Donald Crews
Encyclopedia
Donald Crews is a U.S.
writer
and illustrator
of several well-known children's picture book
s. He won the Caldecott Honor twice. Common subjects of his include modern technology (especially travel vehicle
s), and childhood memories. His stories often include few humans.
From a young age, his talent for drawing was encouraged by his family and his teachers. When he got into high school, one of his teachers became a mentor to him, and personally made sure that he got into art school.
He graduated from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City
in 1959, and married another graduate, graphic artist Ann Jonas
. He was drafted into the army in 1963, and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. Their first daughter, Nina was born in Germany, and their second was born a year later in New York.
While in Germany, he worked on several pieces for his portfolio, including the book We Read: A to Z. After several suggestions from friends, he submitted it, and it was published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins
). The book relied on abstract ideas, rather than the cliché
s that were usually associated with ABC books. One classic example is the entry for the letter C: "Cc, corner: where the yellow is" is illustrated with a yellow square in the far corner of a red page in the book.
He created several other books over the next few years, but it was 1979's "Freight Train
" that won him a Caldecott Honor and the respect of other artists in the field. He won another Caldecott Honor the next year for "Truck
". Several other transportation themed books followed, such as "School Bus" (1984), "Flying" (1986), and "Sail Away" (1995). His memories from his summers in Florida first appeared in "Bigmama's" and later in "Shortcut". These stories are vastly different from his previous works, in that they focus on humans, and tell a more linear story.
Donald and his wife currently live in the state of New York in an old, restored farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of several well-known children's picture book
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
s. He won the Caldecott Honor twice. Common subjects of his include modern technology (especially travel vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s), and childhood memories. His stories often include few humans.
Biography
Donald Crews was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938. He had an older brother, Asa who became Beth Israel Hospital's first African-American intern, and two sisters. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father worked at the railroad, and several other odd jobs. For the summers he would travel down to rural Florida to stay with his grandmother, who he called "Bigmama". The difference between the big city and the farm caused him to create two, massively different types of art later on in his life.From a young age, his talent for drawing was encouraged by his family and his teachers. When he got into high school, one of his teachers became a mentor to him, and personally made sure that he got into art school.
He graduated from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1959, and married another graduate, graphic artist Ann Jonas
Ann Jonas
Ann Jonas is a writer and illustrator of several picture books for children. Her books often use odd, abstract images in order to stretch children's imaginations.-Biography:...
. He was drafted into the army in 1963, and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. Their first daughter, Nina was born in Germany, and their second was born a year later in New York.
While in Germany, he worked on several pieces for his portfolio, including the book We Read: A to Z. After several suggestions from friends, he submitted it, and it was published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
). The book relied on abstract ideas, rather than the cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s that were usually associated with ABC books. One classic example is the entry for the letter C: "Cc, corner: where the yellow is" is illustrated with a yellow square in the far corner of a red page in the book.
He created several other books over the next few years, but it was 1979's "Freight Train
Freight Train (book)
right|frame|The cover of Freight TrainFreight Train is a 24 page children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews. It lacks any story, but rather describes the inner workings of a large cargo train. It was named one of 1979's Caldecott Honor books.-Inside Freight Train:The...
" that won him a Caldecott Honor and the respect of other artists in the field. He won another Caldecott Honor the next year for "Truck
Truck (book)
Truck is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews. It is notable for telling a story without using any humans or narration. It consists entirely of a single semi-trailer truck traveling through urban environments. It is the second of Donald Crews' books to focus around...
". Several other transportation themed books followed, such as "School Bus" (1984), "Flying" (1986), and "Sail Away" (1995). His memories from his summers in Florida first appeared in "Bigmama's" and later in "Shortcut". These stories are vastly different from his previous works, in that they focus on humans, and tell a more linear story.
Donald and his wife currently live in the state of New York in an old, restored farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.
Selected bibliography
- Freight TrainFreight Train (book)right|frame|The cover of Freight TrainFreight Train is a 24 page children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews. It lacks any story, but rather describes the inner workings of a large cargo train. It was named one of 1979's Caldecott Honor books.-Inside Freight Train:The...
(1978) Caldecott Honor 1979 - TruckTruck (book)Truck is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews. It is notable for telling a story without using any humans or narration. It consists entirely of a single semi-trailer truck traveling through urban environments. It is the second of Donald Crews' books to focus around...
(1980) Caldecott Honor 1981 - Carosel (1982)
- Parade (1983)
- Flying (1986)
- Harbor (1987)
- School Bus (1984)
- Bigmama's (1991)
- Shortcut (1992)
- Sail Away (2000)
- Tomorrow's Alphabet (1999) - Illustrator
- Inside Freight TrainFreight Train (book)right|frame|The cover of Freight TrainFreight Train is a 24 page children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews. It lacks any story, but rather describes the inner workings of a large cargo train. It was named one of 1979's Caldecott Honor books.-Inside Freight Train:The...
(2001)