Picture of author.

Phoebe Gilman (1940–2002)

Author of Something from Nothing

17+ Works 4,269 Members 64 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Series

Works by Phoebe Gilman

Something from Nothing (1992) 1,891 copies
Jillian Jiggs (1985) 520 copies
Grandma and the Pirates (1990) 419 copies
The Balloon Tree (1984) 286 copies
Jillian Jiggs to the Rescue (1994) 197 copies
The Gypsy Princess (1995) 87 copies
Pirate Pearl (1657) 47 copies
A Treasury of Jillian Jiggs (2008) 38 copies
Little Blue Ben (1948) 37 copies
Blue Hippopotamus (2007) 20 copies

Associated Works

Once Upon a Golden Apple (1991) — Illustrator — 119 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Gilman, Phoebe
Birthdate
1940-04-04
Date of death
2002-08-29
Gender
female
Nationality
USA (birth)
Canada
Birthplace
Bronx, New York, USA
Place of death
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Places of residence
New York, New York, USA (Birth)
Europe
Jerusalem, Israel
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Rome, Italy
Education
Hunter College
High School of Art and Design
Occupations
art instructor
children's book author
children's book illustrator
painter
Organizations
Art Students League of New York
Ontario College of Art (instructor)
Canadian Children's Book Centre
Short biography
IPhoebe Gilman was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. She went to the High School of Art and Design, Hunter College, and the Art Student's League of New York. As a young artist, one of her passions was travel, and she lived in Europe and Israel for extended periods. In 1974, two years after arriving in Canada, she married Brian Bender, with whom she had three children. She taught for 15 years at the Ontario College of Art before devoting herself full-time to writing and illustrating children's books. Her first book, The Balloon Tree, appeared in print in 1984 after she spent 15 years of trying to get published, and became the first of many works. Her books are notable for their strong female characters. Something from Nothing won the 1993 Ruth Schwartz Award for best children's book, and was later adapted into a television special. She died at age 62 of leukemia, two years after recovering from breast cancer.

Members

Reviews

This book is very nice and a tribute to the understanding between a grandparent and a grandchild. Phoebe Gilman is one of my favorite author/illustrators. I just realized while I was writing this review my children are reading another Phoebe Gilman book in the living room. A Treasury of Jillian Jiggs.
 
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FamiliesUnitedLL | 40 other reviews | Mar 31, 2023 |
My memories of reading this story as a kid are of how enraptured I was with the illustrations, particularly of the shiny blue blanket material. That bedazzlement has not faded.

This book has SO MUCH going on. The main story, yes, but also the exquisite illustrations of the shtetl that show the stories of its inhabitants; the understated character actions like Joseph's sister trying to comfort him with her own doll; the parallel story of the mouse family living under the house; the message about not letting materials go to waste (both in the main house and in the mouse house). There are relatively few words, but the incredible illustrations inspire several minutes of perusal before turning the page.

Also there's an adorable panel of little mice children attending Hebrew school, and if that at least doesn't get you to pick up this book, I don't know what else to say.
… (more)
 
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hissingpotatoes | 40 other reviews | Dec 28, 2021 |
I remember really loving the Jillian Jiggs books (mostly because of her whimsically hilarious pig characters), but re-reading these as an adult doesn’t hold quite the same charm. The premise is still a good one for a story, with the young Jillian channelling her messy room and hoarding nature into the creation of many, many wonderful pig characters, but somehow the story is a lot flatter than I remember. Our Jillian character is wonderfully creative, and I absolutely love all of the many pigs she creates, but I feel like I remember a lot more pigs and a lot more backstory. Maybe we just filled in the blanks better as children than we do as adults.… (more)
 
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JaimieRiella | 2 other reviews | Apr 27, 2021 |
When pirates, attracted by the smell of home-cooked noodle pudding, abduct Grandma and her parrot, clever Melissa comes up with a plot to set Grandma free. -- GoodReads
 
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EKiddieKollege | 6 other reviews | Aug 8, 2020 |

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Statistics

Works
17
Also by
1
Members
4,269
Popularity
#5,886
Rating
4.2
Reviews
64
ISBNs
143
Languages
4
Favorited
1

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