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Wendell Minor

Born: 1944 in Aurora, Illinois
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Minor was born in Aurora, Illinois. He attended Greenman Elementary, Jefferson Junior High and West Aurora High School (Class of 1962). He lived in Kane County from 1944-1968.

Biography: Wendell Minor was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, where both his parents grew up on farms. By the time he was in fourth grade, Minor knew he wanted to be an artist. After graduating from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, Minor moved to New York City and began creating original designs for book publishers. In addition to picture books, Minor has created cover art and interior illustrations for novels for young people. He has also authored several of his own books, and in 2005, ''Christmas Tree!'', his first collaboration with his wife and business partner, Florence, was published. Minor's children's books reflect his love for the land and environment. Wendell currently resides in Washington, Connecticut.


Awards:
  • If You Were a Penguin Pennsylvania's One Book, Every Young Child book 2009
  • If You Were a Panda Bear ILLINOIS READS Book Selection, Illinois Reading Council, 2015
  • Edward Hopper Paints His World ILLINOIS READS Book Selectio

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction; Illustrator

Primary Audience(s): Children; Young adult readers

Web: http://www.minorart.com/


Selected Titles

A lucky thing /
ISBN: 0152005412 OCLC: 37878699

Harcourt Brace, San Diego : ©1999.

A collection of fourteen poems about nature, including

Abe Lincoln remembers /
ISBN: 0060511079 OCLC: 40395746

HarperCollins, New York : ©2001.

A simple description of the life of Abraham Lincoln, presented from his point of view.

Abraham Lincoln comes home /
ISBN: 1250039894 OCLC: 175289878

Henry Holt and Co., New York : 2008.

Told through the eyes of a young boy, the sober mood of the country after the Lincoln assassination is presented as he and many other mourners wait to pay their respects to their fallen president as Lincoln's funeral train travels from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois, in 1865.

America the beautiful /
ISBN: 0399238859 OCLC: 51330585

G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York : ©2003.

An illustrated edition of the nineteenth-century poem, later set to music, celebrating the beauty of America.

America the beautiful /
ISBN: 1623541212 OCLC: 1099545125

An illustrated edition of the nineteenth-century poem, later set to music, celebrating the beauty of America.

Arctic son /
ISBN: 078681179X OCLC: 35318073

Hyperion Books for Children, New York : ©1997.

A baby boy is given an Inupiat name to go with his English one and grows up learning the traditional ways of the Eskimo people living in the Arctic.

Ben's Revolution :
ISBN: 0399166742 OCLC: 957636602

Twelve-year-old Benjamin Russell of Boston experiences the Revolutionary War from the Boston Tea Party of 1773 through the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Includes historical note.

Breaking waves :
ISBN: 0823447022 OCLC: 1159621201

Cat, what is that?
ISBN: 9781567923513 OCLC: 191882017

David R Godine, Boston : 2008.

Rhyming text presents the many facets of the behavior and characteristics of cats.

Christmas tree!
ISBN: 9780545051859 OCLC: 182975691

Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in almost any setting, but there is only one best Christmas tree.

Christmas tree! /
ISBN: 0060560347 OCLC: 56752908

Katherine Tegen Books, New York : ©2005.

Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in almost any setting, but there is only one

Cliff hanger /
ISBN: 0060002603 OCLC: 46777439

HarperCollins, New York : 2002.

Despite the dangers of a thunderstorm, Axel and his father make a difficult climb to rescue Axel's stranded dog.

CROWBAR :
ISBN: 0060002573 OCLC: 1232227959

Daylight starlight wildlife /
ISBN: 0399246622 OCLC: 890912610

Eagles are back.
ISBN: 9781430117773 OCLC: 900508452

Live Oak Media, [Place of publication not identified] : 2014.

Read by Wendell Minor. As they did with their previous companion books, THE BUFFALO ARE BACK (page 5) and THE WOLVES ARE BACK (page 13), these longtime collaborators explore the way back from near-extinction of a beloved species. Breathtaking paintings depict the majesty of the birds and the lush landscapes of their environment, while Wendell Minor movingly presents the beloved author s soaring story of a young boy and a park ranger who hatch an eaglet.

Edward Hopper paints his world /
ISBN: 0805087524 OCLC: 858730913

Everglades /
ISBN: 0064461947 OCLC: 25630898

HarperCollinsPublishers, [New York] : ©1995

Describes the Florida Everglades, the evolution of this unique area, and the impact humans have had on its once-abundant life forms.

Fire storm /
ISBN: 0060002638 OCLC: 49031794

Katherine Tegen Books, New York : ©2003.

Alex enjoys kayaking behind the raft of his aunt and uncle as they journey down Idaho's Salmon River, until they find themselves in the middle of a forest fire.

Galápagos George
ISBN: 9780060287948 OCLC: 757717606

Tells the story of Lonesome George, the giant tortoise who was the last of his species and lived to be one hundred years old in the Galapagos Islands.

Ghost ship :
ISBN: 1416935142 OCLC: 71842687

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2007.

While visiting his grandmother on Cape Cod, nine-year-old Thomas encounters a ship's cabin boy from centuries past.

Give her the river :
ISBN: 0743489861 OCLC: 224348462

Pocket Books, London : ©2004.

A father dreams of all the things he will give his young daughter.

Grand Canyon :
ISBN: 0590479687 OCLC: 37731671

Blue Sky Press, New York : [©1998]

In watercolor sketches accompanied by text, the author records his impressions of the Grand Canyon.

Grassroots :
ISBN: 0152000828 OCLC: 33442634

Fourteen poems with mid-western themes or settings.

Heartland
ISBN: 9781567925357 OCLC: 909974676

Here, in their second stunning collaboration, Diane Siebert and Wendell Minor create a joyful, singing celebration of this country's heartland, the Midwest, a land where golden wheat waves in the breeze, great rivers flow, and cornfields stretch across the plains like glorious patchwork quilts in hues of yellow, green, and brown. Cattle graze in lush, green pastures, horses and sheep fill the barns, and a newborn calf stands damp and warm in the sun.

Henry Knox :
ISBN: 0618274855 OCLC: 461896007

Clarion Books, Boston [Mass.] : 2010.

Presents a biography of the man in charge of the artillery during the Revolutionary War, who became a trusted advisor to George Washington and the secretary of war in the newly appointed government.

Hi, I'm Norman :
ISBN: 1442496703 OCLC: 1073036450

"Iconic American artist Norman Rockwell's life is told in episodes based in American history of the late 20th century"--

How big could your pumpkin grow? /
ISBN: 1101997818 OCLC: 810039748

Nancy Paulsen Books, New York, NY : ©2013.

"Playing with concepts of size and scale, giant pumpkins decorate some of America's most famous landmarks and landscapes."--

How to be a bigger bunny
ISBN: 9780062352552 OCLC: 948339164

When her older siblings go on an adventure without her, little Tickles the bunny reads from her book, How to Be a Bigger Bunny, and winds up on an adventure of her own before she is challenged to summon up the courage to save her family.

If you spent a day with Thoreau at Walden Pond /
ISBN: 0805091378 OCLC: 758844389

Holt, New York : 2012.

A young boy spends the day with Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond.

If you were a panda bear
ISBN: 9781430117735 OCLC: 887851214

Pictures and rhyming text present some of the many extraordinary things bears can do. Includes facts about bears as well as related websites.

If you were a penguin
ISBN: 9780061130977 OCLC: 145935019

Katherine Tegen Books, New York : ©2009.

Pictures and rhyming text present some of the many extraordinary things penguins can do. Includes facts about penguins as well as related websites.

Into the woods :
ISBN: 0689830408 OCLC: 46884142

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : c2003.

Uses quotes from his journals to help explore Audubon's decision to follow his dream to paint every bird species in North America.

Julie
ISBN: 9780060235284 OCLC: 28798256

HarperCollins, New York : ©1994.

When Julie returns to her father's Eskimo village, she struggles to find a way to save her beloved wolves in a changing Arctic world and she falls in love with a young Siberian man.

Julie's wolf pack /
ISBN: 0060274069 OCLC: 36245584

HarperCollins, New York : ©1997.

Continues the story of Julie and her wolves in which Kapu must protect his pack from famine and disease while uniting it under his new leadership.

Look to the stars
ISBN: 9780399247217 OCLC: 226304804

G.P. Putnam's, New York : ©2009.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin takes readers on a journey through the history of space exploration, offering the perfect introduction to everything space related, including the development of the first rockets, America's space race with Russia, details of all the Apollo missions, and the space station.

Luck /
ISBN: 0060082011 OCLC: 56086679

Laura Geringer Books, New York : ©2006.

A young sandhill crane, Luck, finds his place in the ancient crane migration from northern Canada to the Platte River.

Mojave /
ISBN: 0064432831 OCLC: 26066432

HarperTrophy, [New York] : 1992, ©1988.

Evokes the land and animals of the Mohave Desert in poetic text and illustrations.

Morning, noon, and night /
ISBN: 0060236280 OCLC: 37361686

HarperCollins, New York : ©1999.

Each day as the sun makes its dawn-to-dusk journey from the Eastern seaboard to the Pacific coast, the animals perform their daily routines.

My farm friends /
ISBN: 0399257993 OCLC: 798059857

Nancy Paulsen Books, New York, NY : 2013.

Simple, rhyming text describes the characteristics of different farm animals. Includes "Farm friends fun facts" and books and websites for further reading.

Nibble nibble /
ISBN: 0060592087 OCLC: 71312872

HarperCollins, New York : [2007]

Five poems depict the natural world through bunnies at play.

Night flight :
ISBN: 9781430110842 OCLC: 289067817

An account of Amelia Earhart's dangerous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Ireland, in which she survived bad weather and a malfunctioning airplane. Includes a brief biography of the aviator.

Night train, night train /
ISBN: 1580897177 OCLC: 1019843170

Told in rhyming text, a train speeds through the night, revealing the sights and colors along the way to its young and sleepy riders.

Pumpkin heads /
ISBN: 1580899358 OCLC: 1193559073

When Halloween comes around, pumpkins are turned into pumpkin heads of different kinds and greet trick-or-treaters.

Pumpkin heads! /
ISBN: 0590521381 OCLC: 148852800

Scholastic, New York, N.Y. : 2007.

Pumpkin heads and jack-o-lanterns of all varieties abound when Halloween comes around.

Rachel :
ISBN: 9780152063245 OCLC: 176927435

Voyager Books Harcourt, Orlando : 2008, ©2003.

Rachel Carson was always curious about the world around her. As a girl she loved being outside, always exploring and wanting to know more about the universe. As an adult Rachel wrote books about what she loved-including Silent Spring, a book that changed the world. Amy Ehrlich's lucid and loving prose, complemented by Wendell Minor's luminous paintings, tells a memorable story of the power of the word, the power of the individual, and most of all the importance of following your heart. An epilogue sheds light on Rachel Carson's work and life.

Reaching for the moon
ISBN: 9780060554477 OCLC: 54778496

HarperCollins, New York, NY : ©2005.

I Walked on the Moon. This is my journey. It didn't begin when I stepped on board Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. It began the day I was born -- Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., whom everyone called Buzz. Becoming an astronaut took more than education, discipline, and physical strength. It took years of determination and believing that any goal is possible -- from riding a bike alone across the George Washington Bridge at age ten to making a footprint on the Moon. I always knew the Moon was within my reach -- and that I was ready to be part of the team that would achieve the first landing. But it was still hard to believe when I took my first step onto the Moon's surface. We all have our own dreams -- this is the story of how mine came true.

Red fox running
ISBN: 0395797233 OCLC: 25283929

Rhyming text follows the experiences of a red fox as it searches across a wintery landscape for food.

Sequoia /
ISBN: 1596437278 OCLC: 867423865

Standing tall above the tree line, Sequoia stretches his ancient arms and gathers clouds to him. He watches as days, seasons, years pass by. His branches are home to owls and choirs of frogs. Beneath his broad canopy, a world grows. This is his story.

Shaker hearts /
ISBN: 1567922317 OCLC: 51567548

David R. Godine, Boston : 2002, ©1997.

Celebrates the way of life of the people who began forming communities in America in 1774 and who numbered more than 4,000 members in the late 1820s.

Shane
ISBN: 0395941164 OCLC: 1879951

Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston : 1949.

In the summer of 1889, a mysterious and charismatic man rides into a small Wyoming valley, where he joins homesteaders who take a stand against a bullying cattle rancher, and where he changes the lives of a young boy and his parents.

Sierra /
ISBN: 0064434419 OCLC: 21118253

HarperCollins, New York : ©1991.

One of the Sierra Mountains speaks of the beauty and timelessness of herself and her sister peaks.

Sitting Bull remembers /
ISBN: 0060513993 OCLC: 76131737

HarperCollinsPublishers, New York : ©2007.

Historically accurate fictional portrait of Sitting Bull looking back on the events that shaped his life and fate.

Sky memories /
ISBN: 0385326068 OCLC: 39763843

Delacorte Press, New York : ©1999.

When ten-year-old Emily learns that her mother has cancer, the two of them begin a ritual that will help Emily remember her mother after she is dead.

Smitten with kittens /
ISBN: 1623541670 OCLC: 1224044244

"Celebrate all the things that kittens do as they play, explore, and make mischief"--

Snow Bear
ISBN: 0439203589 OCLC: 39985635

Hyperion Books for Children, New York : 1999.

Bessie and a polar bear cub named Snow Bear play on the ice, while her older brother and the mother bear watch to make sure that everyone is safe.

Snowboard twist /
ISBN: 0060505958 OCLC: 52086179

Katherine Tegen Books, [New York] : ©2004.

While Axel, his father, Dag, and his dog, Grits, are testing the snow in the Teton Mountains' Glory Bowl, Axel's snowboarding rival, Kelly, starts showing off and triggers an avalanche.

Southwest sunrise /
ISBN: 1547600829 OCLC: 1123180647

Jayden expects to see nothing but brown his first morning in New Mexico, but after being surprised by colorful rocks, flowers, birds, and animals, he wonders if this place could become home.

The buffalo are back /
ISBN: 0525422153 OCLC: 417442332

Dutton Children's Books, New York : ©2010.

The buffalo, an American icon once nearly extinct, has made a comeback. This stirring picture book tells the dramatic story, following bison from the Plains Indians to the cowboys, Teddy Roosevelt to the Dust Bowl, and from the brink of extinction to the majestic herds that now roam our national parks.

The call of the wild /
ISBN: 068981836X OCLC: 37890516

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©1999.

The classic adventure story of a dog's savage struggle for survival in the Alaskan wilderness.

The eagles are back /
ISBN: 0803737718 OCLC: 784123491

Dial Books for Young Readers, New York : 2013.

Presents a tribute to the efforts of dedicated volunteers who helped save the American bald eagle from extinction, including the story of a young boy who helped hatch an eaglet.

The last polar bear /
ISBN: 0061240699 OCLC: 881058004

Tigluk and his grandmother paddle out into the Arctic Ocean where they find a young polar bear whose mother has died because of the changes brought about by the warming climate, and they bring the cub back to their town so they can teach it how to survive in a changing world.

The last train
ISBN: 002119601X OCLC: 809279058

McGraw-Hill Education, New York : [2012]

Song lyrics about the bygone era of the mighty iron horse are paired with detailed paintings that pay tribute to life around a little railroad station.

The Leather Apron Club :
ISBN: 1580897193 OCLC: 1157605179

"Billy Franklin discovers a love of learning and books through the Leather Apron Club library, run by his father, the famous Benjamin Franklin."--

The magic of letters /
ISBN: 0823441598 OCLC: 1031040483

Illustrations and easy-to-read text reveal the secrets of letters, including their power to create words of all kinds.

The magical Christmas horse /
ISBN: 1416994785 OCLC: 631743403

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : [2011]

Eight-year-old Johnny who lives in Arizona but feels a special connection to his grandfather's 265-year-old farm house in Washington, Connecticut, is overjoyed when his family spends Christmas there.

The red badge of courage
ISBN: 9780141327525 OCLC: 339524742

Puffin, London : 2009.

In the spring of 1863, as he faces battle for the first time at Chancellorsville, Virginia, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.

The red badge of courage /
ISBN: 0689820003 OCLC: 48249183

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : 2002.

During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.

The seashore book /
ISBN: 1580897878 OCLC: 24011130

HarperCollins, [New York] : ©1992.

A mother's words help a little boy imagine the sights and sounds of the seashore, even though he has never seen the ocean.

The wolves are back /
ISBN: 0525479473 OCLC: 123818293

Dutton Children's Books, New York, N.Y. : ©2008.

For over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem.

This is the Earth /
ISBN: 0060555262 OCLC: 939901851

Shows the ways in which humans have affected the environment, ways in which humans can care for the planet, and how every action taken has an impact on the Earth.

Tiny bird :
ISBN: 1627793690 OCLC: 1089265429

As autumn nears, flowers fade and insects become quiet, and Tiny Bird leaves his northern home for the long and perilous journey to lush southern forests. Includes facts about hummingbirds.

Trapped! :
ISBN: 1580895581 OCLC: 869548857

In the icy waters of the Pacific, a massive humpback whale unexpectedly finds herself tangled in a net abandoned by fishermen. When a rescue boat and a convoy of divers arrive to help the struggling humpback, a realistic and moving encounter bridges the human and aquatic worlds.

We were there :
ISBN: 0395822653 OCLC: 45621697

Clarion Books, New York : 2001.

A snake, scorpion, toad, bat, cockroach, spider, and rat tell how they witnessed the birth of the Christ Child.

Wendell Minor :
ISBN: 0151956146 OCLC: 31331558

Over 100 full-color reproductions of original artwork from the jackets of best-selling books by such authors as Ray Bradbury, Louise Erdrich, Toni Morrison, James Michener, and Harper Lee are accompanied by conversations with Paul Bacon and Frank Metz and messages from the authors.

Wilbur Wright meets Lady Liberty /
ISBN: 1627793682 OCLC: 1141988259

"Two American icons meet in this nonfiction picture book that tells the dramatic true tale of Wilbur Wright's flight circling the Statue of Liberty"--

Wild orca :
ISBN: 1250110696 OCLC: 1011682132

Mia, her family, and friends gather in the San Juan Islands for Orca Sing, hoping that 105-year-old Granny, the oldest orca, will return with the pods she watches over. Includes facts about Granny and orcas.

Yankee Doodle America :
ISBN: 0399240039 OCLC: 61687606

G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York : ©2006.

An A to Z of the American Revolution.

 

 

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