Creation of Children's Picture Books

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, Pat. 1999. Talking with Artists. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
ISBN 0395891329

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In the third volume of the series, Pat Cummings interviews thirteen children's book illustrators. Each conversation with an artist follows the same format. First, the illustrator talks about their childhood and how they became interested in becoming an artist. They then answer questions about their everyday life and their work. Each artist also includes tips or advice for aspiring young artists.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cummings presentation of each artist is done in a way which most children will find appealing and approachable. Each artist including Peter Sis, and Paul O. Zelinsky have pictures of themself and artwork from their childhood. There is also a present day photograph and a recent illustration from each artist. Many of the artists have included photographs of their children or pets as well. Children who are interested in artwork or illustrating will find this title interesting, and will enjoy features such as what a normal day is like to the artist, and how they were able to get their first artwork published. The text is conversational and reachable for children. Some of the artists may not be familiar to the readers, and they therefore may not be interested in reading about these less familiar names. This book lacks information for children doing research on particular illustrators, such as how many books they have illustrated or the titles of each one.

4. REVIEW EXERPTS
School Library Journal: "While many readers will find the artists' tips that conclude the volume useful, all will appreciate these insightful conversations."
Booklist: "A special treat for budding artists and wonderful for teachers."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Pair a book written or illustrated by one of the featured artists with the corresponding information about the artist.
* After learning about the specific artistic techniques an illustator prefers, compare multiple books by that illustrator to see if their techniques vary. Compare earlier to later works to see if changes in techniques can be observed.
* Have the children try out some of the artists' secret techniques, such as Kevin Hawkes method for drawing an eye, or Peter Catalanotto's way to make an object look like it's moving.