(born 1939), African American illustrator. Pinkney's imaginative, well-researched drawings and paintings enlivened more than 50 children's books. He often chose to illustrate publications that explored aspects of black heritage, including folklore, history, and multigenerational relations. Pinkney was born on Dec. 22, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pa. His parents and teachers recognized his artistic talent early on and encouraged his efforts. Cartoonist John Liney, who became his mentor after seeing the youngster making sketches at a local newspaper stand, showed Pinkney the possibilities of making a living as an artist. Pinkney attended a vocational high school with a strong commercial art program and upon graduation earned a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art (now the University of the Arts). In 1960 he moved to Boston, Mass., to work for a greeting card company. He later opened his own studio in New York, where he created advertisements, record jackets, textbook illustrations, and other material for corporate clients. ‘The Adventures of Spider: West African Folk Tales' (1964) marked Pinkney's entry into the illustration of children's trade publications, and he soon built a thriving career in the field. His early credits included Ann Trofimuk's ‘Babushka and the Pig' (1969), Cruz Martel's ‘Yagua Days' (1976), Mildred Taylor's Newbery Medal–winner ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry' (1976), Eloise Greenfield's ‘Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir' (1979), Virginia Hamilton's ‘Jahdu' (1980), and Claudia Zaslavsky's ‘Count on Your Fingers African Style' (1980). Pinkney received consecutive Coretta Scott King Awards for his illustrations in Valerie Flournoy's ‘The Patchwork Quilt' (1985) and Crescent Dragonwagon's ‘Half a Moon and One Whole Star' (1986), and later won twice more for Patricia C. McKissack's ‘Mirandy and Brother Wind' (1988) and Alan Schroeder's ‘Minty: A Story of Young Harriett Tubman' (1996). The American Library Association selected him three times as a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal: in 1989 for ‘Mirandy and Brother Wind', in 1990 for ‘The Talking Eggs' (1989, text by Robert D. San Souci), and in 1995 for ‘John Henry' (1994, text by Julius Lester). The last of these also earned Pinkney the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the picture-book category. Pinkney's other accomplishments included designing commemorative stamps for the United States Postal Service's Black Heritage series, serving on NASA's artist team for the space shuttle Columbia, and teaching at various universities. His artwork was exhibited at museums throughout the United States. Pinkney's son Brian was also a well-respected illustrator of children's books. |