Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors.
Pinkney was born in Philadelphia on December 22, 1939, to Williemae and James Pinkney.[7][8] Pinkney was the middle child in a family of five siblings.[9] Pinkney struggled in school due to dyslexia, but excelled at drawing, even at the young age of 4.[10] During Pinkney's youth, his mother encouraged him to develop his skills by enrolling him in art classes, but Pinkney's father did not consider art a sustainable career until Pinkney grew older.[11]
During his early teens, Pinkney worked at a local newspaper stand, where he would pass the time by drawing city life.[10] Pinkney's talent caught the eye of customer and cartoonist John Liney, who worked on the Henry comic strips.[8] Liney showed Pinkney how artistry could be used for commercial purposes.[12]
Pinkney attended the Murrell Dobbins Vocational High School for his secondary education and met his future wife, Gloria Jean Pinkney, during this time.[13] Pinkney graduated from Murrell Dobbins in 1957 and was granted a full scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art (now University of the Arts).[14][15] Pinkney only attended the Philadelphia College of Art for a few years, leaving to start a family with wife Gloria.[16]
In 1960, Pinkney began working for The Rust Craft Greeting Card Company in Dedham, Massachusetts.[13] Pinkney later worked at Barker-Black Studio, where he illustrated his first picture book in collaboration with Joyce Cooper Arkhurst called, The Adventures of Spider: West African Folk Tales (1964).[17] He, along with two other artists, opened Kaleidoscope Studio a few years later.[18] Pinkney opened his own freelance studio, Jerry Pinkney Studios, in 1968.[17]
Jerry Pinkney and Gloria Jean Pinkney have four children: Troy, Brian, Scott, and Myles.[27] Brian Pinkney and his wife Andrea Davis Pinkney also write books for children.[27] The other Pinkney children, including Jerry and Gloria Pinkney's six grandchildren, all participate in the arts, which Gloria calls a continuation of “the Pinkney tradition.”[28]
Pinkney lived in Croton-on-Hudson in New York with his wife Gloria, where he worked out of his freelance studio, Jerry Pinkney Studio, since 1971.[17]
Pinkney got his start drawing in pencil[30] and his early works were black and white productions.[31] Pinkney used a combination of watercolors and pencils for the majority of his work, along with other materials, such as, "pastel[s], color pencils, and Cray-Pas".[15] In an interview, he stated watercolors are his "medium of choice."[30] Pinkney's "intricate detail" is considered "rare" for a person who uses watercolors.[32]
Pinkney researched the subjects of his works for accuracy, such as the dress of the characters involved and the time periods.[32] Pinkney also used live models for establishing character poses.[31] Pinkney has stated he liked to draw animals the most and to give these characters human features.[15]
Many of Pinkney's titles are on diverse themes and topics, such as African American history, and Pinkney has stated his stories are a way for him to "revisit" his childhood.[30] His recent book, A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr and the Speech That Inspired a Nation (2019), portrays Martin Luther King Jr.'s1963 March on Washington"I Have A Dream" speech.[33]
A number of Pinkney's works retell Aesop Fables, such as The Grasshopper & The Ants (2015) and The Lion and the Mouse (2009).[34]
Yellow Robe, Rosebud. Tonweya and the Eagles and Other Lakota Indian Tales. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Press, 1979.[68]
1980–1989
Hamilton, Virginia. Jahdu. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1980.[69]
Zaslavsky, Claudia. Count on Your Fingers African Style. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Crowell, 1980.[70]
Wise, William. Monster Myths of Ancient Greece. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Putnam, 1981.[71]
Michels, Barbara and Bettye White, eds. Apples on a Stick: The Folklore of Black Children. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983.[72]
Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial, 1985.[73]
Buxton, Jane Heath, John Strejan, and James Diaz. Strange Animals of the Sea. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1987.[75]
Carlstrom, Nancy White. Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1987.[76]
Lester, Julius.More Tales of Uncle Remus: Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit, His Friends, Enemies and Others. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books, 1987.[78]
Fields, Julia. The Green Lion of Zion Street. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: McElderry Books, 1988.[79]
Lester, Julius. Further Tales of Uncle Remus: The Misadventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, the Doodang and Other Creatures. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books, 1990.[85]
Wheeler, Lisa. The Christmas Boot. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016.[129]
Pinkney, Jerry. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2017.[130]
Brown, Margaret Wise. A Home in the Barn. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.[131]
Wittenstein, Barry. A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr and the Speech That Inspired a Nation. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Holiday House, 2019.[132]
2020-2021
Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Mermaid. New York, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020.
Wells, Rosemary. The Welcome Chair. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2021.
Provided the illustrations for Charles L. Bronson's 1984 National Geographic Magazine article "Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad."[152]
Illustrated "Silent Lobby," a story written by Mildred Pitts Walter that appeared in The Big Book For Peace (New York: E. P. Dutton Children's Books, 1990).[153]
Pinkney has received many awards for his work as an illustrator over the years and has been recognized by multiple organizations for his contributions as an artist.
1994: Pinkney, Gloria Jean. The Sunday Outing. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1994.[97][158]
1997: San Souci, Robert D. The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997.[102][159]
2020: Wittenstein, Barry. A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr and the Speech That Inspired a Nation. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Holiday House, 2019.[132][5]
In 1997, Pinkney was nominated for the biennial 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Award, considered to be the "Nobel Prize for children's literature."[162]
In 2000, Kent State University awarded Pinkney the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, which honors creators of "multicultural literature" for youth.[163][164]
In 2011, the New York Society of Illustrators inducted Pinkney into the organization's Hall of Fame for Pinkney's achievements and contributions as an artist.[166]
In 2013, Pinkney received the Distinguished Arts Award as part of the Pennsylvania Governor's Awards for the Arts.[167]
In 2016, the city of Philadelphia named July 19 "Jerry Pinkney Day" to honor Pinkney's achievements.[168]
In 2016, the Norman Rockwell Museum named Pinkney their Artist Laureate for his achievements as an illustrator.[169]
^ abcCummings, Pat (1999). Talking with Artists: Conversations with Victoria Chess, Pat Cummings, Leo and Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellogg, Kerry Pinckney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiener. Hong Kong: Simon and Schuster Books for young readers. p. 61. ISBN978-0-02-724245-4.
^ ab(1) "African American Subjects on United States Postage Stamps"(PDF). USPS. United States Postal Service. February 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.(2) Dunn, John F. (March 1, 1987). "Stamps; New Commemorative for Black Heritage Series". Arts. The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015. The Du Sable commemorative is the first Black Heritage issue that was not designed by Jerry Pinkney of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. although he was art director for this issue. The series has previously honored Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Banneker, Whitney Young, Jackie Robinson, Scott Joplin, Carter Woodson, Mary McLeod Bethune and Sojourner Truth.
^ abUnderground Railroad, Official National Park Handbook, No. 156, Division of Publications, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1998.
^ abc"Jerry Pinkney". The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
^ ab"Jerry Pinkney". Our White House | Looking In, Looking Out. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
^ abPinkney, Jerry (2014). "Conversation Currents: Watercolor as a Form of Storytelling: An Interview with Jerry Pinkney". Language Arts. 91 (6): 449–453. doi:10.58680/la201425475. ISSN0360-9170. JSTOR43824247.
^Arkhurst, Joyce Cooper; Pinkney, Jerry (1964). The adventures of Spider: West African folk tales. New York: Scholastic Book Services. ISBN978-0-590-03434-0. OCLC6122082.
^Fletcher, Helen Jill; Pinkney, Jerry (1965). The year around book. New York: McGraw-Hill. OCLC19231154.
^This is music for kindergarten and nursery school, Allyn and Bacon, 1967, OCLC5292292
^Garshin, V. M; Rudolph, Marguerita; Pickney, Jerry (1966). The travelling frog. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0-07-022906-8. OCLC221243150.
^Sobol, Ken (1966). A book of sizes & shapes. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill. OCLC255603852.
^Saleh, Harold J; Pinkney, Jerry (1967). Even tiny ants must sleep. New York: McGraw-Hill. OCLC935138.
^Spellman, John W; Pinkney, Jerry (1967). The beautiful blue jay, and other tales of India. Boston: Little, Brown. OCLC304403.
^Shoes, pennies, and rockets: a book of singing games, L.W. Singer, 1968, OCLC66033453
^Green, Lila; Pinkney, Jerry (1968). Folktales and Fairytales of Africa. Morristown NJ: Silver Burdett. OCLC731391093.
^Traudl; Pinkney, Jerry (1968). Kostas the rooster. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. OCLC12723572.
^Phillips, Irv; Pinkney, Jerry (1969). The twin witches of fingle fu. New York: L.W. Singer. OCLC63683.
^Powell, Fern; Pinkney, Jerry (1970). The porcupine and the tiger. New York; Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.; Responsive Environments Corp. OCLC50572959.
^Shaw, Thelma; Pinkney, Jerry (1969). Juano and the wonderful fresh fish. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. OCLC23103.
^Jefferson, Margo; Skinner, Elliott P; Pinckney, Jerry (1974). Roots of time: a portrait of African life and culture. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. OCLC63795588.
^Pinkney, Jerry; Wilson, Beth P; Pinkney, Jerry; Pinkney, Jerry (1974). The great Minu. Chicago: Follett. ISBN978-0-695-80409-1. OCLC636147207.
^Buxton, Jane Heath; Pinkney, Jerry; Strejan, John; Diaz, James; National Geographic Society (U.S.); Special Publications Division (1987). Strange animals of the sea. National Geographic Society. ISBN978-0-87044-686-3. OCLC15281797.
^Carlstrom, Nancy White; Pinkney, Jerry (1987). Wild, wild sunflower child Anna. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co. ISBN978-0-02-717360-4. OCLC503232379.
^Lester, Julius; Pinkney, Jerry (1987). The tales of Uncle Remus: the adventures of Brer Rabbit. New York: Dial Books. ISBN978-0-8037-0419-0. OCLC320542774.
^Lester, Julius; Pinkney, Jerry (1987). More tales of Uncle Remus: further adventures of Brer Rabbit, his friends, enemies, and others. New York: Dial Books. ISBN978-0-8037-0419-0. OCLC319830657.
^Aardema, Verna; Pinkney, Jerry (1989). Rabbit makes a monkey of lion: a Swahili tale. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN978-0-8037-0297-4. OCLC405581403.
^ abcPinkney, Jerry; Aesop (2009). The lion & the mouse. New York: Little, Brown and Co. Books for Young Readers. ISBN978-0-316-07360-8. OCLC858456607.
^The lion & the mouse (Book, 2009). [WorldCat.org]. February 22, 1999. OCLC816704952.
^Pinkney, Jerry; Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen (2017). The three billy goats Gruff. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN978-0-316-34157-8. OCLC939596150.
^ abWittenstein, Barry; Pinkney, Jerry (2019). A place to land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the speech that inspired a nation. Holiday House. ISBN978-0-8234-4331-4. OCLC1051778798.
^Brontë, Emily (1975). Wuthering Heights. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC1951898.
^Auchincloss, Louis (1976). The Winthrop covenant. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC2146900.
^Bromfield, Louis (1977). Early autumn. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC3015053.
^Swift, Jonathan (1977). Gulliver's travels. Franklin Center, PA.: Franklin Library. OCLC5027623.
^Updike, John (1977). Rabbit, run. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC4466081.
^Williams, Tennessee (1977). Selected plays. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC2899997.
^Fielding, Henry (1978). The history of Tom Jones, a foundling. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC4468461.
^Brooks, Van Wyck (1979). The flowering of New England, 1815–1865. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC5809317.
^Faulkner, William (1979). These thirteen. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC5944454.
^Michener, James A (1980). The covenant. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC7814185.
^Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich (1981). Lolita. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC7144396.
^Updike, John; Pinkney, Jerry (1981). Rabbit redux. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC9645012.
^Adams, Henry; Lodge, Henry Cabot; Massachusetts Historical Society (1982). The education of Henry Adams. Franklin Center, Pa.: Franklin Library. OCLC11271570.
^Hurston, Zora Neale; Williams, Sherley Anne; Pinkney, Jerry; Dee, Ruby (1991). Their eyes were watching God: a novel. Urbana; Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN978-0-252-01778-0. OCLC895094282.