Leo Dillon (1933–2012)

Author of Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles--Think of That!

9+ Works 2,096 Members 169 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Leo Dillon was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 2, 1933. He attended Parsons School of Design in New York City, where he met his wife Diane (Sorber) Dillon. They graduated in 1956, married in 1957, and soon became a husband and wife team of illustrators. During his lifetime, they published over show more 40 children's books including Hakon of Rogen's Saga by Eric Hagard, The Ring in the Prairie by John Bierhorst, The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, and If Kids Ran the World. They won the Caldecott Medal in 1976 for Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema and in 1977 for Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove. They also won a Coretta Scott King Award and five Coretta Scott King Honors. In 2002, they published the first picture book they wrote themselves, Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles-Think of That! They also created cover designs for adult science fiction books. He died from complications of lung surgery on May 26, 2012 at the age of 79. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Disambiguation Notice:

Although most of Leo Dillon's illustrations were collaborations with his wife Diane, a few early works are by Leo only.

Works by Leo Dillon

To Every Thing There Is a Season: Verses From Ecclesiastes (1998) 594 copies

If Kids Ran the World (2014) 263 copies

Jazz on a Saturday Night (2007) 243 copies

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose (2007) 182 copies

The Horn Book Magazine 1 copy

Free to Fly (1995) 1 copy

Newbery-Caldecott Medal Acceptance Speeches 1 copy

IF KIDS RUN THE WORLD 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Odyssey (0750) — Cover artist, some editions — 52,993 copies

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) — Cover artist, some editions — 45,564 copies

A Wrinkle in Time (1962) — Cover artist, some editions — 39,406 copies

The Magician's Nephew (1955) — Cover artist, some editions — 29,206 copies

Prince Caspian (1951) — Cover artist, some editions — 26,447 copies

The Horse and His Boy (1954) — Cover artist, some editions — 25,490 copies

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) — Cover artist, some editions — 25,336 copies

The Silver Chair (1953) — Cover artist, some editions — 23,966 copies

The Last Battle (1956) — Cover artist, some editions — 23,232 copies

Confessions (0397) — Cover artist, some editions — 22,385 copies

20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1870) — Cover artist, some editions — 18,381 copies

The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 15,924 copies

A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 15,916 copies

The House of the Spirits (1982) — Cover artist, some editions — 13,963 copies

A Wind in the Door (1973) — Cover artist, some editions — 12,671 copies

A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 12,000 copies

Sabriel (1995) — Cover artist, some editions — 10,765 copies

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold (1956) — Cover artist, some editions — 8,804 copies

The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) — Cover artist, some editions — 8,302 copies

The Return of the Native (1878) — Cover artist, some editions — 7,909 copies

The Last Unicorn (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 7,510 copies

Lirael (2001) — Cover artist, some editions — 7,299 copies

Mother Night (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 7,274 copies

Le Morte d'Arthur (1485) — Cover artist, some editions — 7,090 copies

Abhorsen (2003) — Cover artist, some editions — 6,670 copies

Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) — Cover artist, some editions — 5,749 copies

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (1975) — Illustrator — 5,255 copies

Eva Luna (1987) — Cover artist, some editions — 5,067 copies

Of Love and Shadows (1984) — Cover artist, some editions — 3,156 copies

The Painted Bird (1965) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,972 copies

The Member of the Wedding (1946) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,828 copies

The Halloween Tree (1972) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,643 copies

The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (1957) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,552 copies

M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,420 copies

Methuselah's Children (1958) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,393 copies

The Snow Queen (1980) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,317 copies

Across the Wall (2005) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,236 copies

The Earthsea Trilogy (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,206 copies

The Greek Way (1930) — Cover artist, some editions — 2,132 copies

Dangerous Visions: 33 Original Stories — Illustrator, some editions — 1,919 copies

The Hundred Penny Box (1900) — Illustrator — 1,777 copies

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: Stories (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,761 copies

King Solomon's Ring: New Light on Animals' Ways (1949) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,730 copies

Shade's Children (1995) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,728 copies

Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,591 copies

The House of Dies Drear (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,554 copies

Lost in the Funhouse (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,550 copies

Deathbird Stories (1975) — some editions — 1,464 copies

Pavane (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,401 copies

Floating Dragon (1983) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,396 copies

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions (1976) — Illustrator — 1,383 copies

Enchantress from the Stars (1970) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,316 copies

The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set (2003) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,263 copies

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (1985) — Illustrator — 1,255 copies

Wise Child (1987) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,212 copies

The Witches of Karres (1966) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,142 copies

Rite of Passage (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 1,050 copies

Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems (1988) — Illustrator — 1,006 copies

The Wrinkle in Time Quartet (1962) — Cover artist, some editions — 999 copies

The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (1990) — Illustrator — 992 copies

Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems (1978) — Illustrator — 983 copies

Juniper (1990) — Cover artist, some editions — 932 copies

The Big Book for Peace (1990) — Illustrator — 820 copies

Isle of the Dead (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 805 copies

A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy (1963) — Cover artist, some editions — 798 copies

Two Little Trains (1949) — Illustrator, some editions — 797 copies

Shatterday (1980) — Cover artist, some editions — 786 copies

The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 776 copies

World's End (1984) — Cover artist, some editions — 770 copies

Steps (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 767 copies

Strange Wine (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 752 copies

The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade (1953) — Cover artist — 749 copies

Midnight Robber (2000) — Cover artist, some editions — 741 copies

Child of the Morning (1977) — Cover artist, some editions — 739 copies

Psion (1982) — Cover artist, some editions — 738 copies

The Jagged Orbit (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 727 copies

Reveille in Washington, 1860-1865 (1941) — Cover artist, some editions — 723 copies

Approaching Oblivion (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 696 copies

From Sea to Shining Sea A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs (1993) — Illustrator — 683 copies

The New Milton Cross' Complete Stories of the Great Operas (1947) — Cover artist, some editions — 652 copies

The Medieval World: Europe, 1100-1350 (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 637 copies

The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective (1987) — Cover artist, some editions — 624 copies

Paingod and Other Delusions (1965) — Cover artist, some editions — 608 copies

Zeely (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 602 copies

I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World (1992) — Illustrator, some editions — 583 copies

Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales (1995) — Illustrator, some editions — 547 copies

The Planet of Junior Brown (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 500 copies

The Glass Teat (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 496 copies

Why Call Them Back from Heaven? (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 486 copies

The Medieval Myths (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 486 copies

Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom (1993) — Illustrator — 484 copies

The Seedling Stars (1957) — Cover artist, some editions — 484 copies

Bluish (1999) — Cover artist, some editions — 480 copies

The Essential Ellison: A 50 Year Retrospective (2001) — Cover artist, some editions — 477 copies

Partners in Wonder (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 466 copies

Past Master (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 456 copies

Nine Hundred Grandmothers (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 440 copies

Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (1963) — Cover artist, some editions — 438 copies

Kabloona (1941) — Cover artist, some editions — 436 copies

Picnic on Paradise (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 433 copies

The Year of the Quiet Sun (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 425 copies

The Sea and the Jungle (1912) — Cover artist, some editions — 417 copies

The Eagle and the Raven (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 402 copies

The Preserving Machine and Other Stories (1952) — Cover artist, some editions — 400 copies

And Chaos Died (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 396 copies

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (1995) — Cover artist, some editions — 373 copies

Spider Kiss (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 371 copies

The Demon Breed (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 364 copies

The Phoenix and the Mirror (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 363 copies

The Magic Circle (1995) — Cover artist, some editions — 356 copies

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (2008) — Contributor — 347 copies

Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush (1982) — Cover artist, some editions — 346 copies

Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 343 copies

Colman (2004) — Cover artist, some editions — 343 copies

The Traveler in Black (1960) — Cover artist, some editions — 342 copies

The Reproductive System (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 337 copies

Who's In Rabbit's House?: A Masai Tale Retold (1977) — Illustrator — 331 copies

The Black Corridor (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 327 copies

Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 326 copies

The Other Glass Teat (1975) — Cover artist, some editions — 320 copies

The Girl Who Spun Gold (2000) — Illustrator — 318 copies

Fourth Mansions (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 311 copies

Tales From Shakespeare (2004) — Illustrator — 308 copies

The Ring (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 306 copies

The People Could Fly: The Picture Book (2004) — Illustrator — 305 copies

The Long Winter (1962) — Cover artist, some editions — 303 copies

The Boys in the Band: A Play in Two Acts (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 300 copies

Web of the City (1958) — Cover artist, some editions — 300 copies

Memos From Purgatory (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 283 copies

No Doors, No Windows (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 281 copies

Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch (1991) — Illustrator — 272 copies

The Disappearance (1951) — Cover artist, some editions — 270 copies

From the land of fear (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 267 copies

The Weathermonger (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 267 copies

Dangerous Visions 1 (1967) — Illustrator, some editions — 264 copies

The Twelfth Transforming (1984) — Cover artist, some editions — 249 copies

A Torrent of Faces (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 244 copies

The Secret River (1955) — Illustrator, some editions — 242 copies

Some Will Not Die (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 230 copies

The Palace of Eternity (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 224 copies

Secret Sacrament (1996) — Cover artist, some editions — 220 copies

The Deadly Streets (1975) — Cover artist, some editions — 217 copies

After Things Fell Apart (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 214 copies

All in a Day (1986) — Illustrator — 214 copies

The Lincoln Hunters (1958) — Cover artist, some editions — 211 copies

Switch on the Night (1955) — Illustrator, some editions — 211 copies

Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change (2009) — Illustrator — 209 copies

Dangerous Visions 2 (1901) — Illustrator, some editions — 205 copies

The Two-Timers (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 198 copies

Aida [sound recording] (1990) — Illustrator, some editions — 191 copies

The Eleventh Commandment (1962) — Cover artist, some editions — 185 copies

Dangerous Visions 3 (1967) — Illustrator, some editions — 185 copies

Never Forgotten (Junior Library Guild Selection) (2011) — Illustrator — 183 copies

San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 179 copies

The Devil's Children (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 178 copies

One Winter's Night (2003) — Illustrator — 178 copies

Justice and Her Brothers (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 176 copies

The Revolving Boy (1966) — Cover artist, some editions — 175 copies

Where Have You Been? (1878) — Illustrator, some editions — 173 copies

Stargate (1982) — Cover artist, some editions — 171 copies

Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States (2003) — Illustrator — 167 copies

Northern Lullaby (1992) — Illustrator — 165 copies

The Steel Crocodile (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 164 copies

Strange Toys (1987) — Cover artist, some editions — 163 copies

The Devil's Backbone: the Story of the Natchez Trace (1962) — Illustrator — 162 copies

Heartsease (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 162 copies

Coming to Our Senses (1989) — Cover artist, some editions — 158 copies

The Cossacks, and The Raid (1852) — Cover artist, some editions — 155 copies

One Million Tomorrows (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 154 copies

Maizon at Blue Hill (1992) — Cover artist, some editions — 153 copies

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1993) — Illustrator — 152 copies

Watchers at the Pond (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 152 copies

AK (1990) — Cover artist, some editions — 152 copies

The Goblin and the Empty Chair (2009) — Illustrator — 141 copies

Kiss Sleeping Beauty Goodbye: Breaking the Spell of Feminine Myths and Models (1979) — Cover artist, some editions — 136 copies

Dustland (1980) — Cover artist, some editions — 132 copies

The island under the earth (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 130 copies

Earth Mother (2005) — Illustrator — 128 copies

The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl (1983) — Cover artist, some editions — 126 copies

Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons (2009) — Illustrator — 126 copies

Cautionary Tales (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 123 copies

Canary in a Cat House (1950) — Cover artist, some editions — 117 copies

Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali (2001) — Illustrator — 113 copies

The Gathering (1981) — Cover artist, some editions — 112 copies

The Cuckoo's Child (1996) — Cover artist, some editions — 111 copies

Nightshade and Damnations (1968) — Illustrator, some editions — 105 copies

Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor Volume 1 (1995) — Cover artist — 104 copies

The Other Side of the Mountain (1967) — Cover artist, some editions — 103 copies

Clovermead: In the Shadow of the Bear (2004) — Cover artist, some editions — 102 copies

The Story of Troilus (1964) — Cover artist, some editions — 100 copies

Chronocules (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 99 copies

Over the Edge (1618) — Cover artist, some editions — 98 copies

On the Wings of Peace: Writers and Illustrators Speak Out for Peace, in Memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1995) — Cover artist — 98 copies

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume IV (1988) — Illustrator, some editions — 97 copies

Selected poems 1923-1975 (1976) — Illustrator, some editions — 90 copies

A Woman of the Future (1979) — Cover artist, some editions — 90 copies

Miriam's Well (1991) — Illustrator, some editions — 89 copies

The Jewel in the Lotus: A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East (1959) — Cover artist, some editions — 88 copies

Synthajoy (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 85 copies

The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese and Other Tales of the Far North (1997) — Illustrator — 85 copies

Great Short Tales of Mystery and Terror (1982) — Illustrator, some editions — 79 copies

The Race of the Golden Apples (1991) — Illustrator — 77 copies

A Fair Wind for Troy (1605) — Cover artist, some editions — 77 copies

Firebug (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 72 copies

Wind Child (1973) — Illustrator — 69 copies

The Color Wizard (1989) — Illustrator — 69 copies

Furthest (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 68 copies

The Porcelain Cat (1987) — Illustrator — 68 copies

The Tale of The Swamp Rat (2003) — Cover artist, some editions — 65 copies

The Warrior Goddess: Athena (1730) — Cover artist, some editions — 59 copies

Moses' Ark, Stories From the Bible (2013) — Illustrator — 59 copies

Lord of the Sky: Zeus (1732) — Cover artist, some editions — 57 copies

The Silent Multitude (1966) — Cover artist, some editions — 56 copies

Sylva (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 54 copies

Dem (Black Arts Movement Series) (1868) — Cover artist, some editions — 54 copies

The eclipse of dawn (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 53 copies

Listen Children: An Anthology of Black Literature (1982) — Illustrator — 52 copies

Hakon of Rogen's Saga (1963) — Illustrator, some editions — 52 copies

Tros of Samothrace (1934) — Cover artist, some editions — 49 copies

Two Queens of Heaven: Aphrodite and Demeter (Greek Myths) (1974) — Cover artist, some editions — 49 copies

Claymore and Kilt: Tales of Scottish Kings and Castles (1967) — Illustrator, some editions — 49 copies

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume XV (1999) — Contributor — 49 copies

Between Heaven and Earth: Bird Tales from Around the World (2004) — Illustrator — 48 copies

A White Romance (1888) — Cover artist, some editions — 47 copies

The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon (1981) — Illustrator — 47 copies

The Golden God: Apollo (1973) — Cover artist, some editions — 44 copies

To All Appearances a Lady (1989) — Cover artist, some editions — 44 copies

The African Cookbook (1970) — Illustrator, some editions — 41 copies

The Mightiest of Mortals: Hercules (1967) — Cover artist — 41 copies

The Witches: Three Tales of Sorcery (1969) — Cover artist, some editions — 40 copies

Brother to the Wind (1985) — Illustrator — 39 copies

Edith Jackson (1978) — Cover artist, some editions — 39 copies

A Slave's Tale (1965) — Illustrator, some editions — 35 copies

Iron Tears (1992) — Cover artist, some editions — 33 copies

Destiny Times Three (1945) — Cover artist, some editions — 32 copies

The Ring in the Prairie: A Shawnee Legend (1969) — Illustrator — 31 copies

Marie Laveau (1977) — Cover artist, some editions — 30 copies

Songs and Stories from Uganda (1974) — Illustrator — 29 copies

Two Pairs of Shoes (1980) — Illustrator — 28 copies

The American Experience: Fiction (Macmillan Literary Heritage) (1968) — Illustrator — 27 copies

Two Sought Adventure : Exploits of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (1957) — Cover artist, some editions — 27 copies

Behind the Back of the Mountain: Black Folktales from Southern Africa (1973) — Illustrator — 26 copies

No Heaven for Gunga Din (1964) — Cover artist, some editions — 25 copies

Mrs. Munck (1970) — Cover artist, some editions — 24 copies

BLAST OFF (1973) — Illustrator — 24 copies

In Praise of Our Fathers and Our Mothers: A Black Family Treasury by Outstanding Authors and Artists (1997) — Cover artist — 23 copies

Skyline; a reporter's reminiscence of the 1920s (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 23 copies

Gassire's Lute: A West African Epic (1971) — Illustrator — 22 copies

Shamrock and Spear: Tales and Legends from Ireland (1966) — Illustrator, some editions — 20 copies

Song of the Boat (1975) — Illustrator — 19 copies

Ensamvärk (1992) — Cover artist, some editions — 19 copies

Familiarity Is the Kingdom of the Lost (1984) — Cover artist, some editions — 19 copies

Children of the Sun (1980) — Illustrator — 18 copies

Whirlwind Is a Spirit Dancing: Poems Based on Traditional American Indian Songs and Stories (1974) — Illustrator — 17 copies

The Making Of An Afro-american: Martin Robison Delany, 1812-1885 (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 17 copies

The Third Gift (1974) — Illustrator — 16 copies

The Untold Tale (1971) — Illustrator, some editions — 16 copies

The dragon and the phoenix (1971) — Cover artist, some editions — 15 copies

The water is wide (1976) — Illustrator, some editions — 15 copies

Something in the Shadows (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 14 copies

The goddess (1979) — Cover artist, some editions — 14 copies

Dark venture (1968) — Cover artist, some editions — 13 copies

Fire and the Night (1962) — Cover artist, some editions — 12 copies

Tales from Scandinavia (The World folktale library) (1979) — Illustrator — 11 copies

The Magic of Their Singing (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 10 copies

The Infinite Web (1977) — Cover artist, some editions — 8 copies

To Sleep with Ghosts (1992) — Cover artist, some editions — 7 copies

Galaxy Science Fiction 1957 April, Vol. 13, No. 6 (1957) — Illustrator — 7 copies

Mr. Ballerina (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 6 copies

Little Fox's Dream (1976) — Illustrator — 5 copies

A Hornbook for Witches: Stories and Poems for Halloween — Cover artist — 4 copies

Carnival of angels (1961) — Cover artist, some editions — 3 copies

The peacock's tail (1965) — Cover artist, some editions — 2 copies

Tales of Witches, Ghosts and Goblins — Cover artist — 2 copies

Voyages: the 25th Annual World Fantasy Convention — Cover artist — 2 copies

Gent, April 1959 (Vol. 3, No. 4) — Illustrator — 1 copy

Tagged

(2,929) 20th century (1,555) adventure (3,742) allegory (1,800) C.S. Lewis (2,528) children (3,703) children's (6,870) children's fiction (1,879) children's literature (3,448) Christian (2,040) Christianity (2,463) Chronicles of Narnia (3,006) classic (6,336) classics (8,164) ebook (1,470) fantasy (42,956) fiction (41,931) Greek (1,512) history (1,934) juvenile (1,455) literature (5,087) magic (3,263) Narnia (8,076) non-fiction (1,607) novel (4,754) own (2,291) paperback (1,718) poetry (3,859) read (5,518) religion (3,053) science fiction (17,578) series (4,502) sf (3,523) sff (1,984) short stories (2,152) time travel (1,405) to-read (15,261) unread (1,805) YA (4,032) young adult (6,744)

Common Knowledge

Legal name: Dillon, Lionel John
Birthdate: 1933-03-02
Date of death: 2012-05-26
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Place of death: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Cause of death: lung cancer
Places of residence: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Education: Parsons School of Design
Occupations: Children's Book Author
Children's Book Illustrator
Cover Artist
Relationships: Dillon, Diane (wife, collaborator)
Dillon, Lee (son, collaborator)
Awards and honors: Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (Contemporary ∙ 2008)
Caldecott Medal (1977)
Caldecott Medal (1976)
Short biography: Leo Dillon was a celebrated African-American magazine and book-cover artist, and a children's book author and illustrator. The vast majority of his work was done collaboratively with his wife, Diane Dillon, with whom he won his many awards, although a few early titles were solo projects.

Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Lionel John Dillon was the son of Trinidadian immigrants, and was educated at the Parsons School of Design, after serving in the US Navy for three years. Here he met Diane Sorber, who was initially a fierce artistic competitor. Eventually the two married, and commenced a fifty-year collaborative career that produced 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. Dillon died of lung cancer in 2012.
Disambiguation notice: Although most of Leo Dillon's illustrations were collaborations with his wife Diane, a few early works are by Leo only.

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Reviews

Jazz On A Saturday Night (Coretta Scott King Honor… by Leo & Diane Dillon

Famous jazz musicians are named in this rhyming, rhythmic book. At the end of the book there are short bios on each. Also “some of our favorite recordings” list. Our copy does not include a CD.

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VillageProject | 32 other reviews | Apr 11, 2023 |

Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles - Think of That! by Leo Dillon

Great for having books on historical figures. The illustrations were nice to look at and i'm sure children will enjoy the repetition. It also won a Caldecott medal.

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MichelleCota | 57 other reviews | Dec 1, 2022 |