Scholastic Vice President Kyle Good tells us:
Twelve original works of art created by some of the top children’s book illustrators and featuring some of the most beloved characters in children’s literature are now available on auction at charitybuzz.org through June 5, 2011. Net proceeds from the auction will benefit the literacy organizations Reading Is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, organizations that provide books to underserved children and are suffering from recent federal funding cuts.
The artwork, ranging from pen and ink sketches to acrylic and watercolor paintings to digital art, was commissioned by Scholastic as part of the company’s 90th Anniversary global literacy campaign, Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life. Artists were asked to provide their own artistic interpretations of the campaign message, underscoring the importance of reading in the lives of young people. The resulting art captures the whimsy, the imagination, the adventure and the humor to be found in great children’s books.
Artists participating in the project are: Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog; Bruce Degen, illustrator of The Magic School Bus series; Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the US editions of the Harry Potter series; Jeff Smith, author/illustrator of the Bone graphic novels; David Shannon, author/illustrator of No, David! and its sequels; Jon J Muth, author/illustrator of Zen Ties and Zen Shorts; Mark Teague, author/illustrator of the LaRue series and illustrator of the How Do Dinosaurs…? series; Stephen Savage, author/illustrator of Where’s Walrus?; Edwin Fotheringham, illustrator of Tony Baloney; Barbara McClintock, illustrator of fairy-tale retellings; Sean Qualls, illustrator of Dizzy; and Raina Telgemeier, author/illustrator of Smile.
Scholastic is also making poster editions of the twelve works of art available for schools, libraries, and literacy organizations. Posters will also go on sale at scholasticstore.com on June 6, 2011.
The art currently on auction is on this page. The auctions started yesterday, and at press time, have bids ranging from $500 to $750.