51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated The Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Katie Wray Schon. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction picture book]

First sentence: This little girl will grow up to draw pictures that will wing their way around the world, flying to faraway places. Her pictures will be held in millions of hands--maybe even yours. But who is she? And what will she draw? 

Premise/plot: This isn't the most traditional picture book biography. It is more a picture book biography with a pointed focus on how Pauline Baynes--artist, illustrator--came to illustrate for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. 

My thoughts: I knew her as the illustrator of the Narnia books--the interior illustrations particularly. Her work isn't always used for the covers. (That's a whole other story. The Narnia books have gone through SO MANY covers.) I did not know that she also illustrated a book cover for Tolkien (paperback Lord of the Rings, one of the editions) and a map  of Middle Earth and a few of his lesser known books that are not connected to Middle Earth. 

I don't know that I absolutely love, love, love, love, love this one. But I do appreciate the story it tells. I did learn quite a bit by reading it. While picture book biographies exist for a LOT of writers/authors, fewer exist that focus on illustrators. (Unless they are author-illustrators). Illustrations are so important for stories and storytelling. 

 

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