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above: (cropped view) an early 1950’s Rock n Roll musician playing one of Leo Fender’s innovative, slim, solid body electric guitars, The Telecaster…
Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars -The Leo Fender Story -written by Michael Mahin & illustrated by Steven Salerno -published by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt & Co. (Macmillan) 2021
The story of American designer and manufacturer Leo Fender, the California kid who grew up tinkering with radios and electronics as a hobby, then as an adult in the early 1950’s designed innovative, slim, solid body electric guitars: hisTelecaster and Stratocaster guitars were intrinsically linked with the new emerging music genre Rock n Roll, and became the most popular mass produced electric guitars.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
“This biography is well researched and masterfully told. Children will enjoy reading about Fender's unusual journey, especially with the clever tidbits, peculiar vocabulary, and subtle alliteration that make Mahin a fantastic storyteller. Salerno's classic Americana illustrations in crayons, ink, gouache, and pastel bring to mind illustrative versions of Norman Rockwell stills, with postures that show as much as the facial expressions.” -School Library Journal
“Mahin employs repetition, alliteration, and wordplay: “Western swing bands had cowboyed their way across the country and taken over the Los Angeles area.” Salerno’s multimedia illustrations, arranged and colored digitally, have a detailed, appealingly sketched vintage aesthetic. Young inventors in particular will find this well-paced account absorbing, though anyone with passions to pursue will find Fender’s mettle inspiring.” -Publishers Weekly
-a Junior Library Guild GOLD STANDARD Selection for 2021
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above: cover of Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars -The Leo Fender Story
The cover depicts Leo as a young boy holding his innovative Telecaster electric guitar -but in reality he didn’t start designing his first electric guitars until he was adult in the late 1940’s and didn’t perfect them until the early 1950’s.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
see Steven’s complete list of published picture books to date
-A Junior Library Guild GOLD STANDARD Selection for 2021
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above: one of the final pencil sketches, which when all completed are then presented to the publisher for their review before commencing with creating the final illustrations. This sketch depicts a teenage Leo operating a radio repair business out of his bedroom.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) a teenage Leo busy with his radio repair business conducted out of his bedroom
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: one of the dark sepia crayon drawings in progress on the light box, which reference photos of Leo Fender at hand.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) of two musicians in a western swing band from the 1930’s. The guitars back then were all electrified hollow body acoustic guitars.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) Leo lost his job as an accountant due to the Great Depression of the 1930’s… which was the incentive for him to then open his own radio repair business.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) Leo opened his own Radio Repair shop behind a gas station… which repaired all things electronic. This shop was the start of Leo beginning to experiment with the design of electric guitars and amplifiers.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) Leo studying electronics schematics of amplifiers and electric guitars.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) of a trio of jazz guitarists. Leo studied many guitarists who were all playing electrified hollow body acoustic guitars… be he was developing his innovative designs for a slim, solid body electric guitar.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) Leo holding up his design of a slim, solid body electric guitar from the early 1950’s. It was first developed in the late 1940’s and initially called the Esquire, then revamped and renamed the Broadcaster, but quickly was renamed again -as the Telecaster -which became one of the most iconic, popular electric guitars in history.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars
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above: (cropped view) of a contemporary rocker playing a FENDER guitar.
see Steven’s blog post on creating all the sketches & illustrations for Gizmos, Gadgets and Guitars