SIDE BY SIDE: FIVE FAVORITE PICTURE-BOOK TEAMS GO TO WORK Review

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Marcus, Leonard S. 2001. SIDE BY SIDE: FIVE FAVORITE PICTURE-BOOK TEAMS GO TO WORK. Ills. By Egielski, Richard et al. New York: Walker & Co. ISBN 0802787789

SUMMARY:
This book is a mini anthology consisting of five stories describing how five authors chose their illustrators, becoming teams for multiple books. Each individual story describes how author and illustrator had similar backgrounds and could complement each other’s strengths or weaknesses, almost knowing exactly what the other both wanted and needed. Some of the teams did not stay together for every book, while others do. In one story, the authors and illustrators are also husband and wife. They remain as a team until the death of the husband, then the wife strikes out on her own. Another story describes a team’s attempt to update a wonderful story that had connotations of racism. The story was one of my childhood favorites.

ANALYSIS:
This book does not contain any fictional stories. Instead it contains the histories of five author/illustrator teams, especially describing how the team came to be a team. Marcus’ style is witty and engaging. The individual stories show children that the books they love don’t just happen but are carefully planned, sometimes for a year or longer. They describe the way in which a perfect partnership is a combination of hard work and a little providence.
Marcus does not have an illustrator for this book. Instead, he shows examples of work from both the authors and the illustrators. Some of the examples are drafts (or dummies); others are the completed work.
This book would be perfect for a teacher to share with students who have developed a taste for either an author or illustrator discussed. However, the book cover states that this is appropriate for ages eight and above. Yet the reading level is easily sixth grade or above. (Samples were taken from various sections and run through word processing word count and reading level.) Younger children may need a great deal of help to read and understand the concepts in this text.

REVIEW:
From Publishers WeeklyMarcus (A Caldecott Celebration; Author Talk) describes the creative collaborations of five author-artist teams whose processes prove as varied as their books. Though, for most projects, author and illustrator never meet, Marcus focuses on collaborators who "prefer or need to be in the thick of a freewheeling give-and-take with their partners." For each collaboration, he zooms in on one book in particular, and the pairs range from Arthur Yorinks and Richard Egielski, who struggled early on to get the attention of a publisher and broke through with their second book, Louis the Fish, to the fluid work style of husband-and-wife team Alice and Martin Provensen (using the Caldecott Medal-winning The Glorious Flight as the central example) who for 40 years shared both the writing and illustrating; in Alice Provensen's words, "Martin and I really were one artist." Although Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney had worked together for years, a more complicated, intensive discussion was required for Sam and the Tigers, a retelling of the racially stereotyped Little Black Sambo. Early thumbnail sketches, snapshots of dummies and finished artwork help capture the evolving process. Readers snared by their interest in the teams behind favorites such as the Magic School Bus series and The Stinky Cheese Man will appreciate the insights into the inner workings of bookmaking, and may well end up appreciating the books more for the energy and ingenuity it takes to create them. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalGr 3 Up-In this fascinating look at the collaborative process involved in creating picture books, Marcus examines how and why five different teams work together. In each case, he focuses on one book but shares plenty of information about the careers of the writers and artists. These collaborative experiences vary a great deal. For example, Jerry Pinkney and Julius Lester produced several books together before Sam and the Tigers, but that title truly joined them as collaborators, while Alice and the late Martin Provensen worked so closely that it is hard to tell who contributed what. Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen were brought together by an editor who thought they would be perfect for The Magic School Bus. The chapter on Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith devotes equal time to Molly Leach, the designer of The Stinky Cheese Man and several of their other books. Illustrations include thumbnail sketches, manuscript notes, dummy pages, and finished pages. Humorous anecdotes and personal comments make the figures come alive. Richard Egielski, who teams with Arthur Yorinks, vividly relates how he was unable to find a picture of a salmon for Louis the Fish and wound up peeling a label from a grocery-store can. Many of the titles described will be familiar to readers. However, even those who have not seen some of the featured books will be engaged by the creativity and cooperation exhibited here.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

CONNECTIONS:
Collect books by these teams to supplement the information given in these essays, to better exemplify the concepts.
Search for other author/Illustrator teams and have students write letters to their publishers (or through their websites) asking how they came together as a team.
Other illustrators with complementary mediums.
Marcus, Leonard. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. ISBN 082786561