Among Aminah's earliest childhood memories were the many occasions on which she and her father made books with whatever materials were available. As a young child, she was never without her sketchbook and by the time she began art school, she was already combining text with visual images. Here are some published books by and about Aminah; her one-of-a-kind books, and limited editions.
Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and
Christmas (1992), Harcourt Brace & Company, written by Michael J. Rosen and
illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. An award winning story of religious tolerance about
woodcarver Elijah Pierce and his young Jewish friend.
Sophie (1994), Harcourt Brace & Company, written by
Mem Fox and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. An award-winning, story of the loving
relationship of a grandfather and his granddaughter and their understanding of the cycle of life.
The Teachings, (1992), Harcourt,
Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers, written and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.
Interweaving text and drawings, Aminah Robinson brings to life 26 African American spirituals that
have inspired her since she was a little girl.
A School for Pompey Walker (1995),
Harcourt Brace & Company, written by Michael J. Rosen and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn
Robinson. This inspiring story based in fact relates the efforts of a freed slave and his white
friend to build a school for Black children in the 1800s.
The Shaking Bag (2000), Albert Whitman &
Company, written by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. This
folktale tells the story of an elderly southern woman whose kindness and generosity is magically
rewarded.
To Be A Drum (1998), Albert Whitman &
Company, written by Evelyn Coleman and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. Throughout this
beautifully illustrated story of African American history, a father teaches his two young children
to listen for the drumbeat that reflects the rhythm of the earth and the heartbeat of its people.
A Street
Called Home (1997), Harcourt Brace & Company
and republished and distributed by the Columbus Museum of Art.
Written and illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.
This accordion book with flaps tells about the bustling
neighborhood of Mt. Vernon Avenue in Columbus, Ohio,
and the people who lived and worked there during the 1940s and 1950s.
Aminah’s World: An activity book and children’s
guide about artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
(2017, Columbus Museum of Art) by Carole Miller Genshaft
Raggin’ On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s
House and Journals
(2020, Columbus Museum of Art); Carole M. Genshaft, Ed. This book accompanied the exhibition of
the same name co-curated by Carole Genshaft and Deidre Hamlar at the Columbus Museum of Art,
November 18, 2020 – October 3, 2021
Symphonic Poem:
The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (2002), Columbus Museum
of Art in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. Published
in conjunction with the retrospective exhibition of the same title, organized
by the Columbus Museum of Art, and curated by Carole Miller Genshaft and Annegreth
Taylor Nill, December 13, 2002 – April 20, 2003. The exhibition traveled to the
Brooklyn Museum of Art (February 23 – August 13, 2006), Tacoma Art Museum
(September 16, 2006 – January 28, 2007), and the Toledo Museum of Art
(February 23 – May 22, 2007).
Printmaking was always a special interest for Aminah. At least once a year, she created a book of etchings, lithographs, or woodcuts that she had printed in New York by her friend Kelly Driscoll. The two women met when both were working at The Printmaking Workshop in New York in 1989. In this excerpt from The Sidewalks of Market Street, 2000, Aminah lovingly illustrated the colorful stories her Uncle Alvin told about the people who lived and worked in the Mount Vernon neighborhood on the eastside of Columbus in the first half of the twentieth century.
