Kristina Rodanas Art for Sale at Auction

b. 1952 -

Born in New England in 1952, Rodanas harnessed her natural artistic gifts at Boston University, where she graduated and in 1974 began a career as a primary-school art teacher. Working with young people caused her to recall the stories and images that had captured her imagination as a child, and she also began to learn what sort of pictures and phrases children would enjoy. In 1988 she wrote and illustrated her first book, The Story of Wali Dâd. In more recent years Rodanas has continued to create illustrated stories, and has also contributed paintings to the stories of other writers. Her 1992 book, The Dragonfly's Tale, is based on the 1884 transcription of an ancient Zuni legend that focuses on honoring Nature's bounty and finds a lone boy and girl renewing their village's relationship with the Corn Maiden who had caused a great famine. In The Eagle's Song, Rodanas retells the story of two brothers who are transformed into rivers by an angry bird spirit. In a review of The Eagle's Song for Booklist, Chris Sherman praised the author/illustrator's "vibrant, boldly hued illustrations" and her "faithful retelling" of this ancient tale, while a Kirkus Reviews critic cited The Dragonfly's Tale as a "blend of cautionary tale and why story" that features a "narration [that] is clear and straightforward."