Just Jerry

Starred review from December 5, 2022
In kinetic sketches and sensorial prose both warm and electric, late Caldecott Medalist Pinkney recalls his post-WWII childhood and path toward making “something of my name.” Three quick-paced sections and an epilogue span the figure’s early life on Philadelphia’s East Earlham Street (“our tight-knit, all-Black block”), his navigating dyslexia at school, and his adopting art as a profession. Through it all, Pinkney finds solace and joy in drawing, a talent that adults recognize from a young age: an English teacher rewards him with extra credit for sketching diagrams, a boss encourages him to draw between selling newspapers, and a comic-strip artist steps forward as a mentor. Pinkney’s discovery that his school difficulties don’t define him, and that his artistic gift can secure his future, give the story power and excitement. Throughout, familial portraits prove moving, including those of Pinkney’s mother, who instinctively knew when he was anxious, and his hardworking father, whose recognition he desired. Though an editor’s note explains that the art for this volume wasn’t finished before the author-illustrator’s 2021 death, loose sketches included throughout convey a vivid sense of life in progress, giving this treasure of a memoir a growing and changing feel. Pinkney’s language reflects the era in which he was born, a decision contextualized in the epilogue. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from January 1, 2023
Reflecting on some memorable moments of his life, celebrated author-illustrator Pinkney offers an intimate look back to his childhood in this poignant, posthumously published memoir. The book opens in 1949 in a close-knit African American community in Philadelphia, where nine-year-old Jerry's days are filled with the camaraderie of his "buddies" and their escapades in the neighborhood. Having drawn for as long as he could remember, Pinkney recalled, "It was my way of living in my imagination, and breaking free of the constraints I was growing up with. Everything I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled, I'd think of as a picture." He thrived in a nurturing, sometimes chaotic home; his supportive family recognized his talent, but he faced challenges in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. At age thirteen, while working at a newsstand, he met a comics artist who invited Pinkney to visit his studio, leading the young man to believe "that my talents might lead to an actual profession." Pinkney's conversational text, printed in a dyslexia-friendly font (per the book's introduction), is accompanied by equally energetic and copious sketches that weave in and out of the pages; final art had not been completed upon his death. An opening editor's note explains Pinkney's vision for the book, which he had been thinking about and working on for a decade, until he died in 2021: "This book has been visually composed in a way that differs from Jerry's intention but hopefully still captures his goal...to believably bring readers into the world in which he grew up [through] a visually immersive approach." A list of key dates and selected accomplishments of this extraordinary artist is appended. Pauletta Brown Bracy

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 1, 2023

Gr 3-7-The artistry of the late Jerry Pinkney has captured readers for decades. Now his memoir takes us into his life and the influences that set him on the path to Caldecott and Coretta Scott King awards. The letters of his name on the book's cover serve as windows into some of his well-known illustrations, such as The Lion and the Mouse and The Grasshopper and the Ants. Those glimpses, along with a drawing of young Pinkney and his sketchbooks, show readers the beginning and end of the journey that his memoir will describe. The narrative is divided into three sections that explore his family and home life, neighborhood and friends, and then his introduction to art as a possible career path. Pinkney had planned to add many detailed drawings. Although that was not possible, the sketches that are included give a sense of intimacy, as if readers are looking over his shoulder while he works. Due to his own childhood experience with dyslexia, the font used is designed to be reader-friendly to make the book more accessible. The epilogue includes photos of him, his siblings and parents, his wife and children, and cover images from some of the books he illustrated. A time line covers key dates from his life and career. VERDICT A must-have for school libraries; perfect for author studies, lessons on book awards, and all fans of Pinkney's work.-Suzanne Costner

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2022
The late Caldecott medalist Pinkney shares the childhood experiences that put him on the path to greatness. Young Jerry grew up on a nurturing, all-Black block in Philadelphia in the 1940s and '50s; his large family and circle of friends were crucial to his development as an artist, especially as he struggled with dyslexia. Jerry's grandfather worked at a pencil factory, so Jerry was always able to draw whatever caught his imagination. His father took him along on home-repair jobs, showing Jerry the value of hard work. School was difficult, but his teacher Mrs. Miller helped him find ways to incorporate his drawing into his schoolwork. Jerry and his friends faced de facto segregation, and Jerry longed for experiences that were out of reach. A part-time job selling newspapers led to a chance meeting with cartoonist John Liney, and a visit to his studio offered a glimpse of what it would be like to be a working artist. This memoir, which was largely completed at the time of Pinkney's death in 2021, provides important insight into one of children's literature's most prolific illustrators. Intimate and conversational in tone, the narrative is warm and inviting. The importance of family and community and Pinkney's determination are strong themes throughout. The powerful text is accompanied by sketches that enhance the tale (an editor's note states that Pinkney had planned to flesh those sketches out into elaborate drawings). A moving work from a legend of children's literature and a testament to his legacy of visual storytelling. (timeline) (Memoir. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2023
Grades 3-7 *Starred Review* Pinkney recalls his youth in this lively memoir, beginning with his childhood in the 1940s. One of six children growing up with their parents in a tight-knit Black community in Philadelphia, he joined his friends outdoors to race around the neighborhood, play cowboys, and shinny up lampposts. At home, he would take out his sketch pad and pencil and draw. The narrative includes pleasures and challenges brought by family excursions to the beach and the countryside, as well as his undiagnosed dyslexia, which made schoolwork difficult. At 13, selling newspapers on a street corner, he met an artist who looked through his sketch pad, took an interest in his work, and encouraged him to pursue a career in art. Vivid, detailed memories bring the era to life, and dialogue with friends and family includes their concerns about racial prejudice affecting their lives. Throughout the book, Pinkney's illustrations add an expressive, visual component to his storytelling. Because he was working on his memoir when he died in 2021, the pictures are graphite sketches rather than the finished art he had planned. But the look of the sketches, full of vitality and grace, is all his own. A unique resource created by one of America's most beloved illustrators.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Reflecting on some memorable moments of his life, celebrated author-illustrator Pinkney offers an intimate look back to his childhood in this poignant, posthumously published memoir. The book opens in 1949 in a close-knit African American community in Philadelphia, where nine-year-old Jerry's days are filled with the camaraderie of his "buddies" and their escapades in the neighborhood. Having drawn for as long as he could remember, Pinkney recalled, "It was my way of living in my imagination, and breaking free of the constraints I was growing up with. Everything I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled, I'd think of as a picture." He thrived in a nurturing, sometimes chaotic home; his supportive family recognized his talent, but he faced challenges in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. At age thirteen, while working at a newsstand, he met a comics artist who invited Pinkney to visit his studio, leading the young man to believe "that my talents might lead to an actual profession." Pinkney's conversational text, printed in a dyslexia-friendly font (per the book's introduction), is accompanied by equally energetic and copious sketches that weave in and out of the pages; final art had not been completed upon his death. An opening editor's note explains Pinkney's vision for the book, which he had been thinking about and working on for a decade, until he died in 2021: "This book has been visually composed in a way that differs from Jerry's intention but hopefully still captures his goal...to believably bring readers into the world in which he grew up �through] a visually immersive approach." A list of key dates and selected accomplishments of this extraordinary artist is appended.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)