Chris Raschka is an
American illustrator, writer, and
violist. He contributed to children's literature as a children's
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
.
Early life and education
Raschka was born in
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in and county seat of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in the Middle Atlantic states region of the Northeastern United States. It lies along the Juniata River about east of larger Altoona and west of the state capita ...
. Though he grew up in suburban
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, he spent part of his childhood in Austria, his mother's homeland.
He is a graduate of
St. Olaf College.
Career and awards
''Yo! Yes?'' was a
Caldecott Honor Book in 1994, but Raschka may be most famous for his ''
Hello, Goodbye Window'', winner of the 2006
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
, and his book ''
A Ball for Daisy,'' which won the 2012 Caldecott Medal.
[
He was U.S. nominee for the biennial, international ]Hans Christian Andersen Medal
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
in 2012.[
Raschka is the author and illustrator of ''Charlie Parker Played Be Bop'', an introduction to the saxophone player and composer ]Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...
(Scholastic, 1997).
Selected works
*''Another Important Book'' (illustrator)
*''Arlene Sardine''Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Tele ...
)
*'' Daisy Gets Lost''
*''Elizabeth Imagined an Iceberg''
*''Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle''
*''Farmy Farm''
*''Fishing in the Air'' (illustrator)
*''Five for a Little One''
*''A Foot in the Mouth'' (illustrator)
*''The Genie in the Jar'' (illustrator)
*''Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More'' (illustrator)
*''Granny Torrelli Makes Soup'' (illustrator)
*''Grump Groan Growl'' (illustrator)
*''Happy to Be Nappy'' (illustrator)
*''Home at Last (children's book), Home at Last'' (illustrator)
*'' The Hello, Goodbye Window'' (illustrator)
*''Hip Hop Dog'' (author)
*''John Coltrane's Giant Steps''
*''A Kick in the Head'' (illustrator)
*''Little Black Crow''
*''Little Tree'' (illustrator)
*''Moosey Moose''
*''Mysterious Thelonious''
*''Peter and the Wolf'' (adaptor, illustrator)
*''A Poke in the I'' (illustrator)
*''The Purple Balloon''
*''Reading Picture Books with Children: How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking about What They See,'' by Megan Dowd Lambert, Charlesbridge, 2015.
*''Ring! Yo?''
*''Seriously, Norman''
*''Side by Side : A Celebration of Dads''
References
External links
The Rif.org Article
Virginia Johnson's Article
HarperChildren
Scholastic Bookwizard: Chris Raschka
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raschka, Chris
1959 births
American children's writers
Caldecott Medal winners
American children's book illustrators
American people of Austrian descent
St. Olaf College alumni
Living people