Art was my dearest friend.
To draw was trouble and safety, adventure and freedom.
In that four-cornered kingdom of paper, I lived as I pleased.
This is the story of a girl and her sketchbook.

In language that is fresh, visceral, and deeply moving—and illustrations that are irreverent and gorgeous—here is a memoir that will change the way you think about art, sex, politics, and survival in our times.

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Randolph Caldecott is best known as the namesake of the award that honours picture book illustrations. In this inventive biography, a leading children's literature scholar examines the man behind the medal. Including drawing from Caldecott's very last sketchbook, it shows why Caldecott was indeed the father of the modern picture book.

Few author-illustrators share Mo Willems keen insight into the minds of young children. Dubbed the master of the doodle, Willems inspires his readers to laugh and think, and perhaps most importantly, to express themselves creatively. Chronicling Willems' life and development as an illustrator and storyteller, this lively volume provides insight into his whimsical sensibility and demonstrates that hard work can be fun if you love what you do.

"In Pictured Worlds, renowned historian Leonard S. Marcus shares his incomparable knowledge of this global cultural phenomenon in the definitive reference work on children's book illustration. The author of more than 25 award-winning books, Marcus here highlights an international roster of 101 artists of the last 250 years whose touchstone achievements collectively chart the major trends and turning points in the history of children's book illustration....

"The long-awaited biography of the defining illustrator of the twentieth century by a celebrated art critic"--