Robert Burleigh
Over the past 35 years, Robert Burleigh (www.robertburleigh.com) has published more than 50 children’s picture books, collaborating with such prominent illustrators as Wendell Minor, Ed Young, Mike Wimmer, Barry Blitt, Stephen Johnson, Katy Wu, and Sterling Hundley.
Some titles on Burleigh’s backlist include Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh; Hoops; Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth; The Secret of the Great Houdini; One Giant Leap; Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic; The Adventures of Mark Twain, as Told by Huckleberry Finn; Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor; O Captain, My Captain: Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War; Sylvia’s Bookshop; Wilbur Wright Meets Lady Liberty; and Breaking Waves: Winslow Homer Paints the Sea.
His books have won numerous awards. In addition, he received the Prairie State Award from the Illinois Reading Council, naming him the Illinois Children’s Book Writer of the Year for 2011.
Born and raised in Chicago, Robert Burleigh graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. He has published books for children since the late 1980s.
While the subjects of his books vary, they are linked philosophically, stylistically and structurally by a wish to capture the essential elements along with the emotional intensity of whatever the subject is. The hard facts (historical and biographical) of his subjects always remain important, and are woven into the narrative. But beyond that, the books convey the feeling of immediacy, of being there—whether there is flying an airplane, hitting a baseball, or painting a picture.
In addition to writing, Robert Burleigh paints regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist (www.Burleighkronquist.com) and has shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
Reviews
The Great Zombie Pumpkin Parade
“In propulsive rhyming verse and spooky watercolor and gouache illustrations (“mixed with digital”), readers are introduced to the participants in a parade of zombies with jack-o’-lanterns for heads—Slime-Faces Sumpkin, Ghoul-Eyed Gumpkins, Crush-Headed Cumpkins, etc.—who march through the countryside on Halloween night. They return to the pumpkin graveyard at dawn, but “watch out, my friend, / beware, be wise! / This isn’t the end-- / the zombies will rise.” Burleigh and Minor’s latest collaboration (Breaking Waves and Wilbur Wright Meets Lady-Liberty, both rev. 5/21) is perfect for young readers who enjoy a bit of “shiver and quiver” in their picture books.”—The Horn Book
Breaking Waves
“Burleigh portrays a disciplined, patient Homer over the course of five seasons, relentlessly observing storms from perilous vantage points, making notes and sketches to aid memory, and refusing to still his brush after completing fine paintings that didn’t quite rise to his own expectations.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Both the style and the palette choice are effective creative decisions, delivering to the story a cumulative ambiance of an artist at work indoors and out, sketching, planning, seeing, and trying . . . Quite authentically Homer.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This stunning work of literary nonfiction follows a year in the life and process of American painter Winslow Homer . . . A beautiful and rich work of literary nonfiction.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
“With quiet intensity, the book’s words and pictures set Homer’s work and self-sufficient style of living within the frame of this fascination. Children ages 4-8 may almost feel that they have joined in the artist’s creative process: standing with him in suspended moments of concentration; leaping into action with him as he swiftly mixes paints and sends his brush skimming across the paper.” —The Wall Street Journal
“It takes a special talent to convey the essence of an artist to children in an understandable way. Burleigh does so expertly, highlighting Winslow Homer’s fascination and love for the ocean and its waves . . . The beautiful whites, grays, and blues are typical of New England, ably showing the power of places where sea meets land.” —Booklist
Tiny Bird
"Kids will be mesmerized by this dynamic portrait of one of nature’s winged wonders." —Booklist , Starred Review
O Captain, My Captain
"Carefully researched and beautifully rendered." —Booklist
"This book is a substantive contribution to the recognition of Walt Whitman and his place in American literary history for young readers." —School Library Journal, Starred Review
". . . bold and aspirational, . . . A worthy supporting player in a curriculum. . . ." —Kirkus Reviews
Sylvia’s Bookshop
"Wu turns a text about books and writers into a veritable party on the page. . . ." —Kirkus Reviews
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea
"An ideal introduction to a lesser-known scientist and an important understanding about how the Earth works." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"A finely told, beautifully illustrated biography that saves a world-class scientist from obscurity." —School Library Journal , Starred Review