Genre 1: Picture Books (Book 3)

PASS IT DOWN FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK

A. Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. PASS IT DOWN FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 2007. ISBN 10-802796004

B. Plot Summary
This book contains stories of famous illustrators who had children follow in their footsteps. Included are the Crews and Jonas family, the Hurd family, the Myers family, the Pinkney family and the Rockwell family. The idea of how we are like our parents extends past physical traits. Each illustrator discusses what is what like for them growing up, and how their work affected their children. Some of their children became artists while others did not. Discussed also were the different fields of illustrations and why one particular field was chosen over the other.

C. Critical Analysis
PASS IT DOWN FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK is eloquently written books that illustrates how artists develop from generation to generation. It also depicts a connection between the written words of a book and the pictures. This well-written, easy read book is sure to be an inspiration to all aspiring artists.

Artists from different backgrounds and ethnicity are depicted in order to demonstrate cultural diversity. A bi-racial family, The Crews and Jonas, are the first family discussed. There is a picture of each family listing birth dates (and death dates as well if applicable). In addition, there are pictures of the family through the years such as Nina and Amy Crews painting at a young age. These illustrations identify the influence the parents had upon their children. There are also samples of both parent and children's artwork. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences in each.

Vocabulary relevant to artists is evident in this book. For example the word "dummy" is used throughout, and one might not know what that means in artist's terms. Marcus adds a glossary at the end of the book to aid in understanding such terms. In addition to the glossary, there is a section in the back titled "Books in the Family" which lists books written and/or illustrated by each family. It is a wealth of information.

D. Review Excerpts
2008 NCTE Children's Assembly Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts
2008 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year starred selection
2007 Texas Woman's University Librarians' Choice 100 Best Books of the Year

"Fascinating...An outstanding work about the connections between parents and children, editors and artists and readers and writiers." -- Kirdus Reviews (starred review)

E. Connections
A wonderful book about how picture books come to be. It explains what goes on in an artist's mind and how the connection is made from written words to pictures. Although it is a great book for anyone interested in art or books, it is also just an enjoyable read about how children are affected by successful parents.

Other books by Leonard Marcus are MINDERS OF MAKE-BELIEVE, GOLDEN LEGACY, HOW GOLDEN BOOKS WON CHILDREN'S HEARTS, CHANGED PUBLISHING FOREVER, AND BECAME AN AMERICAN ICON ALONG THE WAY, and THE BIG ADVENTURE OF A LITTLE SOCK MONKEY.