Ellison, Chris

Personal

Born in LA; married; wife's name Lesley; children: Henry. Education: Attended Harris School of Art (Franklin, TN) and Portfolio Center (Atlanta, GA).

Addresses

Home—Hattiesburg, MS. Agent—Will Sumpter Associates, 179 Massengale Rd., Brooks, GA 30205.

Career

Illustrator of children's books.

Awards, Honors

Carter G. Woodson Award for elementary-school readers, National Council for the Social Studies, 2006, for Let Them Play.

Illustrator

Melody Carlson, King of the Stable, Crossway Books (Wheaton, IL), 1998.

Julie Steigemeyer, Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend, Concordia Publishing House (St. Louis, MO), 2003.

Margot Theis Raven, Let Them Play, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2005.

Dandi Daley Mackall, Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2007.

Devin Scillian, Pappy's Handkerchief, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2007.

Judy Young, The Lucky Star, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2008.

Sidelights

Children's book illustrator Chris Ellison has provided the artwork for a variety of projects, focusing on texts retelling stories from history. In 2005, he teamed with author Margot Theis Raven to create Let Them Play, winner of the 2006 Carter G. Woodson Award for elementary school readers. Let Them Play recounts the unfortunate experience of Charleston, South Carolina's Cannon Street Little League team, a group of black youths competing in the white leagues of the deep South. With segregation still an entrenched part of life, all of the other teams—comprised of white baseball players—left the organization to protest the inclusion of black players, making the Cannon Street players league champions by default. Representing their state, the boys traveled to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to participate in the Little League Baseball World Series. Baseball officials, however, only allowed the team to practice, not play in any games, claiming that the all-black team won their state's tournament on a technicality. Many fans in the crowd did not approve of this situation, leading chants of "Let them play," but they could not change the ruling. Reviewing the book in School Library Journal, Marilyn Taniguchi concluded that "Ellison's lovely paintings lend strong support to the meaning and emotion of the text," while Denise B. Geier wrote in Social Education that "the expressive paintings by Chris Ellison add significantly to the moving text."

Ellison's paintings aid in the retelling of another historical event in Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story, written by Dandi Daley Mackall. Part of the "Tales of Young America" series published by Sleeping Bear Press, Rudy Rides the Rails follows the story of a thirteen-year-old boy who begins a journey from Ohio to California during the Great Depression in search of work. On his travels, "Ramblin' Rudy" steals rides on boxcar trains, works odd jobs, and survives through his sharp wits and the help of kindly strangers. "The stirring full-page watercolor paintings capture the period

with realism and a tinge of sentiment," claimed Booklist critic Hazel Rochman. School Library Journal contributor Anne L. Tormohlen similarly cited Ellison's "realistic, painterly illustrations [which] depict the teen's cross-country journey," the critic going on to note that "the paintings clearly convey the characters' emotions."

In 2007, Ellison added the artwork to Devin Scillian's tale about black settlers in the American West during the Oklahoma land run. Pappy's Handkerchief recounts the experiences of an African-American boy named Moses as his family leaves their home in Baltimore, Maryland, to begin a new life on farmland distributed by the U.S. government free of charge. After his father breaks his leg during their difficult wagon trek, Moses must continue the journey alone on horseback to stake a claim for his family. Reaching his destination, the young boy plants a pole adorned with his father's handkerchief, securing hopes for a better future. Many reviewers offered warm praise for Ellison's efforts. "Whether they are portraits or action scenes, the painterly illustrations are beautifully rendered," wrote Booklist critic Randall Enos, while a Kirkus Reviews contributor applauded the artist's "painterly, full-page illustrations of dark-skinned, grave-looking figures in period dress." Reviewing Pappy's Handkerchief in School Library Journal, Judith Constantinides called the book "a handsome, oversize volume" filled with "beautiful paintings of warm, soft browns, yellows, and blues that complement the narrative."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2007, Hazel Rochman, review of Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story, p. 91; October 1, 2007, Randall Enos, review of Pappy's Handkerchief, p. 59.

Children's Bookwatch, May, 2007, review of Rudy Rides the Rails.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2007, review of Pappy's Handkerchief.

School Library Journal, November, 2005, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Let Them Play, p. 120; June, 2007, Anne L. Tormohlen, review of Rudy Rides the Rails, p. 152; January, 2008, Judith Constantinides, review of Pappy's Handkerchief, p. 97; July, 2008, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of The Lucky Star, p. 84.

Social Education, May-June, 2007, Denise B. Geier, review of Let Them Play, p. 191.