CCSD students learn from well-known illustrator through Authors in Schools initiative

As part of its literacy initiative, Authors in Schools, The Zucker Family School of Education hosted award-winning illustrator James Ransome at three local partner schools to help kick off the 2017-18 school year.

Ransome spoke to children at Goodwin and Mitchell Elementary Schools and Sanders-Clyde Creative Arts School in late September to help them understand the processes involved in creating the captivating pictures in some of their favorite books.

“When students have strong literacy skills, doors open for their futures. Getting to meet the people behind the books, like James Ransome, helps grow their love of reading making a connection between literacy and careers,” said Judy Beard, principal for Sanders-Clyde Creative Arts School, a Zucker Family School of Education partner school. “We can’t do this alone, so our partnership with The Citadel is really important.”

Ransome is a nationally recognized illustrator of more than 30 children’s books. The Children’s Book Council recently named him one of 75 “must-know” authors and illustrators. Currently, a member of the Society of Illustrators, he has received both the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the IBBY Honor Award for his book, The Creation. He has also received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for illustration for Uncle Jed’s Barbershop which was selected as an ALA Notable Book and is currently being featured on Reading Rainbow.

“What I love about James Ransome’s books is that he captures the stories of real people and then his illustrations help you imagine what life was like for them, African Americans particularly, and the pioneering work they did. It's especially inspirational to these elementary children who are learning about who they can be and the work of those who have gone before them,” said Connie Book, Ph.D., provost and dean of the college for The Citadel.

Ransome has completed several commissioned murals for the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Hemphill Branch Library in Greensboro, N.C. He created a historical painting commissioned by a jury for the Paterson, N.J. Library and a poster for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Brown vs. the Board of Education. His traveling exhibit, Visual Stories, has been touring the United States since 2003.

“We all know how critical it is for young people to be inspired by reading,” said Book. “It allows them to dream and hope about things that they don’t experience in their own lives. When I was a girl, the limit at the library for checking out books was 13, and I’d load up 13 books each time and bring them back each week." 

The Zucker Family School of Education will be announcing more Authors in Schools programs later in the year.

About The Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel

The purpose of the Zucker Family School of Education’s undergraduate and graduate programs is to serve the people of the Lowcountry, the state of South Carolina, the Southeast, and the nation by providing high quality programs in the preparation of middle and secondary teachers, professional educators, and school counselors. Through  its initial program for teacher candidates for P-12 schools and advanced programs for professional educators in P-20 schools, the Zucker Family School of Education cultivates undergraduate and graduate students into principled educational leaders capable of and committed to transforming schools into learning communities where all children and youth succeed.