Vladimir Radunsky, "an illustrator who used an abundance of artistic styles to create captivating children's books about subjects including Albert Einstein, a rapping dog and a towering stalk of asparagus," died September 11, the New York Times reported. He was 64.
Radunsky illustrated more than 30 children's books, some of which he also wrote, including The Mighty Asparagus (2004). Among the books he illustrated are On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein (2013) by Jennifer Berne; Mark Twain's Advice to Little Girls; three books based on Woody Guthrie lyrics; a collaboration with Mikhail Baryshnikov on Because (2007); and the original cover for Louis Sachar's Holes (1998).
Author and illustrator Chris Raschka described Radunsky's artistic approach in Mother Goose of Pudding Lane, a forthcoming book they created together, as "beautiful portraits" interspersed with "perfectly childlike" doodles that "only a trained artist could make.... He was trained as an architect and was a gifted draftsman. He could paint in a very traditional manner, but he loved to obscure the paintings with scribbled drawings." The two collaborated on several books, including Hip Hop Dog (2010).