Nicolas Sidjakov facts for kids
Nicolas Sidjakov (born December 16, 1924 – died June 20, 1993) was a talented artist from Latvia who became famous in America. He was a commercial artist and illustrator. He also helped start two important design companies: Sidjakov & Berman Associates and later Sidjakov, Berman & Gomez.
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About Nicolas Sidjakov
Nicolas Sidjakov was born in Riga, Latvia. He studied art at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France. After his studies, he worked in advertising and also did freelance work for the French movie industry. This means he worked for different film companies on a project-by-project basis.
In 1954, Sidjakov moved to the United States. He continued his work in advertising there. He also started illustrating children's books, especially picture books. His first children's book was The Friendly Beasts by Laura Nelson Baker, which was based on an old English Christmas song. It was published in 1957 by Parnassus Press in Berkeley, California.
Parnassus Press was a small publishing company that started the same year. The owner's wife, Ruth Robbins, was a writer and illustrator herself. Over the next few years, Parnassus Press published several picture books that Ruth Robbins wrote and Nicolas Sidjakov illustrated.
Winning the Caldecott Medal
One of their most famous books was Baboushka and the Three Kings. This book retold a Russian folktale about an old woman searching for the Christ child. For his amazing illustrations in this book, Nicolas Sidjakov won the important Caldecott Medal in 1961. The Caldecott Medal is given every year by the American Library Association to the illustrator of the "most distinguished American picture book for children."
From the 1940s to the 1970s, San Francisco was a very creative city, and Nicolas Sidjakov was a big part of it. He focused more on designing than illustrating. He received many awards for his advertising designs in the 1960s and 1970s.
His Design Companies
In 1978, Nicolas Sidjakov and Jerry Berman started their own design company called Sidjakov & Berman Associates. Later, in 1981, they added another partner and changed the name to Sidjakov, Berman & Gomez. In 1987, their company became part of a larger British company called WPP Group plc. Today, this part of the company is known as Enterprise IG, San Francisco.
Nicolas Sidjakov lived in Sausalito, California, when he passed away in 1993.
Illustrated Picture Books
Here are some of the picture books Nicolas Sidjakov illustrated:
- The Friendly Beasts, written by Laura Nelson Baker (Parnassus Press, 1959) – This book was based on the Christmas carol "The Friendly Beasts".
- Baboushka and the Three Kings, written by Ruth Robbins (Parnassus, 1960) – This story was adapted from Russian folklore.
- The Emperor and the Drummer Boy, written by Ruth Robbins (Parnassus, 1962) – This book was also published in French, and the Emperor in the story is Napoleon.
- Harlequin and Mother Goose, or, The Magic Stick, written by Ruth Robbins (Parnassus, 1965) – This story was based on English Harlequinade plays.
- A Lodestone and a Toadstone, written by Irene Elmer (Alfred A. Knopf, 1969).
- Staffan: an old Christmas folk song, translated from Swedish (Parnassus, 1970).
