In The Great Kapok Tree (1990), readers watch as a woodsman rests in the jungle. The most successful of Cherry's works have been her children's books that deal with the natural world.

Her first publication was her 1988 Who's Sick Today? Following this effort, Cherry's vivid imagination proved adept at creating more entertaining stories such as The Armadillo from Amarillo (1999), a book that Children's Literature writer Susie Wilde said had 'interesting perspectives and points of departure that encourage active thinking about ecology.' Cherry's illustrations, featuring desert plants and animals, and several endangered species of wildlife, are what bring this story to life, fully demonstrating her talents at connecting with her specific audience. Cherry's illustration style has been strongly influenced by her study of such classic illustrators as Maurice Sendak, Edmund Dulac, Carl Larsson, and Aubrey Beardsley, as well as her teacher, Stanislaw Zagorski.Ĭontinuing her illustration work, Cherry also decided to try her hand at writing. Throughout the course of her career, she has provided artwork for authors such as Judith Viorst, John McCormack, Joanne Ryder, and Ron Roy, as well as for organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation. Following her successful start, Cherry began to provide more artwork for various publications. She left her next job, doing illustrations for Xerox Education Publications in Connecticut, to become her own boss in 1975, at the age of twenty-three, she began devoting her time to illustration.Ĭherry's first freelance illustration job was for Carolyn Meyer's Coconut: The Tree of Life. In 1973, Cherry moved to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich to work as a book designer.

Cherry was hired by Platt & Munk (based in the Bronx), where she worked as a paste-up artist and designer. This move afforded her the opportunity to go into publishing, where there were plenty of available positions. She demonstrated an aptitude for art early in her life, leading her to join the Tyler School of Art at Temple University.Ĭherry graduated from the Tyler School of Art in 1973 and moved to New York.

Cherry is the daughter of Herbert, a pharmacist, and Helen Cogan Cherry, an illustrator. Lynne Cherry was born in January 5, 1952, in Philadelphia.

The great kapok tree by lynne cherry