Children's Author David Wiesner Will Present This Year's McFadden Lecture

Children’s author and illustrator David Wiesner will present The Indianapolis Public Library’s 2014 Marian McFadden Memorial Lecture on Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. at North Central High School, 1801 E. 86th St.

Wiesner is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Medal for picture book illustration - for "Tuesday" in 1992, "The Three Pigs" in 2002, and "Flotsam" in 2006. He is only the second person to be a three-time Caldecott winner. Two of Wiesner’s other books, "Sector 7" and "FreeFall," were named Caldecott Honor Books. His newest book is "Mr. Wuffles!"

Among other honors, Wiesner received the Japan Picture Book Award for "Tuesday," the French Prix Sorcières for "The Three Pigs," and the Banco del Libro for "Flotsam." He was the United States nominee and a finalist for the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. A swamp, a cemetery and a landfill bound the outskirts of his neighborhood, representing exotic lands that became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imagination into the pages of books, wandering among the dinosaurs of Charles Knight, the surreal landscapes of Salvador Dali, and the fantastic universes of Jack Kirby. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a desire to tell stories with the pictures he was drawing.

As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, Weisner developed the narrative aspects of this work and realized that the picture book was the perfect form in which to present his stories and images.
Book sales and signings will follow the lecture.

This free event is made possible by Friends of the Library through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. Call (317) 275-4099 for more information.