Melissa Sweet (illustrator)
Melissa Sweet (born January 1, 1956) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. She has won several awards for her illustrations, most notably a Caldecott Honor in 2009 for A River of Words and in 2015 for The Right Word, both by Jennifer Fisher Bryant.[1]
Personal life
Sweet was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey and studied at Kansas City Art Institute.[2] She lives with her husband and dogs in Rockport, Maine.[3]
Career
Sweet began her career in book illustration with James Howe’s Pinky and Rex series.[4] She has since illustrated nearly 100 books;[5] several of these she authored and for many more she collaborated with other writers. She illustrated three books for author Jen Bryant including, A River of Words, A Splash of Red, and The Right Word.[6]
Sweet conducts extensive research on the subjects of her biographies for children, which she illustrates with watercolor, mixed media, and collage.[7]
Selected Works
Author and illustrator
- Carmine: A Little More Red (2005) – New York Times Best Illustrated book
- Tupelo Rides the Rails (2008)
- Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade (2011) – Sibert Medal winner (for informational books), Orbis Pictus Award (for nonfiction)
- Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White (2016) – New York Times Best Seller, Orbis Pictus Award
Illustrator
- A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (2008) by Jen Bryant – Caldecott Honor (2009)
- A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (2013) by Jen Bryant
- The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (2014) by Jen Bryant – Caldecott Honor (2015), Kirkus Prize finalist (Young Readers)[8]
References
- ↑ Keyes, Bob (4 February 2015). "Maine author Melissa Sweet wins Caldecott Honor for ‘The Right Word’". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ↑ "Melissa Sweet". Mazza Museum. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ↑ Morris, Alison (6 September 2007). "Visiting Melissa Sweet (Maine Post #3)". Publishers Weekly.
- ↑ "Balloons over Broadway: The Author". University of Minnesota Libraries. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ↑ "National Book Festival: Melissa Sweet". Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ↑ Bryant, Jen (May–June 2016). "Jen Bryant & Melissa Sweet". The Horn Book Magazine. 92 (3): 20–21.
- ↑ Keyes, Bob (25 October 2014). "Illustrator Melissa Sweet on learning her subjects". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ↑ "2014 Finalists: young readers' literature". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 8 April 2017.