“I was always curious about the world around me—and I still am!”
“I hope that you’ll get curious about the world around you!”
Never stop asking questions. Miss Gibbons and her ever curious mind set out to explore the surroundings and the world she inhabited since a young age. Images, colors, vibrant aesthetics, and the magic it weaves, all of it she cherished and delved deep within since the very tender phase of early childhood.
Born in Illinois in 1944, Gail Gibbons is a celebrated American writer of children’s literature. Having mastered the art of writing non-fiction children’s books (with illustrations), Gibbons went on to write 170+ books in her long phenomenal career.
Amidst a credible stint at television shows where she created children’s artwork, she came across a bunch of children who inspired her to delve into literature and write books for children. ‘Willy and his wheelwagon’ began a never-ending saga of emotions that stirred countless children for decades to come.
A clock was ripped apart and put back into order decades ago when Gibbons was 7. The subconscious memory returned to inspire her to do so yet again as the writer set out to write one of her earlier books ‘Clocks and How They Go’.
The sweet, little, intimate portrayal of the process of building a house, the idea of a home taking its shape, and a space that you would call your own, as seen in Gibbons’ book ‘How a House is built’, was in equal parts aspirationally childlike and lovingly heartwarming.
‘Salvador and Mister Sam’, ‘Giant Pandas’, ‘Pigs’, ‘Penguins’, ‘The milk makers’, ‘The vegetables we eat’, ‘The reasons for seasons’, ‘Department store’, ‘Zoo’, ‘Country fair’, ‘Up goes the skyscraper’, ‘My football book’, ‘Pottery place’, ‘Playgrounds’, ‘Trains’, ‘Locks and keys’; Gibbons body of work is a long list that cannot be summed up in a short brief. Her books stood the test of time and achieved a cultural significance in the children’s literary landscape.
Gibbons dealt with a variety of subjects and themes ranging from environmentalism, conservatism, human values, the act of caring, loving, empathizing, and much more.
Gibbons popularized non-fiction children’s literature as a sub-genre of sorts by making specific and precise picture books that resonated with a wide range of young readers. Illustrations – crisp, clear, and evocative, made her pursue the art form further, juxtaposing it with her text, exploring the nuanced (and at the same time fun) blend of literary wordplay and vivid imagery.
Research isn’t really some serious alienating thing to do, but a fun activity driven purely out of an innocent curiosity – is what Gibbons taught us. Her desire and hunger to know more, learn more, and explore more took her to places.
“The world is a never-ending source of fascination and excitement. Have a wonderful time reading, questioning, exploring, and playing! Dive right in!”, quotes Miss Gibbons.
The more you’ll question, the more you’ll grow. And obviously, the more you’ll write then.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)