New York Times<\/em> in 1997<\/a>. \u201cThe simplicity is deceiving; there is richness of design and mastery of composition on every page.\u201d<\/p>\nConnors hatched the idea for the his picture book bio after being awarded the 2017 James Marshall Fellowship by the University of Connecticut, where Marshall\u2019s papers are housed. After a week \u201cdigging through a massive amount of Jim\u2019s sketchbooks, letters and art,\u201d he said, \u201cI spent one particularly lovely afternoon with Bill Gray, Jim\u2019s partner, who was kind enough to host me at their home and let me spend some time in Jim\u2019s attic studio.\u201d<\/p>\n
That experience led him to connect with people to whom Marshall had dedicated his books and track down out-of-print books Marshall had cited as inspiration. His first-hand research helped him develop the six stories included in the book, but when it came to illustrations, he went his own way.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a lifelong fan of drawing cartoon animals, I can honestly claim the illustration style of JIM!<\/em> as largely my own,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, I made sure to include trademark Marshall elements like his famous \u2018dot eyes.\u2019 There\u2019s some amount of homage in the compositions as well, as Jim enjoyed putting in little details for kids to dig into. I made sure to include a lot of Easter eggs for this reason.\u201d<\/p>\nIn his author\u2019s note, Connors said he depicted Marshall as a fox because when asked about his 1982 picture book Fox and His Friends<\/em>, Marshall said Fox was the character most like himself. One of the stories in the collection, \u201cFriendly Competition,\u201d explores the good-natured professional rivalry between Marshall, Sendak, and Lobel.<\/p>\nUnforgettable Friends<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nFor author-illustrator Emmy Kastner, the route to creating Outside In and the Inside Out<\/em>, about the life of Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honoree Lobel started with \u201ccuriosity and admiration.\u201d Lobel illustrated around 100 books in his career but met with the greatest success with his four-book Frog and Toad series, which debuted in 1970 and received a Caldecott Honor. His Fables<\/em> won the Caldecott Medal in 1981. Kastner said that although \u201cmaking a book about Arnold Lobel wasn\u2019t even a thought in my mind,\u201d reading a used copy of his biography led her \u201cdown a giant rabbit hole gathering every interview he ever gave.\u201d<\/p>\nAfter receiving the Ezra Jack Keats\/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship, Kastner spent a week poring through Lobel\u2019s archives, which are housed at the University of Minnesota. \u201cOne of my favorite aspects of research was this opportunity to connect with his work in such a hands-on way,\u201d she said. \u201cTo see his notes in the margins, conversations with his editor and art director, drafts, dummies, and finishes for 50 books was beyond significant for my book and who I am as an artist. What a gift to know someone\u2019s work so intimately, to be able to witness their growth as an artist from years and years of work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenwillow Books founder Susan Hirschman worked with Lobel throughout his career. \u201cFrom his first book through the many books and years that followed, Arnold never lost his passion and his excitement,\u201d she told PW<\/em>. \u201cWorking on his books was his joy, and for me, the day that Arnold delivered a perfect dummy or a spectacular new book is unforgettable. The emotion was undiluted and palpable, which is why, I think, the books are as fresh, important, and beloved today as they were 50 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\nKastner had some decisions to make when approaching the illustrations for her book. \u201cI made an agreement with myself: I would use the same tools he used when making art\u2014paint, pen and ink, and pencil\u2014 to make art how I make art,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to strike a balance of ensuring his work was recognizable\u2014because I\u2019m making a book about an iconic illustrator\u2014while making art my way.\u201d The story contained iconic characters, so she said she was worried that readers would want to see Frog and Toad on the pages \u201cin the exact way we know them to be. Only when I let go of what I thought anyone else might be looking for, did the art start to take shape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sadly, Marshall and Lobel\u2019s careers were cut short. Both men were gay and died of AIDS during the height of the crisis in the \u201980s and \u201990s. Connors incorporated the layers of Marshall\u2019s story into the book in different ways. \u201cMarshall was an openly gay man which, while sadly not always an easy thing, was particularly brave in the 1980s,\u201d he said. \u201cTo have skirted around his illness and death would have been disrespectful to his legacy. The story as I tell it shows Jim in the hospital surrounded by his loved ones with some of the dialogue coming from his recorded final conversations. As proud as I am of this biography, I was very happy to let Jim have the last word.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJim died just after his 50th birthday,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cHow sad for all of us, who missed out on the books he would have given us. His work is timeless; his books delight my grandchildren, who want to hear them over and over. I suspect their children will, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kastner weaves in Lobel\u2019s real life love stories into Outside In and the Inside Out<\/em>, incorporating both the family he had with his wife Anita, also an illustrator, and daughter Adrienne and son Adam, along with his later life with partner Howard Weiner. \u201cFrom the moment I decided to make a book about the life of Arnold Lobel, I knew I needed to find the right way to talk about every aspect of him, including his death,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cEven on his deathbed he implored everyone to find him in his books.\u201d<\/p>\nMarshall and Lobel were close friends, and Marshall even delivered a eulogy for him, including a mention of The Turnaround Wind<\/em>, Lobel\u2019s last book, about a giant wind that comes to a town and turns everything upside down. The book requires the reader to turn the book upside down and back and again to follow along. \u201cIt\u2019s been said that this story is an allegory for the AIDS epidemic, which is especially heartbreaking as Arnold was battling AIDS as he made this book,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cThis unlocked how I would talk about his death. I employed the same method I used throughout the rest of the book: I used his work to tell his story.\u201d Toward the end of Outside In and the Inside Out<\/em>, there is a section featuring the wind. In a nod to The Turnaround Wind<\/em>, Kastner added upside-down text, that, as with the original, must be read by switching the orientation of the book. \u201cThe physical act of turning the book around both reflects Lobel\u2019s shift in perspective and creates the time for the reader to spend with the loss and grief of a life cut short, and pays homage to Lobel\u2019s final book,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cThen you\u2019ve got to turn the book back around to keep moving forward. And that just feels right.\u201d<\/p>\nJIM!: Six True Stories About One Great Artist: James Marshall <\/em><\/strong>by Jerrold Connors. Dial, $20.99 May ISBN 978-0-593-85934-6<\/strong><\/p>\nOutside In and the Inside Out: A Story About Arnold Lobel<\/em><\/strong> by Emmy Kastner. Viking<\/strong>,<\/strong> $18.99 Sept. 23 ISBN 978-0-593-69250-9<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n