Meet the Illustrator of Narnia
Reviewer Danielle Ballantyne Interviews Katie Wray Schon, Author of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
Most every storybook author strives to fire up the imaginations of readers—a few succeed beyond all measure. And when those master storytellers go about looking for an artist to visually capture the essence of a legendary book, we can only assume they look for a style and color palette that most closely resembles what’s dancing around in their heads. Two of the greatest—J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis—chose Pauline Baynes, a young English artist and aspiring illustrator.
A very special new picture-book biography promises to go a long way in bringing Pauline’s name to the attention of Hobbit and Narnia fans around the world. Today, we’re with Katie Wray Schon, illustrator, author, and creative force behind Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Foreword‘s Children’s Book Editor Danielle Ballantyne recently reviewed the book and jumped at the chance to connect with Katie for a conversation.
I confess: I had never thought about the illustrator behind many of the images in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, and I choose for my comfort to believe I am not the only one. How did Pauline Baynes first come to your attention?
You’re definitely not the only one! I’ve always loved her pictures in the Narnia series, but I had never thought too hard about who drew them or how they came about. A few years ago, I was working on creating my own Narnia images—but I couldn’t get Pauline’s drawings out of my head! I finally started reading about Pauline and was amazed at how talented and prolific she was.
How did the idea of turning her life into a book begin? Did you always know you would tell her story in the form of a children’s picture book?
Ironically, years before this project, I had told myself that I would never do a picture book biography about an artist or illustrator—I knew it would be a complex challenge! But picture book biographies are a wonderful way to bring inspiring stories to younger audiences, and I just couldn’t shake the idea that Pauline’s story needed to be told in that way.
Pauline’s life was quite extraordinary, even without the magical worlds she helped bring to life, from a childhood in India to serving as a cartographer during WWII. Was there an aspect of her life story that particularly resonated with you?
One of the first things that made me feel connected to Pauline was her childhood love of reading—I deeply loved to read, and I could feel in Pauline’s story how much it meant to her as a child, too. I also connected with how her love of books helped guide her towards illustration as a career.
How did you approach illustrating a book about such an iconic illustrator? Was it intimidating at all?
Yes, it certainly was! I had many, many early drafts of both the text and the imagery in the book, and some of them were in a very different style than I ended up using. In the end, I focused on telling her story and drawing in a way that came naturally to me. It took time and revisions and working with a great team to strike the right balance of referring to and honoring her artwork while still respecting its originality.
As much as I was initially hesitant to do a picture biography of an artist, it ended up being a real gift to be able to pore over her drawings as inspiration when I felt stuck or adrift. The use of decorative elements and borders in Painting Wonder was very much inspired by Pauline’s work.
The goal was always to inspire readers to go find Pauline’s original work and be able to see it with a new sense of appreciation for who she was and where the artwork came from.
Do you have a favorite illustration of Pauline’s, whether in those books or not? If so, what draws you to that particular piece?
This is a hard one! I love her work for Lewis and Tolkien, but part of the fun of researching Pauline was getting to know some of her other work as well. It is hard to choose just one, but there is a gorgeous illustration of the creatures of the air and sea in Let There Be Light (a picture book of the first few verses of the Bible) that I’ve always wished I had as a poster for my wall. Besides having a striking overall composition, it is beautifully colored and incredibly detailed.
Out of her Narnia drawings, I find it very hard to choose because they are so tied to the stories themselves. But I can remember staring very hard at the picture of the Beavers’ house in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and wishing I could sit around that little table and join them in having some potatoes with butter!
Lastly, are you working on any upcoming projects you can share a little about?
My next book is coming out in January! It is a sweet rhyming book called God’s Gift of Guardian Angels, and I’m thrilled that Little Golden Books is publishing it.
Besides that, I have one or two things with my agent, including another picture book biography in the early draft stage, that I’m very excited about—still under wraps, though!
Painting Wonder
How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
Katie Wray Schon
Waxwing Books (Apr 1, 2025)
In this picture book, the life and work of Pauline Baynes, the iconic illustrator of the worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, receive overdue credit. Though Pauline brought magical worlds to life, her own story was less fantastical: she was swept from vibrant India to England, where she was bullied and struggled to adjust. Later, she joined the war effort, making maps and charts. The illustrations bubble over with magic befitting their subject as they follow Pauline through hardship to triumph.
Reviewed by Danielle Ballantyne
March / April 2025
Danielle Ballantyne
