John Schoenherr facts for kids

John Carl Schoenherr (born July 5, 1935 – died April 8, 2010) was a talented American artist. He was famous for illustrating books, especially for children and science fiction fans. In 1988, he won the Caldecott Medal, a top award for children's book art, for his work on Owl Moon. This book tells the story of a child's first owl-spotting trip with their father. John Schoenherr also illustrated the original Dune novel. He was later honored by being added to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2015.

About John Schoenherr

John Schoenherr was born in New York City in 1935. He grew up in Queens, where many different languages were spoken. John often used his drawings to talk with people who spoke other languages. This showed how important art was to him from a young age. He went to Stuyvesant High School and later studied art at the Art Students League of New York and Pratt Institute. John lived in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, for many years. He passed away in 2010.

His Art Career

John Schoenherr is perhaps best known for his amazing artwork for the science fiction novel Dune. He created the original cover art for the book in 1965. Before that, he illustrated the story when it was published in parts in Analog magazine. This work earned him a Hugo Award in 1965 for Best Professional Artist. He also did art for another Dune story called Children of Dune. In 1978, a special edition of Dune was released with 33 black-and-white drawings and 8 full-color paintings by Schoenherr. The author of Dune, Frank Herbert, was amazed that John's artwork looked exactly like he had imagined the characters and creatures, even without them talking about it!

John Schoenherr was also very famous as a wildlife artist and a children's book illustrator. He illustrated over forty books. He often used a special technique called scratchboard for his black-and-white drawings. This is a unique way to create art. His paintings often used egg tempera, another unusual art medium. John also created paintings for NASA, the space agency. His deep knowledge of zoology (the study of animals) helped him create realistic animals and even imaginary alien creatures. He was a member of several important art and animal societies.

Starting in the 1960s, John Schoenherr created many science fiction illustrations. He also worked on other types of books. Some of the books he illustrated include The Wolfling and Rascal. Rascal was even recognized as a Newbery Honor Book. He also illustrated the first Dragonriders of Pern stories by Anne McCaffrey. These stories later became the novel Dragonflight. John's cover art for Analog magazine in 1975 is even said to have influenced the design of the Star Wars character Chewbacca! He also worked for many other book publishers.

Awards and Recognition

• 1965 Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist
• 1988 Caldecott Medal for Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
• 2015 Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame