Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White
by Melissa Sweet (Author)
Caldecott Honor winner Sweet mixes White's personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell the story of this American literary icon. Readers young and old will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children's book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute, a New York Times bestseller, includes an afterword by Martha White, his granddaughter.
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Publishers Weekly
In an illustrated biography that invites slow perusing, two-time Caldecott Honor-recipient Sweet (The Right Word) unspools the life of author E.B. White (1899-1985) in meticulously crafted, scrapbook-style pages. Her carefully assembled, whimsical collages feature watercolor illustrations, homemade paper, wood scraps, and maps merged with cartoons, family photographs, handwritten rough drafts, and other archival material. Over 13 chapters, Sweet recounts White's near-idyllic childhood in New York state, his postcollege wanderlust, a writing career with the New Yorker and Harper's magazine, and the acclaimed children's books he created amid marriage and fatherhood. Aimed at elementary-school-age readers, this fond tribute will be best appreciated by those with some context for White's classics, e.g., the title's reference to Charlotte's Web, though familiarity with his work isn't required: Sweet gorgeously melds story and art to create a detailed portrait of White as an observant, humble, brilliant wordsmith with an affinity for nature. An author's note, an afterword by White's granddaughter, source notes, a selected bibliography, and a chronological list of his books conclude an excellent guide to the life of a celebrated writer. Ages 7-10. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.)
Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 3-7--In this spirited and splendidly illustrated biography, Sweet brings the beloved author to life for a new generation of readers, capturing his love of words, bighearted sensibilities, and reverence for the natural world. In addition to containing the artist's colorful assemblages, the book is full of photos, letters, realia, and excerpts from E.B. White's most famous works, making it a treasure trove for Charlotte's Web fans and aspiring writers everywhere.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Amazon Top 20 Children's Books of 2016
Booklist Editors' Choice 2016
Book Links' Lasting Connections 2016
Book Page Best of 2016
Bulletin Blue Ribbon 2016
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2016
Horn Book Fanfare
Kirkus Best of 2016
Nerdy Book Club Nerdies 2016 Longform Nonfiction
New York Times Bestseller
People Best Children's Books of 2016
Publishers Weekly Best of 2016
Raleigh News & Observer Best of 2016
San Francisco Chronicle Best of 2016
School Library Journal Best of 2016
Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year
Nonfiction Detectives: Best of 2016
Washington Post Best of 2016
★ "E. B. White is such a fixture in the children's literature landscape that it's hard to think of him as a regular person. Fortunately, Melissa Sweet comes to the rescue in this individual, creative, and thoroughly artistic chronicle of the noted writer's life." —Bulletin, starred review
★ "An excellent guide to the life of a celebrated writer." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "Like Charlotte, Sweet spins a terrific story. A masterful biography." —Kirkus, starred review
"Melissa Sweet's beguiling biography of the author of Charlotte's Web deserves to be savored by anyone who has ever loved White's words."
—Columbus Dispatch
"An E. B. White biography like no other." —BookPage
"Whether the name E. B. White is a new discovery or a much-loved author, Some Writer! will captivate readers of all ages."
—Christian Science Monitor
★ "Drop everything and share widely." —School Library Journal, starred review
★ "Sweet raises her collage skills to new heights while bringing her love and admiration for fellow Mainer E. B. White to the page for everyone to appreciate. Just as her astounding collages blend materials that might have been found in a barn in Maine, the text carefully blends her words with those of the beloved writer of children's books... Sweet has written and drawn a fast-moving, thorough, deeply researched, and accessible biography." —Horn Book, starred review
★ " This beautiful piece of bookmaking with enchanting artwork will easily draw in young readers, and the warm account of the adored author will keep them turning pages." —Booklist, starred review
"What elevates this book to the stratosphere is the art. Practically glowing, it turns a very fine biography into something original, creative, and marvelous." —NerdyBookClub.com
Like Tony Sarg, Melissa Sweet loved to figure out how to make things move as a child. (She even remembers taking apart her own marionettes to see how they worked!) Today, she still plays with simple materials to construct her brilliant mixed-media collage illustrations, for which she has won a Caldecott Honor and two New York Times Best Illustrated citations. About this book, she writes: As I began to research Tony Sarg, I was especially curious how he went from illustration and puppetry to designing the huge parade balloons. After I spent five years reading everything I could find on him, the Macy's parade, and puppetry--then traveling all over the map to talk to puppeteers--it seemed incredible that so few people knew of his work. I found him so inspiring, I wanted the whole world to know his story. For more information about the author and her work, visit www.melissasweet.net.
20th century
Authors, American
Authorship
Authors
Children's stories
White, E. B
