Telling Lives: A Closer Look at Picture Book Biographies

At this morning-long symposium sponsored by NYU’s Georgiou Library of children’s literature, share in a wide-ranging conversation about one of contemporary children’s literature’s most popular and consequential genres: the picture book biography. Leonard will open the program by presenting an illustrated overview of the literature, followed by two in-depth panel discussions led by Georgiou librarian Kendra Tyson. The first panel, focusing on the making of Action Jackson, will feature all of the principal collaborators in this award-winning biography’s creation: authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrator Robert Andrew Parker, editor Neal Porter, and art director Jennifer Browne. The second panel will discuss a broad range of issues including cultural diversity, the challenge of crafting complex stories for young readers, and the value of the books at home, school, and beyond: Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, John Parra, Christy Ottaviano (Ottaviano/Holt), and Luann Toth (School Library Journal.) Come with questions and be prepared for a lively time. [For more information about the Georgiou Library’s biography collection, see: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/october/georgiou-library-receives-collection-of-picture-book-biographies-from-childrens-lit-authority-leonard-marcus.html