I also embarked on collecting picture books, with the Dillons making up a major percentage or my purchases. And then Keith Roberts's masterwork Pavane (just reissued by Old Earth Books with the same cover), Harlan Ellison, Joan Vinge, Roger Zelazny-drawn in by the Dillons' art, I explored science fiction. I began with Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness-I was not a science fiction fan, but I couldn't resist the cover. But I remember first discovering the Dillons from their covers for Ace science fiction novels. Wikipedia lists 38 picture books and 25 chapter books done over a period of 39 years, and the page hasn't been updated-there are even more. His obituary in the New York Times concentrated on their career as children's book illustrators Leo Dillon was the first African-American to win the Caldecott, and the Dillons were the first (and only) duo to win the award two years in a row, for Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears and Ashanti to Zulu. Leo Dillon, who with his co-collaborator and wife, Diane, was one of the iconic book illustrators of the 20th century, died on May 26, 2012, at age 79.
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