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Mondays with Mira: Wonderful Books from Paul O. Zelinsky

9/28/2015

27 Comments

 
Some illustrators have 1 or 2 recognizable styles, which is generally recommended so that the publisher knows what they'll be getting. But then there are people like Paul O. Zelinksy, who you might call a Renaissance man because of his different styles and facility with using different materials.

When I had the good fortune of interviewing Paul for our Craft and Business of Illustrating Children's Books course, I asked him about this and he basically said that he lets the story dictate the style and materials. I imagine that because he's a best-selling multi Caldecott honoree as well as a Caldecott winner (the highest award for children's book illustration) Paul can pretty much do whatever he wants because whoever hires him knows that he'll go above and beyond to do something extraordinary (hence the Caldecotts).

A spectacular example of this is The Wheels on the Bus, which Paul adapted and illustrated 25 years ago and which is being reissued with a new cover for it's 25th anniversary. I LOVE this book so much that I made a little video review of it. I hope that you'll share it so that others can learn about this great mentor text where Paul visually shares not only his craft but also his multi-layered super smart, culturally pluralistic visual storytelling above and beyond the words. It's quite extraordinary (I keep using that word).
I also wanted to give a shout out to a couple of other books by Paul so you can get a glimpse at his virtuousity:

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To get a sense of how truly funny Paul is, you have to check out the illustrations in this delightful and meaningful book. The other thing to note in it, is how brilliantly Paul conveys emotion in animals both through body language and expressions. He's a soulful and wonderful man who still amazingly enough does school visits. And for those up for a further adventure, here's a fabulous conversation with Brian Selznik where you get a sense of Paul wit: http://worldvoices.pen.org/flavor-words-brian-selznick-and-paul-o-zelinsky-correspondence

If you have time, I really encourage you to find out more about Paul O. Zelinsky and his MANY books right here  http://paulozelinsky.com
Comments are always welcome!
27 Comments
Tracey M. Cox link
9/28/2015 06:08:54 am

Mira,
Thanks for sharing. It looks like a fun read! I had a book with is a twist of The Wheels on the Bus come out this year! Great timing!

Reply
Mira
9/28/2015 10:05:23 am

Thank you for your comment Tracey. I'll look for your book :)

Reply
Terrie link
9/28/2015 11:03:11 am

That book is phenomenal! All the interactive parts and the story going on in the pictures, so clever! Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Mira
9/30/2015 08:22:06 am

Thank you for your comment Terrie :) Yes if Paul hadn't been generous enough to give an interview for our course, I wouldn't have known how fantastic this book is. Pretty sure it officially launches in October but you can pre-order.

Reply
Samantha Martin link
9/28/2015 11:22:23 am

The vibrant colors jump off the pages and as you go in closer you notice the details of the facial expressions, the funnies and the obscure. This book is for both children and adults and with every read you discover something new. Love it!

Reply
Mira
9/30/2015 08:22:50 am

Thanks Samantha, I totally agree!

Reply
Danette Byatt link
9/28/2015 12:37:55 pm

Thanks for sharing Mira! What a beautiful illustration style and I love the interactivity of it.

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:04:33 am

I'm totally with you Danette and thank you for commenting :)

Reply
Mike Malbrough link
9/28/2015 02:36:07 pm

Gorgeous book! great review. Paul is one of my heroes!

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:08:45 am

Mine too!! Love your work as well Mike.

Reply
Mary Flynn link
9/28/2015 03:27:50 pm

What a really great book! I used to sing this song with my son when he was small.

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:13:11 am

I totally agree. I bet your son loved it. Thank you for your comment Mary :)

Reply
Doreen Lepore link
9/28/2015 03:56:57 pm

Thanks for the great review of a wonderful book! Need to find it so that I can play with all the moving parts myself. :)

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:16:00 am

Thank you Doreen. Yes, they are lots of fun. Like icing on the cake.

Reply
Deanne Bryce link
9/28/2015 04:08:46 pm

Thanks for sharing the book. It is so much fun. As a early grade teacher I loved sharing the wheels on the bus in the form of a song. This book would make a great baby a gift for new parents.

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:17:43 am

My pleasure Deanne. I think it's for 0-4 but even though I'm way older than that, I loved getting it for myself.

Reply
Jama Raines
9/28/2015 05:24:38 pm

Thank you for sharing these wonderful illustrations with us. The illustrations are so much fun

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:18:40 am

Thank you for commenting Jama. It was truly a pleasure getting to share the book.

Reply
Deb Bartsch
9/28/2015 05:28:28 pm

Wow, the interactive books are such fun, for all ages!. His art work is so vibrant, fresh and lively. Wheels on the Bus, love it ! Thanks Mira for this great lil clip of his work.
Deb

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:19:59 am

I totally agree Deb and thank you for taking the time to watch it and comment :)

Reply
Charlotte Dixon
9/28/2015 06:41:07 pm

Love Paul Zelinsky. Nice video showing the beautiful THE WHEELS ON THE BUS :)

Reply
Mira
10/12/2015 07:21:23 am

I love Paul O Zelinsky too. Thank you Charlotte for watching and commenting.

Reply
Erin link
9/28/2015 07:44:41 pm

I had the pleasure of hearing Paul present to a group of elementary school children last Spring. His discussion of his process and use of materials for Rumpelstiltskin was fascinating. Plus I got to see him draw which was a treat. School Librarian friends rock! Thanks for this tour of a totally different piece of Mr. Zelinsky's work!

Reply
Emiko
9/28/2015 11:16:51 pm

Thank you, Mira, for introducing such a wonderful book! This is a fabulous book for me to enjoy with my boys. I love his illustrations. So much to look at, study, ponder and enjoy about this book. It's on my Amazon wish list for Christmas already. And also I truly enjoy your Mondays with Mira. I learn so much about children's books and illustrations!!

Reply
Karen Deans link
9/29/2015 05:36:37 am

Paul Zelinsky is the Meryl Streep of children's book illustration--he can do it all! Swamp Angel is one of the most beautifully illustrated books of all time. His books have been favorites of my children (now grown) since they were tiny babes!

Thank you, Mira, for bringing back memories of bedtime reading in my home. We read "Wheels on the Bus" dozens of times!

Reply
Katherine Herriman link
9/29/2015 04:25:24 pm

I just finished reading the conversation between Selznick and Zelinsky - so fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Kris Sheather
9/30/2015 10:11:12 pm

Fabulous, what a great review :) I'll be checking our more of his work!

Reply



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    We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our  awesome bloggers!!

    Here's our lineup:
    1st Mondays begin with awesome multi-published former student Shirin Shamsi who will be focusing on Muslim and cultural kidlit.

    2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books.
     

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    Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things.

    4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info.

    And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break

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  • Home
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    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
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  • Blogfish
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    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship