Pinkney spent more than a decade composing the narrative of this moving memoir, which largely recounts his childhood in an all-Black neighborhood in Philadelphia in the 1950s. Jerry (his name really is “just Jerry,” not Gerald) had five siblings, a carpenter father, and a close relationship with his mother, who truly appreciated his gentle, sensitive spirit. If he wasn’t drawing, Jerry was thinking about it; everything around him was a potential sketch. He had a thriving imagination and an unquenchable thirst to create, and people took notice. Although he struggled to read due to dyslexia, one of his teachers honored him with the title of “class artist” and integrated art assignments into his schoolwork for extra credit. Jerry sold papers at a newsstand, where his boss allowed him to sketch during slow times. It was here that Jerry began sketching passersby, selling his drawings for a nickel each. As luck would have it, one of his customers was comic strip artist John Liney, who invited Jerry to his studio to observe his creative process. The experience planted a seed in Jerry’s mind: Perhaps one day he, too, could make a career out of art. Indeed, the epilogue expounds upon his great success as a beloved and prolific children’s book illustrator. Although the memoir’s copious illustrations are only rough sketches—Jerry died before completing them—they provide a clear view of the memoir’s setting and subjects. (Ages 8-12)

An inspiring memoir of a Caldecott-winning artist and one of the most acclaimed children's book illustrators of all time, sharing the story of a young artist who finds the courage to follow his passion against all odds.



* "A moving work from a legend of children's literature and a testament to his legacy of visual storytelling." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review



Jerry Pinkney--creator of Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse and The Little Mermaid--drew everywhere, all the time. Since childhood, it was how he made sense of the world--how he coped with the stress of being a sensitive child growing up in crowded spaces, struggling with a learning disability, in a time when the segregation of Black Americans was the norm. Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control, and confidence. When friends and siblings teased him about having the nickname "Jerry" as his only name, his mother always said, "Just 'Jerry' is enough. He'll make something of that name someday." And so he did, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated children's book illustrators of all time and paving the way for countless other Black artists.



Jerry's vivid recollections and lively sketchbook drawings of his youth in postwar America tell an inspiring story of how a hardworking boy pursued his passion in less-than-ideal circumstances and became a legendary artist against all odds.