Painting in the Dark Esref Armagan, Blind Artist

Winner:
2017 Wilbur Award, Youth-Children Audiobook

In 1953, Esref Armagan was born completely blind to a poor family in Istanbul, Turkey. He received no formal education, and spent his childhood days in his father's shop where he developed the curiousity to create and draw. He experienced the world through touch, and learned to visually reproduce his surroundings, including color, shadows, and perspective, with his hands. The blind artist's story will be an inspiration to young artists of all abilities.

Rachelle Burk is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children. Her books include Tree House in a Storm , Don't Turn the Page!, The Tooth Fairy Trap, Miss Crump's Funny Bone, Sleep Soundly at Beaver's Inn, and The Walking Fish. Her work has appeared in national publications such as Highlights for Children and Scholastic Science classroom magazines. She lives in New Brunswick. Artist Claudia Gadotti is an illustrator and portrait painter with more than a decade of experience. She graduated from the Academy of Art University with a BFA and a major in Illustration, presently working mostly with children’s books, book covers, magazines, and portraits. Claudia grew up in Italy and currently lives and works in New Zealand.