Diane Dillon
Author of Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
About the Author
Image credit: Diane and Leo Dillon
Works by Diane Dillon
The Horn Book Magazine 1 copy
Associated Works
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) — Cover artist, some editions — 53,783 copies, 852 reviews
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869) — Cover artist, some editions — 21,198 copies, 283 reviews
The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (1957) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,888 copies, 15 reviews
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: Stories (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,188 copies, 70 reviews
King Solomon's Ring: New Light on Animals' Ways (1949) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,891 copies, 13 reviews
Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,740 copies, 17 reviews
The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 840 copies, 11 reviews
The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade (1953) — Cover artist — 817 copies, 19 reviews
From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs (1993) — Illustrator — 806 copies, 2 reviews
I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World (1992) — Illustrator, some editions — 717 copies, 2 reviews
The New Milton Cross' Complete Stories of the Great Operas (1947) — Cover artist, some editions — 708 copies, 3 reviews
The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective (1987) — Cover artist, some editions — 677 copies, 4 reviews
Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales (1995) — Illustrator, some editions — 640 copies, 17 reviews
Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (1993) — Illustrator — 566 copies, 2 reviews
The Essential Ellison: A 50 Year Retrospective (2001) — Cover artist, some editions — 494 copies, 5 reviews
Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (1963) — Cover artist, some editions — 489 copies, 2 reviews
The Preserving Machine and Other Stories (1952) — Cover artist, some editions — 452 copies, 3 reviews
The Boys in the Band: A Play in Two Acts (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 339 copies, 6 reviews
Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 337 copies, 3 reviews
Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change (2009) — Illustrator — 254 copies, 17 reviews
San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 189 copies, 2 reviews
Kiss Sleeping Beauty Goodbye: Breaking the Spell of Feminine Myths and Models (1979) — Cover artist, some editions — 138 copies
Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor Volume 1 (1996) — Cover artist, some editions — 108 copies, 1 review
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 4 (1988) — Illustrator, some editions — 106 copies, 1 review
On the Wings of Peace: Writers and Illustrators Speak Out for Peace, in Memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1995) — Cover artist — 105 copies, 1 review
The Jewel in the Lotus: A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East (1959) — Cover artist, some editions — 96 copies
Between Heaven and Earth: Bird Tales from Around the World (2004) — Illustrator — 55 copies, 3 reviews
Claymore and Kilt: Tales of Scottish Kings and Castles (1967) — Illustrator, some editions — 55 copies
Two Queens of Heaven: Aphrodite and Demeter (Greek Myths) (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 53 copies, 2 reviews
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 38 (2022) — Contributor — 44 copies, 8 reviews
Behind the Back of the Mountain: Black Folktales from Southern Africa (1973) — Illustrator — 32 copies, 1 review
Skyline; a reporter's reminiscence of the 1920s (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 25 copies, 2 reviews
In Praise of Our Fathers and Our Mothers: A Black Family Treasury by Outstanding Authors and Artists (1997) — Cover artist, some editions — 24 copies
Whirlwind Is a Spirit Dancing: Poems Based on Traditional American Indian Songs and Stories (1974) — Illustrator — 23 copies, 1 review
The Making Of An Afro-american: Martin Robison Delany, 1812-1885 (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 19 copies
A Hornbook for Witches: Stories and Poems for Halloween (1976) — Cover artist, some editions — 4 copies
Voyages: The 25th World Fantasy Convention — Cover artist — 2 copies
The Gent, April 1959 (Vol. 3, No. 4) — Illustrator — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Dillon, Diane Clare Sorber
- Birthdate
- 1933-03-13
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Parsons School of Design
- Occupations
- Children's Book Illustrator
children's book author
artist - Awards and honors
- Caldecott Medal (1976)
Caldecott Medal (1977)
Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (Contemporary ∙ 2008)
Chesley Award for Lifetime Achievement (2019) - Relationships
- Dillon, Leo (husband)
Dillon, Lee (son) - Short biography
- Diane Dillon is a celebrated American magazine and book-cover artist, and a children's book author and illustrator. The vast majority of her work was done collaboratively with her husband, Leo Dillon, with whom she won her many awards.
Born in Los Angeles in 1933, Diane Sorber was educated at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she met Leo Dillon, who was initially a fierce artistic competitor. Their fifty-year collaboration, after their eventual marriage, resulted in over one hundred speculative fiction book and magazine covers, and numerous picture-book illustrations. They were jointly awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1976 and 1977, the only artists to be so honored twice in a row. The Dillons had one son, Lee Dillon, who also became an artist, and with whom they collaborated on Nancy Willard's Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch. Diane Dillon's first solo project, published after Leo's death in 2012, is the recent I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't. (source: Wikipedia) - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Los Angeles, California, USA
Brooklyn, New York, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
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Discussions
Gloriah's 2013 Category Picks in 2013 Category Challenge (July 2013)
Reviews
This is possibly the best children's book on jazz that I have ever read. I simply loved the illustrations and the word play in the narration. Jazz on a Saturday Night captures the soul of jazz and how the magic is created amongst the musicians. It includes some the most recognizable figures in jazz. Miles Davis, Coltrane, Ella, Monk, Max Roach, and Stanely Clark are all included in this performance. As I was reading the story, I thought to myself, ' I wish I could have been in that audience show more to witness that performance." I admired how the author included a brief history on the musicians at the end of the book. I will definitely add this to my collection of children's books. show less
When an unknown monster calling itself "The Long One" takes over her home, Rabbit isn't sure how to get rid of him. A series of animals offer their solutions, all of which turn out to be as destructive as they are helpful, until finally Rabbit turns to Frog, whose help she refused at the beginning.
Originally published as The Long One in Aardema's 1969 collection, Tales for the Third Ear, this Masai folktale is illustrated by the marvelous Leo and Diane Dillon, who worked with Aardema on the show more Caldecott Medal-winning Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears. The Dillons' artwork make the Masai context clear, as they present the story as a play, performed by people wearing animal masks. I understand that this format is quite appealing to young readers, although I found it somewhat distracting. I found myself wondering why the illustrators would choose to use masks that are not part of the Masai tradition, in order to retell a traditional Masai story. However that may be, the artwork was still gorgeous (as always), and the story engaging. show less
Originally published as The Long One in Aardema's 1969 collection, Tales for the Third Ear, this Masai folktale is illustrated by the marvelous Leo and Diane Dillon, who worked with Aardema on the show more Caldecott Medal-winning Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears. The Dillons' artwork make the Masai context clear, as they present the story as a play, performed by people wearing animal masks. I understand that this format is quite appealing to young readers, although I found it somewhat distracting. I found myself wondering why the illustrators would choose to use masks that are not part of the Masai tradition, in order to retell a traditional Masai story. However that may be, the artwork was still gorgeous (as always), and the story engaging. show less
Powerful, incredible, poignant and emotional, this is a book to own and read often. There is no softness in the portrayal of black slaves slashed, degraded and tired, oh so tired. There is hope in an old man named Toby, tall and able to inspire those who are beaten down by their lot to fly, fly away upward into a life better, oh so much better.
Margaret Musgrove has written an engaging and beautiful alphabet book. Using traditions, customs, vocabulary and setting she is able to introduce the reader to some of the many peoples of Africa. While each pictures displays gorgeous details to examine and texture to fall into, the text offers up traditions and information about varied peoples and traditions from a vast continent. There is a lot of information on every page, but the intricate illustrations aid in explaining some of the show more unfamiliar words.
It's one book, but the pages powerfully convey how much there is to learn and how much more there is to know about Africa and the people. Musgrove was able to distill down exhaustive research into a book anyone could enjoy. I could go on, but I could also sit back and turn through the pages again. It's clear that a new reading would offer up a never-before-seen bird, kente patterns to appreciate, or a smaller figure I had yet to notice. show less
It's one book, but the pages powerfully convey how much there is to learn and how much more there is to know about Africa and the people. Musgrove was able to distill down exhaustive research into a book anyone could enjoy. I could go on, but I could also sit back and turn through the pages again. It's clear that a new reading would offer up a never-before-seen bird, kente patterns to appreciate, or a smaller figure I had yet to notice. show less
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- Works
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- Popularity
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- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
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- ISBNs
- 107
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