Ted Lewin (1935–) Biography

Born 1935, in Buffalo, NY; Education: Pratt Institute of Art, B.F.A., 1956. Hobbies and other interests: Photography, painting, and watching birds.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Children's, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

Career

Professional wrestler, 1952–65; artist and freelance illustrator, 1956–. Exhibitions: Solo exhibit at Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, 1978, and Central Park 200 Gallery, New York, NY, 1994; joint exhibition with Betsy Lewin at National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, Abilene, TX, 2002. Military service: U.S. Army, 1958.

Ted Lewin

Honors Awards

Mark Twain Award, 1981, for Soup for President; Sandburg Award, 1985, for The Search for Grissi; Book Can Develop Empathy award, 1990, for Faithful Elephants; Great Stone Face award, 1991, for The Secret of the Indian; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, 1991, for Judy Scuppernong; Hungry Mind Award, 1993, for Sami and the Time of the Troubles; Caldecott Honor Book, American Library Association (ALA), 1993, for Peppe the Lamplighter; Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)/Children's Book Council (CBC), 1997, for American Too; Best Books of the Year selection, Bank Street College, and Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, NCSS/CBC, 1998, both for Fair!; Best Books of the Year selection, Bank Street College, and Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, NCSS/CBC, 1998, both for Ali, Child of the Desert; Big Crit award for excellence in design, Critique magazine, 1998, for signage at Central Park Children's Zoo; Parents' Choice Award, 1999, for Nilo and the Tortoise; Top-of-the-List Youth picture book honor, Booklist, 1999, for Barn Savers; Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, NCSS/CBC, 1999, for The Storytellers; Notable Book for Children designation, Smithsonian magazine, 1999, and Outstanding Science Trade Books for Chil-dren designation, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/CBC, 2000, both for Gorilla Walk; Alumni Achievement Award, Pratt Institute, 2000; John Burroughs Award, American Museum of Natural History, and Outstanding Trade Books for Children Award designation, NSTA/CBC, both 2000, both for Elephant Quest.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

World within a World—Everglades, Dodd (New York, NY), 1976.

World within a World—Baja, Dodd (New York, NY), 1978.

World within a World—Pribilofs, Dodd (New York, NY), 1980.

Tiger Trek, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

When the Rivers Go Home, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Amazon Boy, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler (memoir), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

The Reindeer People, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Sacred River, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1995.

Market!, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1996.

Fair!, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1997.

The Storytellers, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1998.

Touch and Go: Travels of a Children's Book Illustrator, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1999.

(With wife, Betsy Lewin) Gorilla Walk, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1999.

Nilo and the Tortoise, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Betsy Lewin) Elephant Quest, Morrow (New York, NY), 2000.

Red Legs: A Drummer Boy of the Civil War, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take-Out, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

The Girl on the High Diving Horse, Penguin Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Tooth and Claw: Animal Adventures in the Wild, Harper-Collins (New York, NY), 2003.

Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Betsy Lewin) Top to Bottom Down Under, Harper-Collins (New York, NY), 2005.

How Much?: Visiting Markets around the World, Harper-Collins (New York, NY), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR

Jack McClellan, Millard Black, and Sid Norris, adapters, A Blind Man Can!, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1968.

Wyatt Blassingame, The Look-It-up Book of Presidents, Random House (New York, NY), 1968.

Jack McClellan, Millard Black, and Sheila Flume Taylor, Up, out, and Over!, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1969.

George S. Trow, Meet Robert E. Lee, Random House (New York, NY), 1969.

Margaret T. Burroughs, Jasper, the Drummin' Boy, Follett (New York, NY), 1970.

Janet H. Ervin, More than Half Way There, Follett (New York, NY), 1970.

Donald W. Cox, Pioneers of Ecology, Hammond, 1971.

Nellie Burchardt, A Surprise for Carlotta, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1971.

Darrell A. Rolerson, Mr. Big Britches, Dodd (New York, NY), 1971.

Gene Smith, The Visitor, Cowles, 1971.

Betty Horvath, Not Enough Indians, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1971.

Maurine H. Gee, Chicano, Amigo, Morrow (New York, NY), 1972.

Rose Blue, Grandma Didn't Wave Back, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1972.

Michael Capizzi, Getting It All Together, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1972.

Rose Blue, A Month of Sundays, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1972.

Rita Micklish, Sugar Bee, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1972.

Darrell A. Rolerson, In Sheep's Clothing, Dodd (New York, NY), 1972.

Rose Blue, Nikki 108, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1972.

Charlotte Gantz, Boy with Three Names, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1973.

William MacKellar, The Ghost of Grannoch Moor, Dodd (New York, NY), 1973.

Marjorie M. Prince, The Cheese Stands Alone, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1973.

Marian Rumsey, Lion on the Run, Morrow (New York, NY), 1973.

Darrell A. Rolerson, A Boy Called Plum, Dodd (New York, NY), 1974.

Jean Slaughter Doty, Gabriel, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1974.

Gene Smith, The Hayburners, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1974.

Matt Christopher, Earthquake, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1975.

Patricia Beatty, Rufus, Red Rufus, Morrow (New York, NY), 1975.

Charles Ferry, Up in Sister Bay, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1975.

Jean Slaughter Doty, Winter Pony, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1975.

S.T. Tung, One Small Dog, Dodd (New York, NY), 1975.

Rose Blue, The Preacher's Kid, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1975.

Scott O'Dell, Zia, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1976.

Lynne Martin, Puffin, Bird of the Open Seas, Morrow (New York, NY), 1976.

Laurence Pringle, Listen to the Crows, Crowell (New York, NY), 1976.

Patricia Edwards Clyne, Ghostly Animals of America, Dodd (New York, NY), 1977.

Mildred Teal, Bird of Passage, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1977.

Marian Rumsey, Carolina Hurricane, Morrow (New York, NY), 1977.

Nigel Gray, The Deserter, Harper (New York, NY), 1977.

Robert Newton Peck, Patooie, Knopf (New York, NY), 1977.

Philippa Pearce, The Shadow-Cage, and Other Tales of the Supernatural, Crowell (New York, NY), 1977.

Helen Hill, Agnes Perkins, and Alethea Helbig, editors, Straight on till Morning: Poems of the Imaginary World, Crowell (New York, NY), 1977.

Rose Blue, The Thirteenth Year: A Bar Mitzvah Story, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 1977.

Leslie Norris, Merlin and the Snake's Egg: Poems, Viking (New York, NY), 1978.

William MacKellar, The Silent Bells, Dodd (New York, NY), 1978.

Robert Newton Peck, Soup for President, Knopf (New York, NY), 1978.

William MacKellar, The Witch of Glen Gowrie, Dodd (New York, NY), 1978.

Anne E. Crompton, A Woman's Place, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1978.

Margaret Goff Clark, Barney and the UFO, Dodd (New York, NY), 1979.

Patricia Edwards Clyne, Strange and Supernatural Animals, Dodd (New York, NY), 1979.

Robert Newton Peck, Hub, Knopf (New York, NY), 1979.

David Stemple, High Ridge Gobbler: A Story of the American Wild Turkey, Collins (New York, NY), 1979.

Jean Slaughter Doty, Can I Get There by Candlelight?, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1980.

Rose Blue, My Mother, the Witch, McGraw (New York, NY), 1980.

Margaret Goff Clark, Barney in Space, Dodd (New York, NY), 1981.

Francine Jacobs, Bermuda Petrel: The Bird That Would Not Die, Morrow (New York, NY), 1981.

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Wanderer Books, 1982.

Margaret Goff Clark, Barney on Mars, Dodd (New York, NY), 1983.

Eleanor Clymer, The Horse in the Attic, Bradbury Press (New York, NY), 1983.

Priscilla Homola, The Willow Whistle, Dodd (New York, NY), 1983.

Enid Bagnold, National Velvet, Morrow (New York, NY), 1985.

R.R. Knudson, Babe Didrikson, Athlete of the Century, Viking Kestrel (New York, NY), 1985.

Mary Francis Shura, The Search for Grissi, Dodd (New York, NY), 1985.

Frances Wosmek, A Brown Bird Singing, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1986.

Patricia Reilly Giff, Mother Teresa, Sister to the Poor, Viking Kestrel (New York, NY), 1986.

Elizabeth Simpson Smith, A Dolphin Goes to School: The Story of Squirt, a Trained Dolphin, Morrow (New York, NY), 1986.

Scott O'Dell, The Serpent Never Sleeps: A Novel of Jamestown and Pocahontas, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1987.

Susan Saunders, Margaret Mead: The World Was Her Family, Viking Kestrel (New York, NY), 1987.

Kathleen V. Kudlinski, Rachel Carson: Pioneer of Ecology, Viking Kestrel (New York, NY), 1988.

Yukio Tsuchiya, Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War, translated by Tomoko Tsuchiya Dykes, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1988.

Lynne Reid Banks, The Secret of the Indian, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1989.

Bruce Coville, editor, Herds of Thunder, Manes of Gold: A Collection of Horse Stories and Poems, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1989.

Leon Garfield, Young Nick and Jubilee, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1989.

Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, The Day of Ahmed's Secret, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1990.

Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1990.

Gregory Patent, Shanghai Passage, Clarion (New York, NY), 1990.

Brenda Seabrooke, Judy Scuppernong, Cobblehill Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Jane Yolen, Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Margaret Hodges, Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts, Scribner (New York, NY), 1991.

Megan McDonald, The Potato Man, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Frances Ward Weller, I Wonder If I'll See a Whale, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Corinne Demas Bliss, Matthew's Meadow, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1992.

Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, Sami and the Time of the Troubles, Clarion (New York, NY), 1992.

Megan McDonald, The Great Pumpkin Switch, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Frances Ward Weller, Matthew Wheelock's Wall, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Elisa Bartone, Peppe the Lamplighter, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1993.

Ann Herbert Scott, Cowboy Country, Clarion (New York, NY), 1993.

Sheldon Oberman, The Always Prayer Shawl, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1993.

Louise Borden, Just in Time for Christmas, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1994.

Jan Slepian, Lost Moose, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

Mary Kay Kroeger and Louise Borden, Paperboy, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

Jane Yolen, Sea Watch: A Book of Poetry, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Megan McDonald, The Great Pumpkin Switch, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Elisa Bartone, American Too, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1996.

Jonathan London, Ali, Child of the Desert, Lothrop, Lee (New York, NY), 1997.

Jane Yolen, The Originals, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Sheldon Oberman, The Always Prayer Shawl, Puffin Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Linda Oatman High, Barn Savers, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1999.

Louise Borden, A. Lincoln and Me, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Faith McNulty, How Whales Walked into the Sea, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Corinne Demas Bliss, The Disappearing Island, Simon and Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Edward Grimm, The Doorman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Linda Oatman High, Winter Shoes for Shadow Horse, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2001.

Tony Johnston, Sunsets of the West, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Linda Oatman High, The Girl on the High-diving Board, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2003.

T.A. Barron, High as a Hawk: A Brave Girl's Historic Climb, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Ralph Helfer, The World's Greatest Elephant, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Eve Bunting, One Green Apple, Clarion (New York, NY), 2006.

Illustrations have also appeared in periodicals, including Boy's Life, Ladies' Home Journal, Seventeen, and Reader's Digest.

Sidelights

Author and illustrator Ted Lewin was inspired in his career by his lifelong love of nature. "I am a deeply concerned environmentalist and conservationist," Lewin once noted, adding that he travels "to wilderness areas around the world for both graphic and literary material." Married to fellow author/illustrator and sometime collaborator Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin has written and illustrated many books for children and young adults, among them Gorilla Walk, Tiger Trek, and Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu. As an author, he has been praised for the poetic quality he brings to his texts, and his plots draw from his extensive knowledge of and concern for wildlife and its habitats throughout the world. As an illustrator, Lewin's work is characterized by its realistic detail, and his award-winning paintings have enhanced the texts of a wide variety of writers. Praising Lewin's watercolor art for Tony Johnston's Sunsets of the West, a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that the illustrator's paintings feature "characters and scenery … infused with life," while School Library Journal writer Rosalyn Pierini wrote that "prairie and mountain vistas are well served by Lewin's majestic, detailed paintings."

As a young boy growing up in upstate New York, Lewin always had dreams of becoming an artist. "Not a policeman, fireman, or doctor—an artist," he recalled in his autobiography, I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler. "I remember working first with a metal-armed copying toy I got for Christmas, then the Magic-Pad, on which you could pull up a flap and make whatever you'd drawn disappear." With the encouragement of his family, Lewin practiced drawing by copying photographs, illustrations from children's books, and even a portrait of President Harry S Truman, for which he received a personal letter from the White House.

By the time Lewin graduated from high school, he had made plans to study art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Because paying for school and living expenses would be expensive, Lewin established the secondary career that would help support him for almost fifteen years: professional wrestling. He had attended professional matches with his family for many years, and his older brother Donn had become a wrestler after serving in the U.S. Marines during World War II. With the aid of his brother and the many contacts his family had made in the sport over the years, Lewin began wrestling at age seventeen during summers and at night during the school year. In his autobiography, Lewin recalled his dual life, alternating between art classes and wrestling matches: "Every day I had classes in two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design, and figure drawing. Around me, the light-filled, high-ceilinged studio would be electric with concentrated effort…. I would see a great play of light and shadow—in a sense, not so different from what I'd seen in the charged, dramatic atmosphere of a wrestling arena. The medium was different, that's all."

"More a series of vignettes than an autobiography," as Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books writer Deborah Stevenson described it, I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler details Lewin's involvement with the sport and provides portraits—written and painted—of the many wrestlers he met during his career. "It is a fascinating story that leaves the reader wanting to learn more about both Lewin and the other wrestlers," noted Patrick Jones in the Voice of Youth Advocates. In recreating a different era, Lewin describes the wrestlers "quite masterfully in words, then he brings them to life with old black and white photographs, drawings and paintings." School Library Journal contributor Todd Morning likewise praised Lewin's "surprisingly funny and affectionate" remembrances, as well as the author's combination of "vivid" artwork and human stories. "The artist's sensibility and eye for detail are always in evidence," the critic concluded. "His talent in this realm is truly formidable."

After earning his bachelor of fine arts degree, Lewin continued wrestling as he slowly built a career as a freelance artist. He began with magazine work, and by the late 1960s obtained his first assignments illustrating children's books. In 1976 Lewin debuted his series, "World within a World," which focuses on wildlife in several regions visited by the author; the series has received high praise for both Lewin's text and the illus-trations. The first volume in the series, concerning the Everglades, is based on observations of the plant and animal life in the area made by Lewin over a five-year period. The volume on Baja, California, describes elephant seals and details the annual migration of the California gray whales. Of the volume on the Pribilof Islands, which highlights the precarious fate of the seals who bear and raise their young on these Alaskan coastal islands, a reviewer from Booklist called Lewin's prose "elegant and uncompromising," adding that "the evocation of this small corner of the world is strong."

Many of Lewin's self-authored books are inspired by the many trips he has made while exploring planet Earth. He depicts a trip made on the back of an elephant through one of India's national parks in Tiger Trek, while other travel books include The Reindeer People, Sacred River, and Tooth and Claw: Animal Adventures in the Wild. Joan McGrath, reviewing Tiger Trek for School Library Journal, found the book "gorgeous" and "far above the ordinary." A similar journey is documented in When the Rivers Go Home, which describes Lewin's trip through a large swamp in central Brazil called the Pantanal. When the Rivers Go Home also received praise for its watercolor paintings, a Kirkus Reviews writer describing Lewin's work as "lovely" and "evocative." In Amazon Boy Lewin's "light-filled pictures, dense with detail, reinforce the theme that the riches of the rain forest must be protected," according to School Library Journal contributor Kathleen Odean.

The Reindeer People introduces readers to Ola, a Sami reindeer herdsman from Lapland, a remote area north of the Arctic Circle. In addition to describing Ola's unique line of work—herding reindeer, the book also describes favorite pastimes of the Sami people—racing reindeer—and a traditional wedding blended with some twentieth-century flavor. "The author's highly descriptive prose is as luxurious as a reindeer coat, and his finely detailed, snapshot-style watercolors will engage readers of any age," enthused a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Describing Sacred River, based on a trip Lewin made to India, Horn Book contributor Maria B. Salvadore wrote that the author's "descriptive, fluid, and straightforward text combines with richly detailed fullcolor illustrations to describe a pilgrimage to the Ganges River in the Indian city of Benares."

Together with his wife, Lewin has traveled the world, and in a series of books the couple recount their many adventures. Gorilla Walk, a recounting of a 1997 trip to Uganda to view the mountain gorillas, was praised for its "handsome paintings and carefully focused text" by Horn Book critic Margaret A. Bush, the critic adding that the Lewins "offer … intriguing glimpses of both the rarely seen animals and the ambiguities of ecotourism." Elephant Quest also take the couple to Africa, while in Top to Bottom Down Under they explore the vast continent of Australia, ranging from Kakadu National Park to Australia's Kangaroo Island. Illustrated with Lewin's paintings and his wife's field sketches, Top to Bottom Down Under was praised by School Library Journal contributor Patricia Manning as an "eyecatching and informative … treat for animal lovers and adventurers alike." Citing Lewin's "striking, realistic" watercolors and noting the inclusion of animal facts, Booklist reviewer Karin Snelson also lauded the work, noting that Top to Bottom Down Under allows readers to accompany the creative couple on a "contagiously cheerful Aussie expedition."

A perusal of the adventurous author/illustrator's Tooth and Claw prompted Horn Book critic Danielle J. Ford to exclaim: "Thank goodness Ted Lewin has survived" his travels. Calling Lewin a "gifted storyteller," Ford praised the author's presentation of fourteen "suspenseful, often terrifying, and sometimes quite funny experiences" Lewin and his fellow travelers have had during a life of globe-hopping. Lewin comes face to face with North American grizzly bears, Bengal tigers, African snakes and other grassland creatures, Florida bull sharks, and many other creatures, all told in a travelogue format. Ford praised the work as "outstanding nature storytelling," while in Kirkus Reviews a critic explained that, by hauling a rucksack full of drawing supplies with him, Lewin was able to highlight his "fascinating" stories with his "typically wonderful drawings" and "on-site photographs." Echoing other praise, School Library Journal critic Pam Spencer Holley noted that Tooth and Claw will serve children as "a great read-aloud" for budding naturalists or "simply as a good adventure story."

In addition to narrative accounts, Lewin sometimes weaves his experiences into picture-book texts, such as Market! and Fair! In Market! he creates "paintings so vivid you can almost smell the market scents," according to Susan Dove Lempke in Booklist. In the book Lewin describes the various people, products, and atmosphere of six markets—from New York City to Nepal. Similar in focus, Fair! presents the many scenes and flavors of a typical country fair, including animal and food contests, games, rides, and fireworks. A Kirkus Reviews critic described Fair! as a "pulsing, panoramic examination of a summertime ritual," and a Publishers Weekly reviewer asserted that "this visit to the fair [is] worth the price of admission." Lewin's fascination with the Galapagos Islands provided him with the setting for his fictional tale Nilo and the Tortoise, about a young boy who is stranded on one of the islands. In Booklist Stephanie Zvirin noted that Lewin's pictures once again are the main attraction of the book, capturing "the remoteness and beauty of the exotic place and some of its distinctive wildlife."

Several of Lewin's books focus on history, among them Red Legs: A Drummer Boy of the Civil War and Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu. In Red Legs a nine-year-old boy accompanies his father to the reenactment of a U.S. Civil War battle, and plays the part of Stephen Benjamin Bertow, a young drummer boy who died during the fight. Noting Lewin's "brief yet stirring text" and evocative watercolors, a Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that the book expresses a "true passion for history" that might inspire similar enthusiasm in young readers. The fascinating story of the discovery of an ancient Incan city also proves arresting in Lewin's book about Hiram Bingham's 1911 jungle adventure. Based on Bingham's account, Lost City follows the explore through the Andes, linking his tale to the dreams of a young Quechua boy that anticipate Bingham's arrival. Lewin "balances a compelling visual chronicle with sure storytelling," according to a Publishers Weekly critic, while in Horn Book Bush called Bingham's "tortuous journey richly rewarded is a good adventure story" brought to life by Lewin's "evocative" watercolor art.

Working from photos he shoots during his travels and then projects onto a screen in his studio, Lewin manages to retain much of the original realism and force of scenes he has witnessed firsthand. A steady producer, he maintains a disciplined work regimen as well. His day begins at eight in the morning and continues without break into the afternoon. While he is at work in the upstairs of his New York brownstone, his wife, Betsy, works in her studio downstairs. In addition to creating the artwork for his own books, Lewin has also illustrated the texts of numerous other writers, among them Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone, Paperboy by Mary Kay Kroeger, and Louise Borden, and Sea Watch: A Book of Poetry by Jane Yolen.

A Caldecott Honor Book, Peppe the Lamplighter focuses on a young Italian immigrant living in New York City who takes a job lighting gas lamps to help support his family. "Lewin's masterly watercolors express the swirling energy of the crowded streets as well as the intimate feelings and interactions of individual people," Hazel Rochman observed in Booklist. Lewin also illustrated American Too, in which Bartone continues the young immigrant's adventures in his new country. Paperboy, "filled with carefully detailed watercolors," according to Horn Book contributor Elizabeth S. Watson, features Willie Brinkman, a young paperboy living in Cincinnati in 1927. After boxing hero Jack Dempsey loses a major prizefight, Willie honors his commitment to sell newspapers despite his and the neighborhood's shock and disappointment. Hazel Rochman, writing in Booklist, declared that the artist's watercolor illustrations are "more exuberant than the artwork in Lewin's Caldecott Honor Book, Peppe the Lamplighter." For his contribution to Sea Watch, Booklist reviewer Lauren Peterson noted that "Lewin's trademark watercolors, fresh, realistic, and beautifully rendered, nicely complement the poetry."

About his career, Lewin once commented, "There are still so many stories out there waiting to be found and so many manuscripts by wonderful authors to take me on journeys I might never have made myself."