SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

August 25, 2020 by Betsy Bird

Celebrities Don’t Draw: Kvetching About Credit

August 25, 2020 by Betsy Bird   3 comments

What is wrong with the following picture?

If you said, “Gee, I had no idea that Jimmy Fallon was an artist as well as a late night talk show host,” that would be a forgivable misunderstanding. Folks, it is time to launch a couple darts at everyone’s favorite problematic picture book authors: Celebrities that don’t really know what they’re doing. The celebrity picture book has a long and storied history, and has appeared in a variety of awful ways over the years. Yet it wasn’t until recently that I realized that a few of them share a single, terrible quality: They do not credit their illustrators on their covers.

Now this is a bit of a baffling choice on the part of the publisher. We get that the celebrity would want their name to be in a big, bold font that sometimes dwarfs the title itself. Sure. Whatever. But how on earth do they justify forgetting the artist’s work? Even Madonna (whose English Roses is still, bafflingly in print) gave cover credits. You want to know who did the art for that Fallon book I mentioned? It’s Miguel Ordóñez. He’s original from Spain. Has some interesting stuff worth looking at here. But unless you’re trying to specifically sniff him out, it is hard from that cover to know who the heck he is.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Now let us compare Mr. Fallon’s book with a celebrity book that has not only gotten good reviews but several awards (NAACP, Coretta Scott King, etc.). Check this out:

See the difference?

So then I started wondering if this was a case of publishers. Is one better than another in terms of how they treat their artists? If Fallon is with Macmillan and Nyong’o is with Simon & Schuster, is that true across the board? Let’s find out. And let’s begin with my own personal entry into the category of Worst Celebrity Picture Book of All Time:

I practically have a TED Talk on how bad this book is.

I don’t like this book but I can’t help but admire the fact that Scholastic gave Ford his due. How about Harper Collins? I know they have a couple out this year.

Huh! That’s a very nice credit for Ashley Evans! Random House, how you guys doing?

Well, shoot. Maybe I was wrong all along. Oh! I know! Let’s look at my old buddy, old pal Natalie Portman’s book. I’m sure it’s . . .

Oh, Macmillan. Where did you hide Janna Mattia’s name? Is it behind the peacock there? Well, don’t worry. You’re not the only publisher I’ve found doing this. Penguin? Wanna fess up?

Technically this is photography but since Pharrell didn’t take it or digitally collage it, I’m not a fan. Amanda Pratt took the photography and Kristin Smith the the collage.

I guess the lesson I’m taking away from all this is that there is almost ALWAYS room for an illustrator to get credit on a cover. Best of all, I see more and more publishers embracing that thinking. There will always be exceptions, but hopefully someday even the worst celebrity picture book, the one with the run on sentences and insulting metaphors, will at the very least give credit where credit is due to their poor, beleaguered (but rather well paid!) artists.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
celebrity picture books

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal: This Book Is Banned – The Latest from Raj Haldar (With a Helpful Q&A for Spice)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early Mar 2023 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Love, Family, and Mental Health, a guest post by Rajani LaRocca

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Apple Arcade Offers Educators Options | Tech Review

Four Magical Middle Grade Novels for 'Encanto' Fans| Read-Alikes

17 Recommended DVDs for Elementary, Middle School, and High School Classrooms

Top 10 Audiobooks of 2021

Honoring John Lewis | A Brief Resource Roundup

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily Schneider says

    August 25, 2020 at 8:00 am

    Betsy, Thanks for taking up this issue! There are many problems with celebrity children’s books but this one edges over from just poor quality to borderline intellectual property violations. Please read one of my favorite writers at PW’s ShelfTalker blog on the overall affront of these books:
    http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/
    I’m sure you realize that sometimes books by non-celebrity authors do this as well, and I’m also bothered when an illustrator who provides small chapter heading pictures or other vignettes gets no credit; the reader has to carefully look inside to find any evidence that an artist has contributed these.

  2. Book Reader says

    August 25, 2020 at 9:58 am

    Take a look at the book Madonna wrote which Loren Long illustrated. I don’t even believe his name landed on the spine.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      August 25, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      Oh! Silly me, I just looked at English Roses and assumed the artists got credited regularly. Insane that Loren friggin’ Long wouldn’t get his name there.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023