Sís, Johnson Win 2003 'Genius Awards'

Children's book creators win prestigious MacArthur Award and $500,000 'no-strings' grant

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2003

Comment
on this article

Peter Sís thought the phone call was from a pesky telemarketer. "He said he had something important to tell me that was going to change my life, and I said I didn't have the time," says Sís, who was then fielding calls from his Manhattan studio to promote his most recent picture book, The Tree of Life (Farrar, 2003), about the life of naturalist Charles Darwin. Then, Daniel Socolow, director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, dropped the news: Sís was one of 24 winners of the 2003 MacArthur "Genius Awards" and the first illustrator to ever receive the honor.

Children's writer and poet Angela Johnson came home after running errands and saw the MacArthur Foundation's phone number flashing across her caller ID. When Socolow told her the news, Johnson says she went into shock.

Sís, whose work spans children's literature, journalism, graphic art, and book publishing, uses watercolors, pen, and ink to create his masterpieces. "While children can appreciate these works, their graphic elegance and complexity make them appealing to adults as well," the foundation says in describing his work.

Johnson, whose award-winning works range from picture books to poetry for children and young adults, focuses on realistic topics such as adoption, the elderly, and death. "While these are serious topics, Johnson addresses them thoughtfully and sensitively, in ways that are believable, humorous, and hopeful," the foundation says.

Sís, 54, was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. Johnson, 42, attended Kent State University and had wanted to become a teacher or writer since the third grade.

MacArthur Fellows, who are given $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years, are selected for the "originality and creativity of their work." Candidates are nominated and selected through a confidential process and no one may apply for the award. This year's winners range in age from 22 to 62.