BOOKS BY BRIAN WILDSMITH

"I believe that beautiful picture books are vitally important in subconsciously forming a child's visual appreciation, which will bear fruit later in life." -Brian Wildsmith


While visiting my sister, I came across a book that I hadn't thought of in years, by an author/illustrator I have not mentioned yet. The book was JOSEPH and the illustrations are by Brian Wildsmith. He is certainly one of the greatest living children's illustrators today. His first book ABC, for which he was awarded the Kate Greenway Medal (Britain's equal to our Caldecott Medal), was published in 1962.

Brian Wildsmith has done a whole series of Bible storybooks, with artwork that is full of lavish color and detail. He was born and raised in a small village in Yorkshire, England, "where everything", he says, "...was grey. There wasn't any colour. It was all up to my imagination. I had to draw in my head..." When asked why he paints with so much detail, he relates: "I believe children appreciate details as well as color. I want to help young people wonder at the world and to become close observers of the beauty and harmony in nature."

Brian Wildsmith also enjoyed writing and illustrating books about animals. He relates, "We once had a blind dog that was mothered by a neighborhood dog. I was quite impressed by this and learned that animals show a great deal of compassion for one another. When I paint animals, I imagine them as a child would. I want children to make personal connections to the animals in my books."

Today, as an octogenarian living in southern France, Wildsmith still paints in a studio where he is inspired by the light and colors of the Mediterranean Sea.

MORE BIBLE BOOKS:
EXODUS; A CHRISTMAS STORY; THE EASTER STORY; JESUS.
OTHER STORIES:
CAT ON THE MAT; THE LITTLE WOOD DUCK; THE OWL AND THE WOODPECKER; OPPOSITES; ZOO ANIMALS; AMAZING ANIMAL ALPHABET; ANIMAL GALLERY; THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE; CAROUSEL; FISHES; BIRDS; JUNGLE PARTY; HUNTER AND HIS DOG.
ILLUSTRATED BY BRIAN WILDSMITH:
A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES, by Robert Louis Stevenson.



(quotes from http://www.brianwildsmith.com/ )