In 2024 two picture books about beloved author-illustrator Barbara Cooney were published. Let’s take a closer look.

Because Barbara: Barbara Cooney Paints Her World by Sarah Mackenzie, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen Waxwing Books, 2024)

World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney by Angela Kunkel, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander (Random House, 2024)

Born in New York City in 1917, Barbara Cooney spent her summers in Maine. From a young age her artist mother encouraged her to paint and draw and when she grew up she became an illustrator. Even though she loved colour, she had to work in black and white in order to make a living. However, after her book Chanticleer and the Fox won the Caldecott Medal in 1959, she gained the freedom to branch out. The beautifully illustrated Ox-cart Man, Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Wild Waves are some of her most popular books. Near the end of her life she raised money to rebuild the little library in her town by the sea.

Both Beacuse Barbara and World More Beautiful depict Barbara Cooney’s childhood and career, even including the same detail of the chickens that inspired her to illustrate Chanticleer. Both talk about her travels and end with the summer party to celebrate the funding for the library. Little is mentioned about her family life as an adult (perhaps her marriages were unhappy?).

Although the illustration styles are different, both picture books are lovely. Each includes a biographical note at the end, though Mackenzie’s is more detailed, with headings like “A Playful Mother,” “An Adventurous World Traveler,” “An Avid Gardener,” and “A Picknicker of the First Water.” Mackenzie’s book also includes an illustrated timeline of some of Cooney’s books and four photographs. On the other hand, Kunkel’s book ends with a personal afterward by Cooney’s son Barnaby Porter.

In short, if you can get your hands on either of these beautiful biographical picture books, they will not disappoint!