James Ransome | |
---|---|
Born | North Carolina, U.S. | September 25, 1961
Occupation | Illustrator |
Language | English |
Nationality | American |
Education | BA |
Alma mater | Pratt Institute |
Genre | Picture books |
Years active | 1993–now |
Notable works | Before She Was Harriet |
Notable awards | NAACP Image Award |
Spouse | Lesa Cline-Ransome |
Children | 4 |
Website | |
jamesransome |
James E. Ransome (born September 25, 1961, in North Carolina) [1] is an American illustrator of over 60 children's books. He has also illustrated greetings cards and magazines, and has been commissioned for murals, including three for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. [2]
Although Ransome was born in North Carolina, the family moved to Bergenfield, New Jersey while he was in high school. While there, he attended film making and photography classes, which influenced his style. He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where his mentor was the illustrator Jerry Pinkney. [3]
Ransome is an associate professor in the School of Art at Syracuse University. [4] He and his wife, author Lesa Cline-Ransome, and family live in Rhinebeck, New York. [2]
Ransome's The Bell Rang (2019) is Junior Library Guild book. [5] Additionally, 13 of the books Ransome has illustrated are Junior Library Guild books: Bimmi Finds a Cat (1997); [6] The Christmas Tugboat (2012); [7] Light in the Darkness (2013); [8] Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio (2014); [9] My Story, My Dance (2016); [10] Before She Was Harriet (2018); [11] Game Changers (2018); [12] The Creation (2019); [13] Gridiron (2020); [14] Overground Railroad (2020); [15] Hardcourt (2022); [16] Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge (2022); [17] and The Story of the Saxophone (2023). [18]
Before She Was Harriet was named one of the best books of 2017 by Booklist , [19] the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature, [20] the Chicago Public Library, [21] and Kirkus Reviews. [22] The following year, Booklist included it on their lists of the year's "Top 10 Diverse Picture Books" and "Top 10 Biographies for Youth". [23]
The Bell Rang was named one of the best books of 2019 by the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature, [24] Chicago Public Library, The Horn Book Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews. [5] The following year, the National Council of Teachers of English included it on their Notable Poetry List. [5]
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Uncle Jed's Barbershop | Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator | Honor | [25] |
1995 | The Creation | Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator | Winner | [25] |
1999 | Let My People Go | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children | Winner | [26] |
2008 | Young Pele | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children | Finalist | |
2012 | Before There Was Mozart | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children | Finalist | [27] |
2014 | This is the Rope | Charlotte Zolotow Award | Honor | [28] |
2016 | Granddaddy’s Turn | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children | Finalist | [29] |
2016 | My Story, My Dance | Orbis Pictus Award | Recommended | [30] |
2018 | Before She Was Harriet | Charlotte Zolotow Award | Honor | [31] |
Christopher Award for Books for Children Ages 6 and up | Winner | [32] | ||
Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator | Honor | [25] | ||
Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Younger Reader | Honor | [33] | ||
Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award for Transitional Nonfiction | Honor | [34] | ||
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children | Finalist | [35] | ||
2019 | Game Changers | Orbis Pictus Award | Recommended | [30] |
2020 | The Bell Rang | Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator | Honor | [25] |
2023 | Hardcourt | Orbis Pictus Award | Honor | [36] |
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