Wells Author to win Christopher Award for “Pocket Full of Colors”

Jacqueline Tourville, based in Wells, Maine and co-author Amy Guglielmo, from the Adirondack coast of Lake Champlain, with Los Angeles illustrator Brigette Barrager, have won a Christopher Award for “Pocket Full of Colors” (Kindergarten and up, Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people by 19 authors and illustrators to be celebrated on May 17, 2018 at the 69th annual Christopher Awards in New York along with the writers, producers and directors of 9 feature films and TV/Cable programs.

The book introduces readers to trailblazing illustrator, designer, and animator Mary Blair, one of the first women ever hired by Walt Disney Studios. Blair lived her life in vivid, wild color, painting her world. From her imaginative childhood to her career as an illustrator, designer, and animator for Walt Disney Studios, Blair wouldn’t play by the rules. At a time when studios wanted to hire men and think in black and white, she painted twinkling emerald skies, peach giraffes with tangerine spots, and magenta horses that could fly.

Jacqueline Tourville’s experience working with children with autism as a public school teacher opened her eyes to the importance of inclusive stories for kids. She is also the author of “Albie’s First Word: A Tale Inspired by Albert Einstein’s Childhood.” She built a miniature log cabin for her cat. In addition to writing about art and artists, Amy Guglielmo is a painter, teacher, and supporter of arts education for children of all ages. She once created a Barbie house, equipped with a working elevator. Brigette Barrager is an artist, designer, writer, and the New York Times bestselling illustrator of “Uni the Unicorn” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She attended the California Institute of the Arts for Character Animation, earned a degree and spent some time working in animation before taking the plunge into book illustration. Pink is her favorite color.

The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” The Christophers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.