Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick
Brian Selznickis an American illustrator and writer best known for illustrating children's books. He won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration recognizing The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was his first long work as a writer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionIllustrator
Date of Birth14 July 1966
CityEast Brunswick, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
dad book reading
Ben remembered reading about curators in "Wonderstruck", and thought about what id meant to curate your own life, as his dad had done here. What would it be like to pick and choose the objects and stories that would go in your own cabinet? How would Ben curate his own life? And then, thinking about his museum box, and his house, and his books, and the secret room, he realized he'd already begun doing it. Maybe, thought Ben, we are all cabinets of wonders.
best characters figure interest issues larger possibly themes trying work
Sometimes, I have themes that interest me or that touch on larger issues but, really, I'm just trying to figure out the plot, or how the characters work. I'm trying to make the best story I possibly can.
books change complain forget people stories translated watching
A lot of times, people complain about how books and stories change when they're translated to the screen. But I think sometimes people forget that a lot of changes have to be made because we're not in a book when we're watching a movie.
For most of my career I illustrated books for other people.
dumb harder kids normally people smart sure word work
A lot of people who don't write for kids think it's easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that you have to dumb down what you would normally write for kids. But I think you have to work harder when you write for kids, to make sure every word is right, that it's there for the right reason.
born child family finding forward happy however literature move orphan
The orphan in children's literature allows the child protagonist to move the story forward themselves. I think that, however happy a family, every intelligent child thinks: 'How did I come to be born to these parents?' - it is about finding your place in the world.
definitely liked magic monsters movies museums work
I definitely think my work comes from things that I liked as a kid, and things I still like now. Monsters and magic and museums and movies, a lot of things that start with 'M' for some reason.
art since taking
I've been taking art lessons since I was little, and I've always drawn. I think in pictures.
loved move pictures turning
I've always loved the wild rumpus in 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak, because the words disappear, the pictures take up the whole page, and we move forward in the story by turning the pages.
belongs certain kids
I think everything belongs in a certain place, for kids who feel they don't belong anywhere. A museum is an institution like a library where everything has a place, everything belongs.
cannot clocks explained happening interests looking magical unless
What interests me about clocks is that everything is hand-made, and yet to the person looking at the clock, something magical is happening that cannot be explained unless you are the clockmaker.
broken purpose like-you
If you lose your purpose ... it's like you're broken.
art thinking art-is
I think I always knew that I would do something with art because it was the one thing that I knew I was really good at.
support stories given
I love illustrating for other writers because I am given stories I never would have thought of, and my work as an illustrator is always in support of the story.