{"product_id":"9780688064365","title":"Shortcut","description":"  The train tracks ran right by Bigmama's house in Cottondale, and the children were warned to stay off the tracks. But one night they were late, and the tracks were a shortcut, so they started off. And when there was no turning back, they heard the train coming. \"Perhaps his finest achievement to date....A slice-of-life, tension-filled drama for picture-book readers....The pacing of text and illustrations is perfect.\"—Horn Book.\u003cp\u003eAuthor Biography:  Donald Crews is the renowned creator of two Caldecott Honor books, \u003ci\u003eFreight Train\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTruck.\u003c\/i\u003e Among his other enormously popular books are such favorites as \u003ci\u003eNight at the Fair,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eSail Away, Bigmama's,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eShortcut,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSchool Bus.\u003c\/i\u003e He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in New York's Hudson River Valley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDonald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and says that all through his childhood the members of his family were always doing something with their hands. He was always drawing pictures. Now, in the old farmhouse where he lives with his wife, the noted author and illustrator Ann Jonas, Donald Crews is still drawing pictures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter graduating from New York City's Cooper Union, Mr. Crews spent three years working as a designer. He was assistant art director of Dance magazine, on the staff of a small design studio, and did freelance work as a book-jacket designer. But in 1962 he was inducted into the Army, and for a time his artistic pursuits were set aside. As the end of his eighteen-month military stint in Germany approached, he assigned himself to the task of writing and illustrating a children's book to add to his portfolio. The result was the brilliant concept book \u003ci\u003eWe Read: A to Z\u003c\/i\u003e(Harper \u0026amp; Row, 1967), which, nearly twenty years later, was reissued by Greenwillow Books. \u003ci\u003eTen Black Dots\u003c\/i\u003e, a counting book, came next, and then several books for which he did illustrations only. But the turning point came in 1978, when Greenwillow published \u003ci\u003eFreight Train\u003c\/i\u003e, a picture book inspired by Mr. Crews's childhood train trips from Newark to visit his grandmother in Florida. It was named a Caldecott Honor Book. Since then, Mr. Crews has created several other highly acclaimed picture books (including \u003ci\u003eTruck\u003c\/i\u003e, a 1981 Calclecott Honor Book), all painted in the flat, clean colors and bright, unambiguous shapes that are the hallmarks of his striking graphics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDonald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, spent his summers in Cottondale, Florida, and was graduated from Cooper Union in New York City. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in Brooklyn, New York.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Donald Crews is asked why he focuses on picture books, he frequently answers, \"Why not?\" All the tools necessary for the creation of any piece of art are also elements in a successful picture book. Mr. Crews chooses a subject, explores ways to develop the subject visually, writes a story, then produces his finished illustrations. And the final audience, the children, tell him that they like what he does. Why not, indeed!Donald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, spent his summers in Cottondale, Florida, and was graduated from Cooper Union in New York City. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in Brooklyn, New York.  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47019782308080,"sku":"9780688064365","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780688064365_p0.jpg?v=1763614783","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780688064365","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}