Wisdom from Uri Shulevitz

Uri Shulevitz is a Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and author, and his "Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books" is highly recommended - cited by more than ten authors and illustrators as an "Essential Reference Book on Writing and Illustrating for Children & Teens," an article I pulled together a few years ago for "SCBWI The Book."

Early in the "Writing with Pictures," Uri offers a number of illustrations in sequence to help us understand readability, pacing, progression, and so much more about how we read picture sequences. As he writes on page 29,

When the actor-stage relationship is clear, when the picture code is consistent, when the progression is appropriate to the action, the picture sequence will "speak" to the reader. The more clearly the picture sequence speaks, the more enjoyment the reader will be able to get from it. And giving a feeling of satisfaction is essential in children's books.

There's so much more... "Writing with Pictures" is certainly worth checking out from the library or grabbing a used copy for yourself.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

The Purpose of Illustration...

"The main function of illustration is to illuminate text, to throw light on words. In fact, illustration in medieval books is called illumination and the term illustration derives from the Latin verb meaning "to light up," "to illuminate."

- pg. 120 of "Writing With Pictures: How To Write and Illustrate Children's Books" by Uri Shuilevitz.

This is just one of many inspirations from this number one most-recommended craft book on illustrating for children and teens!

Who said was it number one?

I asked twenty-five of the top authors, illustrators, and author/illustrators working in children's literature today. Also a book seller, an agent, an art director, a lawyer, a few poets, and an editor. I asked these experts for the books on craft that inspire them, that are must-reads, and that they recommend - and "Writing with Pictures" won the race, being included on ten short-lists!

You can check out the entire recommended bibliography in my "Essential Reference Books on Writing & Illustrating for Children & Teens" article in SCBWI's "The Book: The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children."