Connors, Jerrold. Jim! Six True Stories About One Great Artist: James Marshall. Jerrold Connors, Illus. Dial, 05/2025. 72pp. Biography. Trade $20.99. 978-0-593-85934-6. GRADES Kindergarten–3. OUTSTANDING.
This picture book biography of children’s author and illustrator James Marshall will remind younger readers of his timeless work, which includes the popular picture book characters such as the mean teacher Viola Swamp, hippos and best friends George and Martha, and others for beginning readers. The book’s format is reminiscent of the George and Martha series, using a square shape, brief chapters, and a text set in just a few lines per page, aimed at emergent readers. The full color cartoon illustrations also harken back to Marshall’s distinctive work, using bold colors and charming animal characters. For example, Marshall is depicted as a wolf and his life partner Billy as a cat, and fellow authors and friends Maurice Sendak and Arnold Lobel are depicted as a bulldog and a pig. Back matter fills out the biographical details with an author’s note and timeline, including a brief description of his death from AIDS.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool