Nancy Ekholm Burkert facts for kids

Nancy Ekholm Burkert, born on February 16, 1933, is a talented American artist. She is also a famous illustrator of children's books. Her most well-known work is the picture book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This book, published in 1972, was recognized as a special book by the New York Times. It also received a Caldecott Honor, meaning it was a runner-up for the important Caldecott Medal.

About Nancy Ekholm Burkert

Nancy Ekholm Burkert was born in Sterling, Colorado. In 1945, when she was 12 years old, her family moved to Wisconsin. She studied art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. There, she earned both her first degree and her master's degree.

Her Early Career

Nancy Burkert started her illustration career in 1961. Her very first job was illustrating the popular book James and the Giant Peach. Later, in 1982, she helped write a special book for the Milwaukee Art Museum. This book was about another Wisconsin artist named John Wilde.

In 1990, Nancy Burkert won a special award. It was the Boston Globe-Horn Book Special Award for her book Valentine and Orson. In 2003, her artwork was featured in an exhibition. This show took place at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst.

Family Life

Nancy Burkert was married to Robert Burkert, who was also an artist. He taught Fine Art at UW-Milwaukee. Some of his artworks are even in the famous Tate Britain collection in London.

Together, Nancy and Robert had a son and a daughter. They enjoyed spending time as a family in Europe. They also loved their family cottage in northern Wisconsin. Later, the couple retired to a coastal town. They lived in East Orleans, Massachusetts.

Nancy's Artistic Style

Nancy Ekholm Burkert's early artwork showed her skill with pencils and charcoal. She was very good at creating shadows and textures. She also often used pen and ink with colored pencils and watercolors.

Mastering Light and Detail

When she illustrated books like The Nightingale and Snow White, her art became even more amazing. She became a master of using light, shadow, and depth. Her style mixed the old Renaissance art technique called chiaroscuro with an Oriental sense of space. Chiaroscuro is about using strong contrasts between light and dark.

Her settings looked very realistic in their details. Yet, they also felt magical and timeless. In her later work, she continued to focus on tiny, intense details. This showed her great passion for all the complex and varied things in life.

Her illustrations for Valentine & Orson were seen as a complete work of art. People admired them for their amazing detail and how they seemed to glow.

Books Illustrated by Nancy

Nancy Ekholm Burkert has illustrated many wonderful books, including:

• Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach (1961)
• Natalie Savage Carlson, Jean-Claude’s Island (1963)
• Meindert de Jong, Big Goose and the Little White Duck (1963)
• Hans Christian Andersen, The Nightingale (1965)
• John Updike, Child’s Calendar (1965)
• Edward Lear and Ogden Nash, The Scroobious Pip (1968)
• Hans Christian Andersen, The Fir Tree (1970)
• The Brothers Grimm, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1972)
• David Larkin, ed., The Art of Nancy Ekholm Burkert (1977)
• Emily Dickinson, Acts of Light (1980)
• Valentine and Orson (1989), which she also wrote

Awards and Recognition

Nancy Ekholm Burkert has received several important awards for her work:

• 1972: Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs was named a New York Times Notable Book.
• 1973: Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs received a Caldecott Award, Honor Book.
• 1989: She won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Valentine and Orson.
• 1995: She was recognized by the Wisconsin Library Association as one of Wisconsin's Notable Authors.