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jwsg's review
3.0
This isn't a book I would have read before having kids honestly. A few years ago, I dare say only Quentin Blake's name would have rung any sort of bell for me (thanks to his illustrations for Roald Dahl's books). But I swiftly learned about Eric Carle within the first month of parenthood and over the course of the first year, added Kevin Henkes, Helen Oxenbury, Rosemary Wells, and Maurice Sendak.
This collection of interviews with 21 children's books illustrators was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The most interesting interviews for me were those that covered the artist's "method" (for lack of a better word), how they approached illustration and their journey to becoming an illustrator of children's books. I loved the interview with Anno, where he spoke about how his books try to build understanding of abstract concepts, to "teach without teaching", and the challenges of making his illustrations work for different cultural contexts; Carle's interview where he spoke about being born in Syracuse, NY but having to move to Germany after he turned five and hating it, his formative training under Prof Ernst Schneidler and his process for writing The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Yumi Heo's account of moving to the US from South Korea to pursue her ambition to study fine art; Tana Hoban's photographic process; and Mo Willems' background as a stand up comic and writer for Sesame Street.
Some of the interviews, by contrast, bored me. Sometimes because they dwelled at length on books and characters I was unfamiliar with (the exception being James Marshall's interview - I've not read his books and now have plans to check them out at the library). I didn't enjoy the couple of Chris Raschka's children's books I'd read previously and his interview didn't make me feel like I'd want to give his works another chance. The interview with Maurice Sendak - the longest in the collection along with James Marshall's - was a lot less interesting than I'd expected it to be.
Despite the unevenness, Show Me A Story is a pretty fun read to curl up with. It has some fascinating nuggets about its subjects' lives - like how Eric Carle went to NYC hoping to find a job as graphic designer and contacted Lionel Lionni, the art director for Fortune magazine, after seeing the magazine's gorgeous designs. Lionni hooked Carle up with a job and after Lionni started creating picture books, suggested that Carle try his hand at them too. Or how Chris Raschka got a job doing illustrations for the Michigan Bar Journal, which included assignments to illustrate tort reform and water regulation. And it did give me some new authors/titles that I'd love to check out.
This collection of interviews with 21 children's books illustrators was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The most interesting interviews for me were those that covered the artist's "method" (for lack of a better word), how they approached illustration and their journey to becoming an illustrator of children's books. I loved the interview with Anno, where he spoke about how his books try to build understanding of abstract concepts, to "teach without teaching", and the challenges of making his illustrations work for different cultural contexts; Carle's interview where he spoke about being born in Syracuse, NY but having to move to Germany after he turned five and hating it, his formative training under Prof Ernst Schneidler and his process for writing The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Yumi Heo's account of moving to the US from South Korea to pursue her ambition to study fine art; Tana Hoban's photographic process; and Mo Willems' background as a stand up comic and writer for Sesame Street.
Some of the interviews, by contrast, bored me. Sometimes because they dwelled at length on books and characters I was unfamiliar with (the exception being James Marshall's interview - I've not read his books and now have plans to check them out at the library). I didn't enjoy the couple of Chris Raschka's children's books I'd read previously and his interview didn't make me feel like I'd want to give his works another chance. The interview with Maurice Sendak - the longest in the collection along with James Marshall's - was a lot less interesting than I'd expected it to be.
Despite the unevenness, Show Me A Story is a pretty fun read to curl up with. It has some fascinating nuggets about its subjects' lives - like how Eric Carle went to NYC hoping to find a job as graphic designer and contacted Lionel Lionni, the art director for Fortune magazine, after seeing the magazine's gorgeous designs. Lionni hooked Carle up with a job and after Lionni started creating picture books, suggested that Carle try his hand at them too. Or how Chris Raschka got a job doing illustrations for the Michigan Bar Journal, which included assignments to illustrate tort reform and water regulation. And it did give me some new authors/titles that I'd love to check out.
dr_laurie_1968's review
4.0
A delightful book! Recommended for anyone interested in children's literature.
bak8382's review
4.0
Presented here are 21 interviews along with short introductions for famous child's illustrators. None of the interviews are extremely current, but occasionally Marcus adds an updated interview at the end of the original interview. What the illustrators have to say is extremely interesting, but Marcus seems to stick to the original list of questions so when the illustrators say something that I would love to see expanded the interview just continues with the next unrelated question.
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
I have read a lot of picture books. On goodreads, I read picture books compulsively. So the idea of reading about the illustrators sounded interesting. This was a bit disappointing. But it was a book of interviews so was essentially formulaic. I think it would work as a reference book, but really it made me want a much bigger reference book of illustrators. Even those artists whose names I did not recognize were intriguing to see the path they followed. But in the end the book dragged somewhat. But not so much that I wouldn't try another book by the author who has a number that look intriguing.
sarahfett's review
5.0
I wasn't able to read the entire book because other library users are waiting to read it, but I'll check it out again sometime so that I can finish it. I like reading the firsthand accounts of illustrators and learning about their childhoods, their cultural backgrounds, and their influences.
kevinhendricks's review
3.0
I always shy away from nonfiction because it usually isn't as captivating and tends to drag on. Why children's books seemed like a fascinating subject, this one had a lot of drag potential. But I found it to be fascinating. I found myself going to the library to look up some of the illustrators and check out their work. Makes me want to read more with my kids and try to write more children's books. The best chapters were Mo Willems, Ashley Bryan and Chris Raschka--more because I connected with them than anything they said.
lmurray74's review
5.0
LOVE this book! Picture book authors and illustrators share their work and vision. I don't have it on hand to comment on more closely and it is a little weighted towards white authors, but it's likely to remain on my shelves for a long while to go.
idontkaren's review
5.0
I liked that this was in interview format and covered a pretty diverse range of people. It made me go back and look at a lot of the artists' books more closely, especially Mitsumasa Anno, Chris Raschka, Sendak, and James Marshall--especially James Marshall. His interview really stood out. He is one of the most awesome writer/illustrators, with Miss Nelson is Missing having been a childhood favorite. But going back and reading the George & Martha books has been a real blast. They are truly some of the most amusing books out there. William Steig came off as cranky and smart and outspoken, just how I always picture him, he's totally the best ever.
pussreboots's review
1.0
Am I the only one who was bored by the presentation of these interviews? Why not put illustrations in with the interviews? Why do interviews at all? Why not just let each author write their own chapter?
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comments_12/show_me_a_story.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comments_12/show_me_a_story.html