Check out Leo and Diane Dillons’ Web site at: http://www.best.com/~libros/dillon/

Biography | Books | In the Classroom | Bulletin Board

Leo and Diane Dillon

Genres: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Myth, Nature, African-American, Poetry, Picture Books

Leo and Diane Dillon are among the most talented and versatile illustrators in the United States, and their work has been an outstanding contribution to children of all races and cultures.

Leo Dillon and Diane Sorber were born eleven days apart in 1933—Leo in Brooklyn, New York, and Diane near Los Angeles, California. When they met at Parsons School of Design in New York City in 1954, each already aspired to a life of art. Meeting first through one another’s artwork, they immediately recognized the talent and mastery of the other. Over the years, their competitive friendship evolved into a lasting marriage and artistic partnership. "We’ve worked together for 40 years. In 1997 we celebrated our 40^th anniversary and we completed our 40^th book, To Every Thing There Is a Season."

Versatility, diversity, research, and integrity have remained characteristics of the Dillons’ work, which ranges from African folktales to Scandinavian epics, from fantasy to science fiction. In addition to two Caldecott Medals (Ashanti to Zulu and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears), the Dillons’ have received four New York Times Best Illustrated Awards, four Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards, two Coretta Scott King Awards, and the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal.

There are two major messages the Dillons’ want to convey. The first is that all people, whatever their culture or race, experience the same things. "We all have a lot in common. It is our beliefs that divide us. We have little control over what life brings us but we can change our thoughts." The second is that since the beginning of history, people have expressed themselves in wonderful and unique ways. "Art in its many forms has survived to inform us of lives long gone. Art inspires, lifts our spirits, and brings beauty to our lives. We wish to pay homage to it and the people that created it."

Leo and Diane Dillon have one son, Lee, who is also a talented painter, sculptor, and jewelry craftsman. They live in New York City.

In the Classroom

Folktales create a unique opportunity to discuss with your students magical environments in which all things are possible. Encourage students to read several of the Dillons’ stories, examining the colorful characters and moral lessons behind them. Have students research their own family history. Using family members as characters, have students compose their own magical short story complete with whimsical and expressive drawings.

Booklist

Here is a selected list of the Dillons’ published works.

Written by Margaret W. Musgrove
Dial Books for Young Readers, 32 pp., Ages 9-12

Artists Leo and Diane Dillon won their second consecutive Caldecott Medal for this stunning ABC of African culture. "Another virtuoso performance. . . . Such an astute blend of aesthetics and information is admirable, the child's eye will be rewarded many times over." --Booklist

Told by Virginia Hamilton

Scholastic Inc., 128 pp., All ages

"[A] superb offering…. A gallery of beautiful women of color." --School Library Journal, starred review

Many Thousand Gone : African Americans From Slavery to Freedom
Told by Virginia Hamilton

"In a companion volume to The People Could Fly, Hamilton and the Dillons’ combine their considerable talents once again to convey the true stories of African Americans whose lives chronicle the history of slavery in the United States. From the 1600s to the 1800s, Hamilton presents the many facets of the experience of slavery: capture and sale, cruelty and mutilation, rebels and runaways." -- Horn Book

Written by Howard Norman

Harcourt Brace, 164 pp., Ages 9 -12

"The tales are taken from original tellings by native (Inuit) speakers.... Young heroes feature prominently here, and delightfully naughty moments occur. Coupled with the spectacular illustrations--narrative scratchboard friezes in the style of stone-cut art and full-color paintings ... The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese makes excellent bedtime reading."--The New York Times Book Review

Written by Sharon Bell Mathis

Viking Press, 47pp., All ages

Newbery Honor Book

"This book tells the story of "a boy and his hundred-year-old great-great-aunt in . . . a quietly intense story, illustrated with sepia pictures that make dramatic use of chiarosciro." --The Horn Book

Told by Virginia Hamilton

Knopf, 178pp., All ages

"The well-known author retells 24 black American folk tales in sure storytelling voice: animal tales, supernatural tales, fanciful and cautionary tales, and slave tales of freedom. All are beautifully readable. With the added attraction of 40 wonderfully expressive paintings by the Dillons, this collection should be snapped up."-- School Library Journal, starred review

Written by Nancy Willard

Scholastic Inc., 32 pp., All ages

"The Dillons’ majestic artwork…invokes the timelessness of fairy tales."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Scholastic Inc., 40 pp., All ages

In this exquisite picture book, Leo and Diane Dillons’ breathtaking paintings accompany verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Each passage in the book is accompanied by a spread of original artwork from a different culture, showing our common threads as well as our wonderful differences.

Written by N.N. Charles

Scholastic Inc., 40 pp., Ages 3 -7

"Clever… vibrant graphics… A multifaceted, beautifully designed book that will… introduce several different concepts in a unique, entertaining way."--School Library Journal

Written by Verna Aardema

Dial Books for Young Readers, 30 pp., Ages 4-8

In this Caldecott Medal winner, Mosquito tells a story that causes a jungle disaster. "Elegance has become the Dillons' hallmark. . . . Matching the art is Aardema's uniquely onomatopoeic text . . . An impressive showpiece."--Booklist, starred review

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