Jerry Pinkney, Illustration for The Lion & the Mouse (Little, Brown Books). Gift of Gloria Pinkney. © 2009 Jerry Pinkney.
Open + Shut: Celebrating the Art of Endpapers
Endpapers are the unsung glory of contemporary children’s publishing. Once a purely functional form—sturdy pages glued to the inside of a book’s cardboard covers—endpapers today are often full of wit, surprise, and even deep emotion. As one of the first (and last!) visual elements readers encounter when interacting with a book, endpapers set the mood for the story inside. These can extend the main story, offer a conceptual take on a theme or action, or provide additional visual and narrative information.
Curated by Bruce Handy.
What to Expect
Original work by more than 30 artists.
Sophie Blackall, Illustration for If You Come to Earth (Chronicle Books). Collection of the artist. © 2020 Sophie Blackall.
Brendan Wenzel, Illustration for Inside Cat (Chronicle Books). Collection of Brendan Wenzel. © 2021 Brendan Wenzel.
Brendan Wenzel, Illustration for Inside Cat (Chronicle Books). Collection of Brendan Wenzel. © 2021 Brendan Wenzel.
Paloma Valdivia, Illustration for Book of Questions: Selections / Libro de las Preguntas: Selecciones by Pablo Neruda (Enchanted Lion). Collection of the artist. © 2022 Paloma Valdivia.
Paloma Valdivia, Illustration for Book of Questions: Selections / Libro de las Preguntas: Selecciones by Pablo Neruda (Enchanted Lion). Collection of the artist. © 2022 Paloma Valdivia.
Carme Lemniscates, Illustration for Seeds (Candlewick). Collection of the artist. © 2020 Carme Lemniscates.
Grace Lin, Illustration for A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Little, Brown Books). Collection of the artist. © 2018 Grace Lin.
Jerry Pinkney, Illustration for The Lion & the Mouse (Little, Brown Books). Gift of Gloria Pinkney. © 2009 Jerry Pinkney.
Robert McCloskey, Book dummy illustration for Blueberries for Sal (Viking). Courtesy of The May Massee Collection, Emporia State University Special Collections and Archives, Emporia State University. © 1948 Robert McCloskey.
E. H. Shepard, Illustration for The World of Pooh by A. A. Milne. Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. © 1957 E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.