Sidjakov, << SIHJ uh kawf, >> Nicolas (1924-1993), was a Latvian-born American illustrator of picture books for children. Sidjakov became best known for his illustrations for Baboushka and the Three Kings (1960), a Russian folk tale retold by Ruth Robbins, an American art director and illustrator. Sidjakov received the 1961 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the best picture book by an American.
Baboushka is an old Russian peasant woman and a popular character in Russian folklore. In Baboushka and the Three Kings, the Three Wise Men invite her to help them find the baby Jesus. She declines, but later changes her mind and goes out in search of the Wise Men. She never locates them, but every Christmas season she wanders through the countryside giving gifts to children. To illustrate this story, Sidjakov used rich colors that reflect the style of old illuminated manuscripts. His human figures resemble figures in primitive folk art. The influence of European folk art often appears in Sidjakov’s picture books.
Sidjakov’s first work was The Friendly Beasts (1957), written by the American author Laura Nelson Baker. He also collaborated with Ruth Robbins on The Emperor and the Drummer Boy (1962) and Harlequin and Mother Goose (1965). His other picture books include A Lodestone and a Toadstone (1969), written by Irene Elmer; and Staffan: An Old Christmas Folk Song (1970), translated by Ross Shideler, a professor of Scandinavian literature.
Sidjakov was born on Dec. 16, 1924, in Riga, Latvia. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1945 and began a career as a free-lance illustrator and designer. He married an American woman and settled in the United States in 1954. Sidjakov also worked as a designer in advertising. He died on June 20, 1993.
