Posted November 8, 2011

Award-winning author/illustrator Brian Pinkney visited Southgate Elementary students last week.

Over the course of two days last week, Southgate students were treated to a visit from Author/Illustrator Brian Pinkney.

Pinkney is the illustrator of several highly-praised picture books including The Faithful Friend, In the Time of the Drums, and Duke Ellington. He is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and holds a master's degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Southgate students were prepared for Brian's visit with lessons in Library, Art, and Music in the weeks leading up to Brian's visit on November 3 & 4. His art work and the subject matter of the books he illustrated provided a rich source of inspiration for the students to create their own scratchboard art.

In Music, they learned about scat. In Library, the author/illustrator's books used in read alouds and discussions ranged from a lullaby, Hush Little Baby and story, Thumbelina, for kindergartners to biographies and historical fiction about slavery and standing up for equal rights for all used in the upper grades. The work of the students, in response to learning about Brian's illustrations and books, was on display in the school.

During the asssemblies, Pinkney shared with the students his sources of inspiration and the scratchboard art for which he is famous and has won two Caldecott awards as well as several Coretta Scott King awards. In response to student questions about his change to watercolor in some of his more recent books, Pinkney said he liked to try something new and stretch himself. He read a book he wrote and illustrated about a boy who played the drums, Max Found Two Sticks and played the drums for students.

Pinkney also spoke about working with his author wife, equally famous as Brian: Andrea Davis Pinkney, whose books he has illustrated, including Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride, Duke Ellington, and Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down.

To learn more about Brian Pinkney, you can visit his website, http://www.brianpinkney.net.