GENRE 1: Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Familes Make Their Mark by Leonard S. Marcus

Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 2007. Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Families Make Their Mark. New York: Walker & Company. ISBN 9780802796011

Plot Summary
Leonard S. Marcus introduces readers to five best-selling and award winning families and shows how they have managed to make their mark in the world of picture books. Families highlighted in this book include the Crews, Hurds, Myerses, Pinkneys, and Rockwells. The families in the book each share their family legacies by relating memories, sharing scrapbooks, and revealing book dummies, model shots, and final works of art. Each family’s narrative shows how the trailblazing family member became involved in picture books, how their children managed to following in their footsteps, and the process by which their picture books came into being.

Critical Analysis
Marcus creates a wonderful history of how creativity runs in a family by sharing the stories of these five gifted and award winning families. At the root of each narrative is a love of art, faith in their work, and determination to succeed and follow a chosen path in life. The love for their work is evident in each narrative, and readers will be drawn into each family’s individual tale. Each narrative consists of conversations between parent and child which follow a standard format: how the parent became involved in the picture book business, their successful books, and eventually how the child became involved in the business. The use of family photos help readers connect to the authors and illustrators on a human level. Personal family histories, anecdotes, and shared memories also bring readers into the story and help them understand the path these authors and illustrator took to get where they are today. Readers will be especially interested in seeing copies of letters received from publishers, book dummies, model shots used for books, and final drafts of art that were included in a published book. Overall, this is an intriguing read that allows readers to get a glimpse of life behind their favorite picture books.

Review Excerpt(s)
From Kirkus: “Filled with intriguing tidbits, this is an outstanding work about the connections between parents and children, editors and artists and readers and writers.”

From School Library Journal: “Marcus carefully makes the point that, although perhaps blessed with some inherited talent and encouraged by their parents, all of the children pursued their art with diligence and have emerged with their own unique styles.”

From Booklist: “This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path.”

Connections
- Have students compare and contrast the artwork of two different families, or members within
a family, highlighted in the book.
- Students can explore using the different mediums used by the illustrators, such as
watercolor, scratchboard, and collage.
- Students can practice sequencing and outline by creating a timeline of the illustrators
accomplishments and published works. This might give students a more realistic idea
of how hard it can be to become published.