Short Biography
Trina Schart Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 8, 1939. She studied at Philadelphia Museum College of Art with the dream of a career in illustration. Hyman died on November 19, 2004.
Hyman was drawing and enjoying literature as a small child, thanks to her mother. Little Red Riding Hood was a favorite story of Hyman’s, as evidenced in her choice to wear a red satin cape made by her mother for an entire year. She eventually won the Caldecott Honor Award for her retelling and illustration of Little Red Riding Hood (1983).
During her career she illustrated over 150 books and was the art director for the magazine, Cricket, from 1973-1979. Hyman was one of the earliest white Americans to include diverse characters in children’s books, including stories from Cameroon. Hyman’s illustrative style borrowed a lot from her personal life. She often included people from real life in her illustrations, like a friend as model for the Evil Queen in Snow White. Her work was awarded a Caldecott Award for St. George and the Dragon and three Caldecott Honors for, Little Red Riding Hood, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, and A Child’s Calendar.
Hyman’s advice for prospective artists and illustrators, “You have to be so motivated that you have to want to draw so badly that it’s like taking away your oxygen not to draw. It has to be so much a part of your expression and your personality that you cannot live without it. You can’t go for more than two days without drawing. I mean, it is that basic a need for me.”
References
Pennsylvania State University Libraries. (2019) Hyman. Pennsylvania Center for the Book. https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/hyman__trina_schart
Trina Schart Hyman. R. Michelson Galleries. https://www.rmichelson.com/illustration/trina-schart-hyman/
(2019) Spotlight on Trina Schart Hyman. Cricket. https://kids-magazine-news.cricketmedia.com/spotlight-on-trina-schart-hyman/
Little Red Riding Hood Review
Little Red Riding Hood retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Elisabeth is known to most as Little Red Riding Hood due to her favorite cloak that she wears all the time, the cloak that her Grandmother made for her. Grandmother is ill and Elisabeth’s mother has directed her to bring her wine, bread, and butter to her Grandmother that lives in the woods. Her mother warns Elisabeth to stay on the path, but as she travels, her meets a hungry wolf that tricks her off the path and into revealing where Elisabeth’s Grandmother lives. When she finally arrives at the home things seem off, and once again she meets the wolf, but this time he doesn’t let her go.
Hyman’s illustrations are rich and detailed. They help the reader be in the scene. When there is text it is surrounded by decorative columns and small illustrations. Observant readers will notice a cat that keeps re-appearing. Though the details of Little Red Riding Hood being eaten and the wolf gutted are included, those are not illustrated, much to the dismay of some of my students. Those moments are always shocking, because it makes the danger real. I always include this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in my Fairy Tale unit, that focuses on Little Red Riding Hood variations. This picture book kicks off the unit as we focus on different retellings.
BIBLIO: 1983, Holiday House, Ages 7-9, $13.95 REVIEWER: @caffeinatedteas FORMAT: Picture Book ISBN: 0-8234-0470-6
A Caffeinated Librarian 