Brian Selznick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Selznick
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Selznick at the 2018 National Book Festival
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| Born | July 14, 1966 East Brunswick Township, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Illustrator, writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1991–present |
| Genre | Children's picture books, historical novels |
| Subject | Biography, history |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Caldecott Medal (2008) Inkpot Award (2017) |
| Spouse | David Serlin |
| Relatives | David O. Selznick (first cousin twice removed) |
Brian Selznick (born July 14, 1966) is a famous American artist and author. He is best known for writing and illustrating unique books like The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) and Wonderstruck (2011). In 2008, he won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for his amazing illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian Selznick has also created artwork for many other children's books, including the special 20th-anniversary covers for the Harry Potter series.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life and First Books
Brian Selznick grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He was the oldest of three children in his family. After high school, he studied at the Rhode Island School of Design.
After college, Brian worked at a children's bookstore in Manhattan. While working there, he also created his first book, The Houdini Box. This book was about a boy who met the famous magician Harry Houdini. It was published in 1991 and was 56 pages long.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
One of Brian Selznick's most famous books is The Invention of Hugo Cabret. He won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for this book. The Caldecott Medal is given for the best-illustrated picture book in the U.S. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was special because it was a very long book, with 533 pages and 284 pictures.
Brian Selznick describes The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a mix of different things. He says it's "not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie." It combines all these styles. The story is about a young orphan boy in Paris in the 1930s. He tries to fix a broken robot-like machine called an automaton.
The idea for the book came from a real story about the French filmmaker Georges Méliès. Méliès had a collection of automata that were thrown away after he died. Brian Selznick, who loved Méliès and automata, imagined a boy finding one of these machines. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was later made into a movie called Hugo by director Martin Scorsese in 2011.
Awards and Recognition
Before winning the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick was also recognized for another book. In 2002, he received a Caldecott Honor for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. This award is given to books that are runners-up for the Caldecott Medal.
He has also won other awards, including the Texas Bluebonnet Award and the Rhode Island Children's Book Award.
Works
Books Written by Brian Selznick
- The Hugo Movie Companion: A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture (2011)
- The Wonderstruck Movie Scrapbook (2017)
Books Written and Illustrated by Brian Selznick
- The Houdini Box (1991)
- The Robot King (1995)
- Boy of a Thousand Faces (2000)
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
- Wonderstruck (2011)
- The Marvels (2015)
- Baby Monkey, Private Eye (2018), with David Serlin
- Kaleidoscope (2021)
- Big Tree (2023)
- Run Away With Me (April 2025)
Books Illustrated by Brian Selznick
- Doll Face Has a Party (1994), by Pam Conrad
- Our House: stories of Levittown (1995), by Pam Conrad
- Frindle (1996), by Andrew Clements
- The Boy Who Longed for a Lift (1997), by Norma Farber
- Riding Freedom (1998), by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride: based on a true story (1999), by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Barnyard Prayers (2000), by Laura Godwin
- The Doll People (2000), by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
- The Landry News (2000), by Andrew Clements
- The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins (2001), by Barbara Kerley
- The School Story (2001), by Andrew Clements
- When Marian Sang (2002), by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Wingwalker (2002), by Rosemary Wells
- The Dulcimer Boy (2003), by Tor Seidler
- The Meanest Doll in the World (2003), by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
- Walt Whitman: words for America (2004), by Barbara Kerley
- Lunch Money (2005), by Andrew Clements
- Marly's Ghost: a remix of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (2006), by David Levithan
- The Runaway Dolls (2008), by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
- 12: a novel (2009)
- Live Oak, with Moss (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Brian Selznick para niños
