Jerry Pinkney was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He won the 2010 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing The Lion & the Mouse, a wordless version of Aesop's fable. He also has five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, eight awards from the Society of Illustrators, and many other honors.
Born in Philadelphia, Pinkney was interested in art early in life. He studied commercial art at the Dobbins Vocational School and received a scholarship to attend the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). He relocated to Boston to work as a commercial artist and opened Kaleidoscope Studio with two other artists there, before opening his own studio and moving to New York. Pinkney is particularly famous for his images of animals and for his illustrations in children's books with African American themes, and especially for his collaboration with author Julius Lester on a series of Uncle Remus stories. Pinkney taught at the University of Delaware, Pratt Institute, and SUNY, Buffalo.
