Paul O. Zelinsky

Paul O. Zelinsky (born 1953) is an American illustrator and writer best known for illustrating children's picture books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing Rapunzel. His most popular work is The Wheels on the Bus, a best-selling movable book.

Zelinsky had been one Caldecott runner-up in 1985, 1987, and 1995, the latter for Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs (Dutton, 1994). Twenty years later they were joint runners-up for the Phoenix Picture Book Award from the Children's Literature Association, which annually recognizes the best picture book that did not win a major award 20 years earlier. "Books are considered not only for the quality of their illustrations, but for the way pictures and text work together."

Paul O. Zelinsky was born in Evanston, Illinois, and he grew up in Wilmette. As a child he spent much of his time drawing. Often with his friends he would make up imaginary worlds and draw them. When he was only four, he submitted work to Highlights magazine, and his artwork was first showcased. Some of his influential childhood book favorites included The Color Kittens and The Tawny Scrawny Lion. Zelinsky said in reference to memories of what he had read, "Feelings come to me as a sort of flavor. I know that when I call up my earliest memories, what I remember seeing and hearing is accompanied by a flavor-like sense of what it felt like to be there and see that." In later years of his youth, his favorite authors were William Pène du Bois and Robert Lawson. He especially loved the books The Twenty-One Balloons, by du Bois, and The Fantastic Flight.

At New Trier High School, Zelinsky was interested in natural history as well as architecture and saw himself following one of those paths for a career. However, he went to study at Yale. He took a class taught by Maurice Sendak on the history and art of children's books, and it inspired him to a career in the area. Zelinsky went to graduate school at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and Rome. The Renaissance and Italian art always fascinated him, and this time in his life influenced this love as well. His career in children's books began in 1978 with the illustrations for Avi's Emily Upham's Revenge. Since then he has continued to illustrate others' work as well as creating his own books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel and three Caldecott honors (for Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995)). His most popular book is The Wheels on the Bus, which has sold millions.

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