Jerry Pinkney: An American Illustrator
Jerry Pinkney was a beloved African American illustrator whose cultural roots are woven throughout his body of work, which includes over one hundred children’s books. Many of the classic folk tales that he chose to retell were originally shared with him by his parents in the timeless oral tradition.
He once said,
“I am a storyteller at heart. There is something special about knowing that your stories can alter the way people see the world, and their place within it.”
In his lifetime, Pinckney won a long list of medals, including five Caldecott Honors and the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion & the Mouse.
Jerry Pinkney spent fifty years as a professional illustrator and over a decade working on his memoir, the newly published Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life. In the book, he welcomes us into his family life as a child growing up in Philadelphia in the 1940’s and 50’s. He recounts the struggles of being an introverted middle child in a large family (he had five siblings), the need to work harder than others in school due to his dyslexia, and the complexity of life as a black American—a story made all the more memorable for the way he manages to blend the warm, rich culture of his family heritage with the difficulties they endured.
When Pinckney died in 2021, at the age of 81, the artwork for the book was left unfinished, but his sketches add a particular charm to the book.
Below, I’ll share a few excerpts and images from the memoir.
In the epilogue, Pinkney explains that he chose to include the term, ‘Colored’, for the sake of authenticity. He notes:
“I have chosen to use that word only in thoughts and dialogue, for accuracy. In today’s society that term is no longer imbued with the sense of dignity that I witnessed and with which I was raised. Yet, it felt important to use the term in order to truly immerse readers in the cultural landscape of my youth.
Despite my being surrounded by a loving family and neighbors, living in the shadow of the Jim Crow laws that my parents and other Southern families…had tried to flee was never easy, and it was an often silent but heavy weight on the grown-ups as well as on their children. Drawing became my refuge.”
Near the beginning of the memoir, Jerry Pinkney writes:
“I’d been drawing for as far back as I could remember. My grandfather Charles worked at the Blaisdell pencil factory…so there was no shortage of pencils around.
Everything I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled, I’d think of as a picture.
I added more lines to a cowboy on horseback. They flowed out of my hand without my even trying, carrying me far away to the limitless plains of the West. Finally, I was able to be alone, able to be anything and go anywhere. And in the world in which I was living, to be anything or go anywhere was not a dream that young Black boys often dared to have.
. . . I took the sketchpad to one of my favorite places to draw: beneath the keyboard of our upright piano. It was one of the few spaces in the house that felt sheltered. The doors of our home weren’t locked during the day, so everyone from the ice man to relatives and friends could just walk in, and they did. There was no private space, so I’d created my own art studio.”
“Weekday mornings were always hectic at our house, especially because there was only one bathroom, with a tub but no sink.
All the sounds of early morning buzzed around me–doors slamming, dishes clattering in the sink, footsteps charging up and down the stairs, overlapping voices of five kids getting ready for school–so I didn’t hear Mother come right up behind me.
Friday was the day we took English tests at school. That morning, as on other Fridays, Mother reached into her pocket and took out a pack of Tums, placing two tablets in my hand. Her voice and her touch comforted me. Mother always knew when I needed to feel better about myself. Around Mother I felt valuable, that all things were possible.”
At one point, Pinkey relates the following conversation with a teacher at school:
“Mrs. Miller reminded me of Mother. I didn’t have to hide my struggles from her. She was strict, but she knew what was going on in my head when I wouldn’t raise my hand for fear that I would give a wrong answer.
‘Jerry,’ she began, ‘we’re about to start a school-wide unit about safety. I’ve seen the drawings in your sketchpad. Would you draw us something for fire prevention week? You can use your talents for extra credit. It will bring your grades up.
‘With your challenges, you’ll need to work much harder than your classmates,’ she said. ‘But I truly believe you can become whatever you want to be. It’s a pity we don’t have more role models like Henry O. Tanner.’
‘Who is Henry O. Tanner?’ I asked.
‘He’s a gifted Colored artist who has received much recognition. Mr. Tanner is a painter who studied right here in Philadelphia. Maybe,’ she added, ‘by the time you finish your schooling, more Colored artists will be recognized.”
The book continues through Pinckney’s life as a youth, telling how he earned a job selling newspapers, which then led him to meet a professional cartoonist who encouraged Jerry towards the path of a career in the arts.
At the end of the memoir, he writes, “I couldn’t even begin to dream of my art being shown in a place like the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I’d never even been to a museum. But all that time I’d put into drawing, I was drawing my dream. And one day, more than fifty years later, the Philadelphia Museum of Art mounted a solo museum titled, ‘Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney.’
Many of Pinkney’s illustrations reflect the radiant dignity of African American culture.
A large portion of Jerry Pinkey’s work portrays the animal world. He re-told the stories of The Ugly Duckling, The Grasshopper and the Ants, Aesops Fables, The Little Red Hen, The Tortoise and the Hare, and many more. Pinkney applies a unique style of raw realism and unexpected viewpoints to help us see these classic stories in a fresh, compelling way. Children are naturally drawn to his watercolors that are full of movement, texture, and compassion.
Jerry also loved to personify his animal characters. He says, “For me, there is a balance between the natural beauty of a creature and my need to personify the animal to fit the story. I try to stay true to what the animal looks like in real life, while adding details, such as dressing up the character in human clothing. And at times, depending on the story, other parts of an image can hint at emotion, too. Trees and flowers, the sun and moon, and even the wind can help to expand the storyline.”
(source)
Our four year old, Lydia, has been enjoying his books every night before bed lately. She loves all of them, but her two favorites are Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Kittens. (And her voices for the wolf and the grandma are priceless).
We are grateful that Jerry Pinkney chose to hone his gifts for drawing and storytelling and share them with the rest of the world. Let us know which of his books are your family’s favorites!
You can find his work in libraries and bookstores across the country. And be sure to check out the memoir, Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life; your older children will enjoy it, too!
Thank you for reading Goldberry Arts!
Additionally, there are many good video interviews with Jerry Pinkney. Here are a couple that I enjoyed:
i wish I had known about this wonderfully talented man when I was reading aloud to my children. What beautifully done watercolors, such a difficult medium to manage and perfect for his style and stories. I've forwarded this to everyone I know with small and teen-age children. They need to know about these books.
We enjoy his Noah’s Ark and John Henry. Thanks for letting us know about his autobiography! My family also appreciates the works of his son, Brian. I keep my eyes out for editions illustrated by him when shopping and at second hand sales. The illustrations are amazing.