Jerry Pinkney (1939–2021)

Just Jerry by Jerry Pinkney.

I spent about three days reading this, taking my time through this autobiography.

Released after Pinkney’s death, it is I think one of the best children’s autobiographies that I’ve read.

I think this is a must read. A must buy. A must.

It’s an almost Charlotte Mason childhood filled with the outdoors, with art, with songs, and with memories of being read to by his mother.

It’s lovely, warm and inviting- and fascinating to watch him develop as an artist. show more

It’s got a great description of dyslexia which I think would be helpful to parents who do not have it and comforting to children who do.

5 stars. It deserves a Newbery. I don’t think this book will get the attention it deserves because unfashionably, it shows success when DEI says he should have failed. It describes accurately the racism he experienced and living within black America.

I think…for all the awards and accolades he received- this is his best work. show less

My Aesop reading project continues apace, with this, my ninth collection of fables. Retold and illustrated by the award-winning Jerry Pinkney, whose work has been given the Caldecott Honor five times, this Aesop's Fables presents sixty-one of the classic morality tales, as well as a brief introduction, in which the author lays out his own relationship with the subject matter.

Here the reader will encounter many old favorites, from The Grasshopper and the Ants to The Fox and the Grapes. Here show more too the reader will discover some lesser-known selections, from The Gardener and the Dog to The Boy and the Almonds. Retold in a contemporary idiom that never feels forced, Pinkney's adaptation feels simultaneously fresh and familiar.

The artwork is deliciously expressive - Pinkney's faces, whether human or animal, show great emotional range, and I appreciated his multicultural approach, in depicting people of diverse racial backgrounds. While I feel very strongly that the cultural identity of any work of folklore should be respected, many of these fables are universal, and an Asian fisherman, African-American milkmaid, European farmer, all have their place in Aesop.

That said, I did wonder a little at Mr. Pinkney's choice, in King Log and King Stork (also known as The Frogs Who Desired a King), to substitute "the sun" for Zeus. Where there is a specifically Greek context to the fables, I think it should be retained, but this is a minor quibble, and did not effect my enjoyment of this otherwise excellent collection. show less

Five-time Caldecott honoree Jerry Pinkney - whose beautifully expressive Aesop's Fables was a superb interpretation - returns to the work of the Greek fabulist in this lovely wordless picture-book. With a large format, and gorgeous pencil and watercolor illustrations, this tale of a lion, whose generosity in sparing the life of a tiny mouse is rewarded when the tables are turned, will delight young readers.

As always, Pinkey's artwork is expressive and involving, and children will have no show more trouble following the story, whose text consists solely of sound-words - "who-who," "squeak," and the like - indicating the calls of various animals. A real sense of emotion, whether of disgruntlement at being caught in a net, or happiness at being surrounded by one's many tiny offspring, is conveyed through the sensitively drawn facial expressions - always one of Pinkney's strengths.

I appreciated the author/illustrator's afterword, in which he briefly mentioned his concern for wildlife, and his decision to set his book in the Serengeti, as ecologically accurate books are always helpful. That said, I did wonder a little at his decision to make the poachers white trophy-hunters, when my understanding is that the real threat to lions is the local population, whose cattle are threatened. Perhaps trophy-hunting is more easily condemned? Whatever the case may be, it was odd to me that a desire to be accurate didn't carry over into every quarter. Still, this is a minor concern, and I doubt that young readers will even pick up on it. All in all, a wonderful new book from Pinkney - I'd definitely nominate it for the Caldecott Medal!

Addendum: I originally wrote this review in September, 2009, before it was awarded a Caldecott Medal. For once, I actually predicted the winner! show less

"Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?"
Jerry Pinkney's signature style suits this classic tale well. He adds to the ending, as well; when the big billy goat head-butts the troll into the river, an even bigger fish (with four rows of teeth) gobbles up the troll, and a whole herd of billy goats follow the first three over the bridge to the side where the grass is greener. Author's note.
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Re-read February 2022