TALKING WITH ARTISTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, Pat. 1992. Talking with Artists. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0027242455

PLOT SUMMARY

The interviews of 14 well-known illustrators of children’s picture books reveal interesting personal vignettes about the illustrators’ interests and beginnings. Each illustrator writes a personal biography in the “My Story” at the beginning of each interview with Pat Cummings exploring topics such as how the illustrator’s career began, what their interests are, what their daily schedules are like, and where illustration ideas come from. Some early artwork of each illustrator is shared as well.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Conversations with Victoria Chess, Leo and Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellogg, Jerry Pinkney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner form the content of this book. The questions posed in the interviews are some of those most often asked by children, such as what pets do you have? What is your day like? Consequently, budding artist/illustrators will find these personal queries highly interesting.


REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal
Young artists will learn a lot; teachers and other children will also love it. Well designed and well conceived, this book will be welcomed in all those classrooms in which children's literature has become central to the curriculum. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly
Unfortunately, the often poignant reminiscences and outstanding talent on display cannot overcome the book's unimaginative layout and distractingly pragmatic text.

CONNECTIONS
This first volume is followed with two other volumes of similar design by Pat Collins interviewing many other talented illustrators of children’s literature books.