Paul O. Zelinsky (born 1953) is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1998 for his Rapunzel. The best-selling movable book The Wheels on the Bus is his most popular work.
Paul O. Zelinsky was born in 1953 in Evanston, IL. He grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. During his childhood years, he spent much of his time drawing. Often with his friends he would make up imaginary worlds and draw them. When he was only four, he submitted work to Highlights magazine, and his artwork was first showcased. Some of his influential childhood book favorites included The Color Kittens and The Tawny Scrawny Lion. Zelinsky said in reference to memories of what he had read, "Feelings come to me as a sort of flavor. I know that when I call up my earliest memories, what I remember seeing and hearing is accompanied by a flavor-like sense of what it felt like to be there and see that.” In later years of his youth, his favorite authors were William Pène du Bois and Robert Lawson. He especially loved the books The Twenty-One Balloons and The Fantastic Flight. His best friend growing up was named Steve.
Beginning as an author and illustrator
At New Trier High School, Paul Zelinsky was interested in natural history as well as architecture and saw himself following one of those paths for a career. However, he went to study at Yale. He took a class taught by Maurice Sendak on the history and art of children's books, and it inspired him to a career in the area. Zelinsky went to graduate school at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and Rome. The Renaissance and Italian art always fascinated him, and this time in his life influenced this love as well. His career in children's books began in 1978 with the illustrations for Avi's Emily Upham's Revenge. Since then he has continued to illustrate others' work as well as creating his own books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel and three Caldecott honors (for Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995)). His most popular book is The Wheels on the Bus, which has sold millions. Zelinsky enjoys a quiet life in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
Paul O. Zelinsky does not have a recognizable style, suiting his artwork and techniques to the particular nature of the book to be illustrated. Linnea Lannon noted in a Detroit Free Press profile of the artist that "what has raised Zelinsky into the first rank of children's book illustrators is not just the pictures but the way they integrate with text." Zelinsky claims his desire to be, "I want the pictures to speak in the same voice as the words. This desire has led me to try various kinds of drawings in different books. I have used quite a wide stretch of styles, and I'm fortunate to have been asked to illustrate such a range of stories.” The Wheels on the Bus and Knick-Knack Paddywhack! are engineered books with moving parts.
