THOMASVILLE — Award-winning children’s illustrator Jerry Pinkney visited students Thursday at Jerger Elementary School.

Pinkney encouraged pupils gathered in the school’s library to offer their own interpretations of the ending of his nearly-wordless book, “The Lion & the Mouse,” which was awarded the 2010 Caldecott Medal.

One by one, each student offered their own understanding of the book’s final image.

“I invite the reader to invest something in the story,” Pinkney said. “In ‘The Lion & the Mouse,’ there was that beautiful last presentation with the kindergarteners where they all had a different ending. To me, that’s the reader now being invested.”

The famed illustrator visited multiple classrooms throughout the day to share several of his books and drawings and also painted a new image in front of a gym assembly.

Pinkney said interacting with younger children in classroom settings is a special opportunity.

“You see the personalities of the kids come through,” Pinkney said after speaking to a group of kindergarteners. “You’ll see one kid always has their hand up and another kid is a bit shy in these little kindergarten classrooms.” 

Pinkney said he enjoys joking with the children and joining in their often silly behavior. 

“Sometimes I let (the kids) go further than maybe the teacher wants,” Pinkney said. “But they have a good time and that’s what I’m here for. 

Pinkney was joined at Jerger by his wife of 58 years, Gloria Jean Pinkney, who said they were enjoying Thomasville’s hospitality.

“The children are really prepared for the visit and to make some memories,” Gloria Pinkney said. “They’re excited.”

Later in the evening the Pinkneys spoke to a crowd at Thomas University’s Smith-Bonvillian Hall.

The Bookshelf hosted a book sale on site featuring several of Jerry Pinkney’s titles. 

Jerry Pinkney’s books cover a wide variety of subjects, ranging from adaptations of Aesop’s fables to African folklore. 

“Children’s books offer something pretty special, and that is the fact that at this point in their lives I’m not just introducing them to storytelling, but to art,” the illustrator said. “In many ways, the first time these kids come into contact with art is through picture books. 

A Philadelphia native, Jerry Pinkney said his watercolor paintings are designed to encourage children to seek out small details.

“I know that kids love finding things,” Jerry Pinkney said. “Their sense of the imagination is much larger than adults. I’m feeding into that imagination.”

The illustrator said he recently completed a book about Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington and is beginning work on a new story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Jerry Pinkney is a five-time Caldecott Honor recipient, five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, four-time New York Times Best Illustrated Award winner and the 1998 U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award.

“Kids’ books allow me to address things (in a way) there’s no other way to do it,” Jerry Pinkney said. “To reach kids at this age and be able to help them navigate their own lives through stories.”