RIP Jerry Pinkney
The children’s literature world received another crushing blow yesterday with the news that Jerry Pinkney has passed away. Pinkney, the patriarch of the Pinkney dynasty was a prolific illustrator creating over 100 books during his lifetime. Pinkney’s wife, two of his sons and their wives are also writers and illustrators of children’s work. Pinkney won five Caldecott Honors awards. Finally, in 2010 Pinkney won the coveted Caldecott Medal for his book The Lion and the Mouse. And becoming the first African American to win the award.
You’ve got to flip through some of Pinkney’s work – it’s completely breathtaking! The Lion and the Mouse is a (nearly) wordless adaptation that fills the page completely with the story. Even a child unfamiliar with the tale will become completely engrossed in the story.
Pinkney grew up in Philadelphia where drawing allowed him to escape a world that was struggling to provide equal opportunity for Black people. You can learn more about his childhood in his essay written for WHYY. In 2016, Jerry Pinkney received both the Children’s Literacy Legacy Aware (previously called the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal) and the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. With a number of other awards received during his time in the children’s literature world, Jerry Pinkney will be greatly missed.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
9 Books to Celebrate Jerry Pinkney
- Aesop’s Fables
- The Grasshopper & the Ant
- The Lion and the Mouse
- The Little Mermaid
- The Little Red Hen
- Sweethearts of Rhythm
- Three Little Kittens
- The Tortoise & the Hare (bookshop.org)
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
I posed an illustrator spotlight on Jerry Pinkney last year where you can find more information about him.
If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles above, please use my affiliate links for Amazon (or Bookshop.org). When you purchase from the links above, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.
