifts. It is the first of a trilogy...
by E. Nesbit - The Random House Book of Humor for Children collected by Pamela Pollack
- Awful Ogre's Awful Day by Jack PrelutskyJack PrelutskyJack Prelutsky is an American writer of children's poetry. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, Carolynn.-Early life:...
- Awful Ogre Running Wild by Jack Prelutsky
- Zoo Doings by Jack Prelutsky
- Three Romances by Winifred Rosen
- More RootabagasRootabaga StoriesRootabaga Stories is a children's book of interrelated short stories by Carl Sandburg. The whimsical, sometimes melancholy stories, which often use nonsense language, were originally created for his own daughters. Sandburg had three daughters, Margaret, Janet and Helga, whom he nicknamed "Spink",...
by Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,... - The Story of Mrs. Lovewright and Purrless Her Cat by Lore SegalLore SegalLore Segal , née Lore Groszmann, is an American novelist, translator, teacher, and author of children’s books.-Personal life:...
- How I Hunted the Little Fellows by Boris ZhitkovBoris ZhitkovBoris Stepanovich Zhitkov was a Russian author, mainly of children's books.Zhitkov was born in Novgorod; his father was a mathematics teacher and his mother a pianist. His works include numerous books in which he, in a figurative form, described various professions. His books are based on his...