Brian Selznick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Selznick
Selznick at the 2018 National Book Festival
Born	(1966-07-14) July 14, 1966 (age 58) 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	Frindle The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins The Invention of Hugo Cabret Wonderstruck The Marvels Kaleidoscope
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 an American artist and author. He is famous for writing and illustrating popular children's books. Some of his best-known works include The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007), Wonderstruck (2011), and The Marvels (2015). In 2008, he won the important Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. He also created the covers for the 20th-anniversary editions of the Harry Potter books.

Life and Career

Brian Selznick grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He was the oldest of three children. 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 wrote and illustrated his first book. This book was called The Houdini Box. It was published in 1991. The story is about a boy who meets the famous magician Harry Houdini.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Brian Selznick won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This award 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. It had 533 pages and 284 pictures.

Brian describes it as a mix of different things. It's not just a novel or a picture book. It's also not quite a graphic novel or a flip book. It combines all these styles. This book was the longest and most detailed project he had worked on at the time.

The story of The Invention of Hugo Cabret is about a young orphan boy. He lives in Paris in the 1930s. He tries to fix a broken robot, called an automaton. Brian got the idea for the book from a real story. It was about a collection of automata that belonged to Georges Méliès. Méliès was a famous filmmaker. After he died, his automata were thrown away. Brian, who loved Méliès and automata, imagined a boy finding one in the trash.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret was made into a movie. The film was called Hugo. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and came out in 2011. Brian says that authors like Maurice Sendak (who wrote Where the Wild Things Are) and Remy Charlip influenced his work.

Awards and Recognition

Before winning the Caldecott Medal, Brian Selznick was also recognized for his work. In 2002, he received a Caldecott Honor. This was for his book The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins.

He has also won other awards. These include the Texas Bluebonnet Award and the Rhode Island Children's Book Award. He also received the Christopher Award.

Works by Brian Selznick

As Writer and Illustrator

• 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)

As Illustrator Only

• 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)