Silent Days, Silent Dreams

Caldecott Medal winner Allen Say brings his lavish illustrations and hybrid narrative and artistic styles to the story of artist James Castle.

James Castle was born two months premature on September 25, 1899, on a farm in Garden Valley, Idaho. He was deaf, mute, autistic, and probably dyslexic. He didn't walk until he was four; he would never learn to speak, write, read, or use sign language.Yet, today Castle's artwork hangs in major museums throughout the world. The Philadelphia Museum of Art opened "James Castle: A Retrospective" in 2008. The 2013 Venice Biennale included eleven works by Castle in the feature exhibition "The Encyclopedic Palace." And his reputation continues to grow.Caldecott Medal winner Allen Say, author of the acclaimed memoir Drawing from Memory, takes readers through an imagined look at Castle's childhood, allows them to experience his emergence as an artist despite the overwhelming difficulties he faced, and ultimately reveals the triumphs that he would go on to achieve.

Allen Say is the beloved author and illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including the highly acclaimed Drawing from Memory, The Inker's Shadow, and The Favorite Daughter, (all published by Scholastic), the Caldecott Medal winner Grandfather's Journey and the Caldecott Honor winner The Boy of the Three-Year Nap. He is known for his technical skill and varied style, and his books pay tribute to Japanese culture, as well as his own personal experiences. His many books include Tree of Cranes, Under the Cherry Blossom Tree, Tea with Milk, and Erika-San. He lives in Portland, Oregon.