Pauline Baynes text set

 I had never heard of illustrator Pauline Baynes until Waxwing Books announced its latest publication, Painting Wonder, How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien. Upon looking at our set of Narnia books, I discovered that we owned books illustrated by her. I am glad Ms. Katie Wray Schon choose to investigate this illustrator's life and celebrate her contributions to the literature and art world. Of course I wanted to read more books Ms. Baynes illustrated and borrowed all that our library system owned. I think I like the illustrations Ms. Baynes created in the Narnia series and for J.R.R. Tolkien best. The illustrations in the picture books were not in a style that I found appealing.

Below are the three I read (plus Ms. Schon's biography)-

1. Painting Wonder by Katie Wray Schon-available April 1, 2025 (I preordered so my copy was shipped a few days early!) Whimsical illustrations with unusual and clever layouts *Highly recommend.

2. The Coat of Many Colors by Jenny Koralek illustrated by Pauline Baynes

A retelling of Joseph-some events told in the Bible are not mentioned  Borrowed from the library.

3. The Cobweb Curtain A Christmas Story by Jenny Koralek illustrated by Pauline Baynes -Based on a legend by William Barclay--When sharing with your child, make sure they understand it is a legend. Not much of this account is found in the Bible. It may be confusing for young children to discern what is true and what is not when hearing this legend. Borrowed from the library.

4. The Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien (illustrated by Pauline Baynes; a short story)

An immersive short story (sixty-one pages) about a boy who swallows a star from Faery and how it affected his life. *Highly recommend. Borrowed from the library.