Sterling Children's Books to Publish the First Picture Book Version of 'Blowin' in the Wind' Written by Bob Dylan and Illustrated by Caldecott Honor Recipient Jon J Muth

NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sterling Children's Books announced today that the first picture book edition of "Blowin' in the Wind," the legendary song written by Bob Dylan, will be published in November 2011 and illustrated by Jon J Muth.

"Bob Dylan's timeless message about war and peace is just as resonant with parents and children today as it was almost 50 years ago," said Frances Gilbert, VP/Publisher of Sterling Children's Books. "With Jon J Muth's ethereal and poetic paintings, this picture book will be a breathtaking experience for readers of all generations." The book will include a CD of Bob Dylan's original recording.

Bob Dylan released "Blowin' in the Wind" on his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The song is often hailed as an anthem of the 1960s civil rights movement, but in tackling universal questions about freedom, justice, war, and peace, it has become much more than just a protest song. "Blowin' in the Wind" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #14 on the magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Bob Dylan has written more than 600 songs. His 46 albums have sold more than 110 million copies around the world. He has won numerous awards including the Kennedy Center Honor, the French Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Sweden's Polar Music Prize, an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe®, and Grammys® too numerous to mention. In 2008, Dylan was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." His most recent album of original material, Together Through Life, was released in 2009 and entered the number one slot in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Jon J Muth is a best-selling writer and illustrator. For over twenty years he created comics and graphic novels, culminating in the industry's highest honor, an Eisner Award for The Mystery Play. In 1999 Mr. Muth started what has been more than a decade in children's books. He is the author and illustrator of Zen Shorts, a Caldecott Honor book, which Kirkus Reviews called "as perfect a picture book as can be." He illustrated the anthology A Family of Poems by Caroline Kennedy. His book The Three Questions has been described as "quietly life-changing" by the New York Times. Mr. Muth's work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He lives in New York.

About Sterling Children's Books

Sterling Children's Books is the award-winning publisher of a full range of books for children of every age, including the million-copy bestseller Puff, the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton and Man Gave Names to All the Animals by Bob Dylan and illustrated by Jim Arnosky. Sterling Children's Books is a division of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. For more information about Sterling Children's Books, visit www.sterlingpublishing.com/kids.

SOURCE Sterling Publishing