Favorite Illustrators

In our world of blogging about our obsession with books, sometimes we don't give any credit to the illustrators. Not that many of our books even HAVE illustrations, but there are a few out there whose illustrations affected me more than the words of the books did. There are also a few illustrators whose works are just so poignant that I read the book because of them.

A few favorites:

Virgina Lee Burton, whose books include classics like Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel and The Little House, has a gift for taking her imagination and imprinting it on a page.


Her colors can be subdued or dark and bold - whatever fits the scene. The tiniest detail adds to the overall effect, and that grass - do you love that grass?!

*****************************


Hilary Knight (who you might know as the illustrator for those famous Eloise books.), illustrated this gorgeous version of Cinderella.


The illustrations are detailed to perfection, and every part of the character seems to tell the story. This was a favorite as a child and I still own a copy today. He has galleries in both New York and California where you can view his original artwork and get a signed copy.

*********************************


Kadir Nelson is definitely a favorite for me as well. You may know his awards winning book Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom. I must confess while the story is lovely, the illustrations are what make me love the book. He seems to know exactly how Harriet Tubman felt as he drew her.


My favorite of his books is Brothers of the Knight. A twist on the 12 Dancing Princesses, it's also a cute love story with some jazz. The illustrations are absolute dynamite.

So, those are my top 3 Illustrators, although I have many more I could add to this list.

Any one else have a favorite they'd like to share? I know there's a lot of professional illustrators out there - I'd love to see your work and who you admire in your own field.