Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life

An inspiring memoir of a Caldecott-winning artist and one of the most acclaimed childrens book illustrators of all time, sharing the story of a young artist who finds the courage to follow his passion against all odds. * "A moving work from a legend of children's literature and a testament to his legacy of visual storytelling." Kirkus Reviews, starred review Jerry Pinkneycreator of Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse and The Little Mermaiddrew everywhere, all the time. Since childhood, it was how he made sense of the worldhow he coped with the stress of being a sensitive child growing up in crowded spaces, struggling with a learning disability, in a time when the segregation of Black Americans was the norm. Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control, and confidence. When friends and siblings teased him about having the nickname Jerry as his only name, his mother always said, Just Jerry is enough. Hell make something of that name someday. And so he did, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated childrens book illustrators of all time and paving the way for countless other Black artists. Jerrys vivid recollections and lively sketchbook drawings of his youth in postwar America tell an inspiring story of how a hardworking boy pursued his passion in less-than-ideal circumstances and became a legendary artist against all odds.