Creative families pool their talents to make picture books

Partnerships between authors and illustrators are common in children's production and publishing. Some combine talent and style on the same art piece while others work in unison, one writing, the other doing illustration.

Leonard S. Marcus' new book, "Pass It Down: Five Picture-Book Families Make Their Mark" (Walker), explores book-publishing partnerships spanning generations. "While the parents had to blaze new career paths for themselves," says Marcus, "the children simply follow their parents' example."

Or was it so simple?

The author explains decisions the children had to face, such as Nina Crews' resistance to suggestions from her parents, Ann Jonas and Donald Crews, on becoming a picture-book illustrator.

This was not the case for Christopher Myers as his father, Walter Dean Myers, allowed him to sit in on publishing contracts at a very young age. "What Christopher most wanted, however, was to draw the pictures for his father's books." He ultimately did the illustrations for "Jazz" and "Blues Journey."

In "Pass It Down," Marcus provides intriguing tidbits about the families, including book dummies, memories and ongoing art projects. Besides the Jonas/Crews and Myers families he includes Clement and Edith Hurd and their son, Thacher; Jerry and son Brian Pinkney; and the Rockwell family, parents Harlow and Anne with daughter Lizzy.

While Marcus' book is only about five families, there are many other partnerships in publishing. These may lead to questions about who does what part of the project or how they work together. Leo and Diane Dillon work on the same art piece in adjacent but separate art studios. They have produced dozens of picture books, many of which are award-winning — "Ashanati to Zulu" is an example. On occasion their son, Lee, has contributed design of his own as a craftsman and jewelry maker.

A portion of Sarah Stewart and David Small's published work includes several picture books together, with him he illustrating her text. "The Friend" is an example. Their working partnership is an extension of a remarkable personal relationship, meeting and marriage — which is itself a storybook!

In Peter and Connie Roop's 80 children's books together, each partner has taken a lead where he or she was particularly interested. He, a former elementary teacher, and she, a high-school science teacher, have explored first-hand most of the sites of their nonfiction books, as they did on "River Roads West" (Calkins Creek/ Boyds Mills) about American's major river roads.

Jane Yolen, author of almost 300 children's books, has recently teamed with son, Jason Stemple, on picture-poetry books. With Jason's stunning photographs in "Shape Me a Rhyme" (WordSong), the simple verses do more than describe, they "set down how the shape made me feel," says the author.

Whether working as co-partners or simply extending the artistry of another's text or art, collaboration in picture-book production within families is fascinating. Marcus' book adds to our understanding of current authors and artists whose works are their family legacies.

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E-mail: marilou.sorensen@att.net